Where do you eat out? What foods are safe for your child at restaruants? Do you even go out?

Autumn - posted on 04/04/2009

My daughter had a severe corn & dairy allergy until she was 3 1/2.  We avoided fast food whenever possible.  I would research ahead of time to find out what kind of oil they use, have them read labels to me etc....  Each state is different with the fast food chain.  They do not all use the same suppliers.  Don't assume that the ingredients didn't change from your last visit.  I had great success going to sit down restaurants.  We ALWAYS asked to speak to the manager and stressed that we were dealing with a SEVERE allergy.  The waiter/waitress typically looked at us like we were crazy over protective parents, but once the manager arrived that understood and were very accomidating.  Many times they would oversee the cooking of her food and also bring me out labels to double check.  We also insisted on a clean grill with clean utensils.  Absolutely NO cross contamination allowed.  We had great experiences with Big Boys and Chili's.

Missy - posted on 03/24/2009

My son has those allergies + five more or so. At McDonalds they are a lot more proactive now and will respond to questions, etc because they had a child die a few years ago from eating their fries (which had milk in them but it was not reported on the nutrition facts). Since that lawsuit, they've improved a lot and the fries no longer contain dairy. Also, note that your child can probably have the chicken selects, as that was the only chicken my son could have. He has the plain hamburger as well - there is no dairy but there IS soy in that. Unfortunately, with allergies, etc, we as parents just have to look at those ingredients lists online and pray that they are accurate. Be sure to ask at restaurants like Bob Evans, etc, that buns are cooked WITHOUT butter, as well as vegetables, etc - many restaurants just cook and toast with butter without saying anything about it, as we found out the hard way. Avoid Chinese, it's REALLY hard to figure anything out. My son also has an egg allergy, so it's always a mess there.

Kristen - posted on 03/02/2009

Going out is very tough. My daughter so far, can't have milk (we go for more tests later) and I am wheat and egg, so I think our waiters hate waiting on us! We really love going to Wendy's In Illinois and Thai resturants (not good for peanut allergies) . Wendy's really seams to understand the allergies and ordering no bun, or plain potatos,its good for celiacs too. The Thai resturants work well bacause they use rice noodles and you can special order items, but getting a young child something to order might be hard.

Andrea - posted on 02/25/2009

My son is 3 years and has severe milk and egg protein allergies. We take his food with us everywhere we go to eat out, which is quite often to many different places. We don't want to risk him getting anything he might react to because we frequently forget to pack the Epi pen. Surprisingly, all of the restaurants and/or servers have been very understanding of his allergies and our bringing his food with us.

Tina - posted on 02/25/2009

My daugther is 2 and also has a severe allergy to milk. We've actually avoided McDonald's altogether...there is so little she can eat there. I wasn't sure if your were aware...but McDonald's has milk in their french fries...believe it or not...and their burgers have soy in them! I understand what you are saying with ordering at a restaurant...no one seems to understand. My favorite restaurants to take my daughter are Shoney's and Five Guys and a Burger. She gets a plain burger (no bun) and she can eat the fries at Five Guys. Those are chain restaurants and not sure if they are in your area. Keep trying...you'll find which restaurants are accomodating and which are not.

Abby - posted on 01/25/2009

Yes - you need to speak to the chef directly. I find that when you speak to them and state it is a SEVERE food allergy (no matter how severe your child's allergy is - if it can be severe that is what you stress), they are almost always very receptive. I've stopped wasting my time speaking to waitresses or servers. Just ask to speak to the chef/cook - they know what ingredients they use and will often show you the packaging of anything pre-mixed they have used. If you have a Denny's nearby I have found them to be good/receptive to allergies. IHOP is horrible as I don't think they are very clean so there is lots of cross-contamination. My daughter would get sick there even when I got things that did not have any milk or peanuts.

Sandi - posted on 01/12/2009

My son has multiple food allergies also. As far as going out to eat, you'll always "run a risk" but I've had much better luck at resturants that are family owned. I stay away from "chain" resturants alot. However, more "chain" resturants are starting to recognize allergies and are using clean grills, pans etc to prepare foods. The first thing I do when I go in the resturant is look at the menu to see if they have grilled items and I speak with the manager, not the wait staff. If you politely explain how important and why it is to have your childs food fixed EXACTLY the way you request they are usually very accomadating. Good luck!

Patty - posted on 01/12/2009

I feel your pain. My son ( 10 months) has a severe milk allergy and a soy intolerance. He is still young enough for me to bring food along for him and if I avoid all dairy and reduce my soy intake he is ok with my breast milk. I'm praying my son will out grow both the allergy and intolerance by age 5. The allergist tells me he has an 80% chance of out growing it.
From what I read, the best thing to do is find a favorite place to eat, go there ahead of time with a list of ingredients your son can not have and meet with the head cook. Then when you are going to eat out they know ahead of time and the staff is less likely to be frustrated with you.
I also looked at the fast food ingredients online and there is nothing you can eat without milk and soy. It sucks, but I think they just aren't an option for our food allergic kiddos.
I know it is so tough. Hang in there.

Patty