But, somehow, when Maisie showed an allergic reaction to eggs, I did nothing.
I avoided scrambled eggs and omelets and other breakfast items, but overall, I pretended like it wasn't happening.
I am not sure if I was in denial or I just figured that since none of us have food allergies that her egg allergy would just go away. Or I was just hoping it would just go away.
Living with a food allergy is not easy. And since Maisie is not old enough to know, I have to be her Watch Dog, and I, obviously, have not been doing this. I have been ignorant to her needs.
That was until her molars came in and her drool caused a rash around her mouth that over the last month just has not gone away. I realize that I need to pay attention to everything that she is eating and that includes all the bake goods that are in our house.
I had never noticed this before, but did you know that all packaging has to list if it contains one of the top 8 most common allergies including eggs?
The meal that has been affected the most is breakfast. Frozen waffles, an easy staple in our house, are out. All pancakes, french toast, etc. have to be made egg-free. She has been eating a lot of fruit and yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast.
We love eating out on Saturday mornings as a family. That is not easy for a little girl with an egg allergy. I have been ordering off the sides menu and piecing meals together for her.
I have noticed her rash get better, but it still has not gone away. My next step is to use a little steroid cream to clear it up and then hope that with my new Watch Dog eyes, it won't come back.
While her allergy is moderate, I have to stop pretending it doesn't exist. It does and I, the mom, need to deal with it.
Egg-free Tip: Mix 1/2 cup of applesauce per egg to your pancake batter instead of eggs. To me, it actually tastes better with a little sweet touch.
I'm sorry you have to deal with an allergy. It's really hard and so (unfortunately) common. I hope our kiddo comes out unscathed from food allergies, but we have them all over our family so... ? We wait and see. I was a vegan for a very long time and it's easy to adapt most folks to non-egg for homemade items and even convenience foods. My dad is, literally, deathly allergic to dairy and used to be allergic to eggs (grew out of that) and it's possible, but certainly not as easy as feeding everyone the same thing. I do like tapioca powder as an egg replacer. You can get it at the health food store. I just whipped up the equivalent in a little cup and added it when recipes called for eggs. You can even find vegan recipes and substitute animal ingredients where you care to (cow milk for soy, etc.) and just use egg replacer. Good luck, hon. And don't beat yourself up! You recognized it and now you're acting on it! That's what a good mom does. :)
ReplyDeleteYou can also use banana's instead of eggs. :) I've done this many times when I've run out of eggs, even in cookies.
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