Last Baby Signing Class – End of an Era!!!

May 31, 2007 at 12:19 pm | In General: Day-to-day, Interesting Products | Leave a Comment

All of Taran’s usual classes and groups aren’t running this week due to it being half-term. However, we are very sad because we won’t be continuing with baby signing when they all start up again next week. 

I first enrolled Taran in a baby signing class when he was just 4 months old. Obviously, it was more for me than him as it was a chance to get out of the house and meet some other mum’s. We attended our local TinyTalk class and the teacher Laura is fantastic.

We loved going to her classes as they have a lovely atmosphere and are the right combination of singing and signing, singing with musical instruments and then free play at the end when all the parents have a coffee and a natter.

But sadly, after going for 18 months, the time has come to move on to other things. Taran is getting too old for the class and being an active little one he was beginning to get a bit too boistrous around all the tiny new babies.

He still uses several of the signs although his speech is now starting to develop fairly quickly.  Whenever he is hungry, he uses the sign for ”eat” and he also loves doing all the animals signs - dog, cat, pig, horse…the list goes on. 

For anyone interested in signing, I’ve found a great site called http://www.chelltune.co.uk which tells you all about the different signing methods and has some great signing products for sale. It’s definitely worth checking out.

But for us, it’s the end of an era and time to move onto another type of class. 

Despite Wet Bank Holiday – Two Fun Parties

May 30, 2007 at 1:04 pm | In Allergy Related, Eating Out | Leave a Comment

Despite the awful bank holiday weather, Taran had fun over the weekend at two birthday parties. Both were for 2nd birthday’s and the first was at his friend’s house with an entertainer and the second at a local farm / play centre.

The first party was in the afternoon so I didn’t really have to worry too much about food. I knew that Taran would be full from his lunch and that he could have his dinner when he got home, so I just packed a couple of snacks just in case.

The second party 10am-12am so I knew that Taran would be hungry when they all sat down for the food. Despite the non-stop rain, he had a great time as there was quite a lot of things to do indoors including driving mini tractors and a soft play area. All the children sat down for food at 11.45am and it consisted on the usual party fare – sandwiches, fairy cakes, mini sausage rolls etc.

Taran had homemade shepherd’s pie which he wolfed down – he’d been so busy playing that he was starving!!

Plus he had my party secret weapon….a carton of Peter Rabbit juice. At home, he only gets to drink water and formula so he gets very excited about drinking out of a carton and doesn’t really care what else is on the table!!

 Taran at A’s birthday party

as-birthday-table-spread.jpg

Asparagus – A handy snack

May 24, 2007 at 7:19 pm | In Eating In, General: Day-to-day | 1 Comment

We are smack in the middle of the UK asparagus season which runs from mid-April to mid-June.

Asparagus is classed as a superfood and is an excellent source of folic acid and vitamins A, B and C.

Taran loves eating steamed asparagus – it makes a great snack and finger food!

asparagus-smaller.jpg

Fantastic range of organic baby clothing on www.Feedmeallergyfree.co.uk

May 22, 2007 at 7:41 pm | In Allergy Related, Feedmeallergyfree, Interesting Products | Leave a Comment

I’ve just added a fantastic range of organic baby clothing, including day playsuits and rompers, to www.Feedmeallergyfree.co.uk. I hope that visitors to my site will also think they look gorgeous!

Why do I feel they fit in with my allergy site? Well, when my son was a baby and before his allergies were under control, he suffered quite badly from eczema. Consequently, he spent a lot of time in baby suits and rompers as opposed to “proper” clothes as I thought they were more comfortable on his sensitive skin.

I often found it difficult to find suitable day rompers which didn’t make it look like he’d spent the whole day in his PJ’s! And I thought there must be other mothers in the same situation.

The range of baby clothing that I’ve decided to stock is certified organic by SKAL and AGRECO. SKAL is the inspection body for organic production in the Netherlands and they issue the EKO symbol which is used throughout Europe whilst AGRECO is the inspection body for organic production methods.

So why go organic? Organic cotton is produced entirely free of chemical pesticides and therefore without the risks that such chemicals pose to human health and the environment.

Personally, I like to buy organic clothing for my son. A baby’s skin is 5 times thinner than adult, allowing toxins to penetrate the skin much more easily. In addition, all the garments on the site are formaldehyde, heavy metals and other harmful additives.

So please do have a look at www.Feedmeallergyfree.co.uk.

New Look for www.Feedmeallergyfree.co.uk

May 22, 2007 at 7:32 pm | In Feedmeallergyfree | Leave a Comment

I’m pleased to say that my new site at www.Feedmeallergyfree.co.uk has gone live.

The original site was launched in January this year and I decided to redesign it with the help of a professional to bring it more inline with my recipe book Feed me allergy free.

The site still contains all of the great information of the old site including numerous articles and newsletters. The only difference is that they have been put under one heading – Resources – for easier navigation. In addition, I’ve expanded the shop area to include some fabulous organic baby clothing.

I hope you like the new look!

An End to Boring Breakfasts!

May 20, 2007 at 12:41 pm | In Allergy Related, Eating In, Feedmeallergyfree, General: Day-to-day | Leave a Comment

Over the last couple of weeks, my little one had gone off breakfast. He would happily drink his formula as soon as he woke up but would then refuse anything until mid-morning when he would be starving.

I was beginning to get a bit worried as I think that breakfast is an important meal. Some suggested that it was perhaps because he was full from his “milk” but I knew that probably wasn’t the case as he’s an early riser so has his “milk” at around 6am and I give him his breakfast at around 8am.

Then I realised that perhaps he was just bored of breakfast. It’s funny because I don’t feed him the same thing for every lunch and dinner but had got into the habit of giving similar options at every breakfast. 

I decided to try some different savory options and he loved it! So this is what I have tried so far:
- an allergy-free version of kedgeree
- potato rosti
- smoked salmon and avocado  

The kedgeree was simple to make and didn’t require much altering from the normal version.

Ingredients - Makes 2/3 servings
200g / 7oz raw salmon fillet
1 bay leaf
30g / 1oz Pure spread
1 small onion, chopped
pinch cumin
pinch turmeric
200g / 7oz cooked basmati rice

Method:
1. Cover the salmon fillet with cold water, add the bay leaf, and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and the fish should be cooked – but check that it is cooked throughout.
2. Remove the fish from the water and flake onto a plate.
3. In a small pan, melt the Pure spread and fry the onion until soft.
4. Stir in the spices and the rice and fry for 2-3 minutes
5. Add the flaked fish – and then add 1tbsp of water to make the dish slightly moist.
6. Serve. 

As this dish requires cooked basmati rice, it is ideal if you can save some from the previous night’s dinner. It means a bit of menu planning but doesn’t that come with the job?!

And as I come up with other breakfast ideas, I’ll let you know!

National Allergy Week: 21st to 26th May

May 18, 2007 at 6:24 pm | In Allergy Related, In the news | Leave a Comment

Next week is National Allergy Week organised by Allergy UK. The aim of the week is to highlight the increasing impact of hayfever and the rising number of people being affected.

According to the Allergy UK website, as part of National Allergy Week, they are launching pod casts and ‘Ask the Expert’ web chats on a website specifically created for this years Allergy Week – www.allergyweek.org.

This new site doesn’t seem to be up and running yet – presumably it will launch into action next week. However, you can find details of the experts’ sessions on the Allergy UK website. 

New Newsletter – Feedmeallergyfree

May 15, 2007 at 12:46 pm | In Feedmeallergyfree | Leave a Comment

I’ve just emailed out the second edition of the Feedmeallergyfree newsletter.

It’s full of great information including articles on homemade lollies and birthday parties. If you’d like to check it out visit www.Feedmeallergyfree.co.uk and click on Newsletters.

 Below – Homemade Apple & Vanilla Lolly made using a fun rocket mould.

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A Gluten-Free Diet

May 14, 2007 at 12:14 pm | In Eating Out, General: Day-to-day | Leave a Comment

Why Gluten-Free?
My husband has recently gone on a gluten-free diet. He’s suffered from quite severe psoriasis on both his shins for a number of years. In the past, he’s been to the GP and been referred to a specialist who have prescribed a number of different creams. None of them have ever worked and so he had resorted to just moisturing them in an attempt to stop them itching too much.

Well, a couple of weeks ago I read an article which outlined the possible connection between psoriasis and coeliacs disease and it went on to say that many psoriasis sufferers find that their condition improves if they remove gluten from their diet. So he decided to give it a go.

Gluten-Free Meals
With Taran already being on a restricted diet I though that I’d be a pro at providing gluten-free meals for my husband. But in reality it’s been much harder than we both expected. I suppose in Taran’s case, he’s never known any different whereas for my husband it has required a big change from his usual diet. In particular, he is a great sandwich lover and gluten-free bread doesn’t quite hit the same spot!!

In general, breakfast and dinner have been fairly easy to adapt. His usual cereal has been swopped for gluten-free muesli and pototoes and rice have been the main source of carbohydrate instead of wheat at dinner. The hardest meal by far has been lunch. He usually takes a packed lunch to work and in the past that has consisted of a sandwich.  So I’ve had to get my thinking cap on and be a little bit more organised.  Some examples of his lunches are:

- tuna potato salad 
- sardine rice salad
- jacket potato with various filling
- leftovers from previous dinner (incl. curry & rice, lasagne using cabbage leaves instead of pasta, roast dinner)

The added bonus has been at the weekends. When going on picnics, it is easier to prepare the same food for all of us.

Science Museum on Sunday
On Sunday, we went to the Science Museum with Taran’s Aunty Sally. It was the perfect otpion for such a miserable day! We took a picnic with us and it’s great at the Science Museum as they provide a special picnic area. Both Daddy & Taran enjoyed their food and had the following:

- tuna rice salad
- avocado salad
- corn crisps
- lamb stew & rice (leftovers)

So Has Gluten-Free Worked?
Yes, I think it has. My husband has now been on the diet for a couple of weeks and you can definitely see a difference in his psoriasis. He is now at the stage where he should go to the GP to get some advice and find out what to do next.

Food & Drink Signs – Against Children with Allergies?

May 9, 2007 at 7:56 pm | In Allergy Related, Eating Out, General: Day-to-day | Leave a Comment

This morning, as it was a miserable and damp day, we decided to go to a soft-play centre with some friends. And before heading off, I packed my changing bag with all the usual items including lunch and drinks for Taran.

We met our friends in entrance. I went up to the counter, paid and Taran & I walked in. My friend went to do the same – the cashier noticed her changing bag and asked whether it contained any food. My friend innocently said yes and was then told that no outside food or drink was allowed to be consumed on the premises at all.

I found this approach really surprising. I obviously do understand when cafes and restaurants have such notices about only food / drink purchased may be consumed on the premises.

But, this soft-play centre:
a) is designed for children of all ages, including younger toddlers. Most parents always carry with them a drink in a sippy cup or the like. Plus it is usually acceptable that you bring your own food along for babies and younger toddlers, whether they have allergies or not.

b) provide no alternative seating area for home bought food – and it’s on an industrial estate so it wouldn’t be feasible to try and find somewhere outside.

So after an hour’s play, the boys were both hungry and the mums were ready for a coffee! We decided to order our drinks and brazen it out on the food front. I was pleasantly surpised when I went up to order that they did have a food allergies list – all the meals were listed along side the allergens they each contained. This would obviously be very useful for anybody with single food allergies but looking through the list, I was satisfied that there was nothing suitable for Taran.

The boys happily tucked into their lunches. A couple of the staff walked past but nobody said anything to us.

So in the end, we were really worrying and getting a bit annoyed about nothing.  But I must remember to pack Taran’s allergy T-shirt and bib if we ever go again!

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