Yummy Allergen-Free Snacks (from Parenting Magazine)

I think someone at Parenting magazine has a kid with food allergies, because this isn't the first time I've seen them cover the topic. In their October issue, they have a really cute, full-page roundup of allergen-free snacks, which you can also see on their site.

Some of them might not work for Amelia, but it's still such a cool thing to open up a major magazine and see them devoting so much space to the issue of allergies. Yay!

Is Coconut a nut?

I can't seem to find any good info on this -- is it a nut? And if not, why do they call it coconut? Although I guess nutmeg isn't a nut, and eggplant isn't an egg. The English language is weird.

What to Do With a Well-Meaning Mother-in-Law?

My mother-in-law is very, very nice. She loves the grandkids. She really wants Amelia baby J to be happy and healthy. What is she not so hot at? READING LABELS AND BEING AWARE OF POTENTIAL ALLERGENS. We bumped into her and grandpa yesterday at the Farmer's Market, and to cheer Amelia up (bee phobia), grandma gave Amelia a lollipop that one of the stands was giving away. But she didn't ask me if it was okay, nor did she read the label. In a stroke of really good luck, it was the brand that Amelia's okay eating (Dum-Dums). But still... .

So, when your mother-in-law does something you're not comfortable with, and it pertains to a safety issue, what do you do? I did the "whoa, hey, let's not forget to read labels next time first!" (trying for a jokey and casual voice) thing, but I don't know if that was effective or just went in one ear and out the other. I keep hoping she'll "get it" but we've had quite a few of these close calls (closer than this, which wasn't too bad) which I catch and fix without making a fuss, but is that the best strategy? I'm stumped, and worried the next time I may not be there. This is why I won't let her cook for Amelia or be in charge of any meals other than a snack I send over.

Or maybe that's okay -- I am her mom and it's my job to feed her, not anyone else's. Grandma's around to be a loving and fun presence (which she is).

Gerber Cereal: FAIL!

My mother-in-law stopped by with some baby food for John recently. One of the items she bought was a box of Gerber's "single grain" oatmeal cereal. Single grain my foot. Soy oil-lecithin is the third ingredient (after, thankfully, oat flour). That's just gross, and weird. Why the soy? For flavor? Bulk? A cheap filler? Whatever the reason, I'll pass. I realize most soy-allergic people are not allergic to soy oil or soy lecithin (Amelia included) but there's still no reason to add anything to a single grain baby food other than the grain, and some vitamins/minerals (a key one being iron, which babies need).

Gerber in general has always bugged me. Maybe because they seem to own the market due to sheer advertising muscle. But two different nutritionists I know say they prefer Beech-Nut. And I also like Earth's Best. Regardless, this is not cool. Gerber: FAIL!