When you have a child with food sensitivities they may struggle with feeling different from their peers. As we know from when we grew up that’s the last thing a kid wants. We didn’t want to stand out among our friends like that. We had a desire to blend in. That being said when your child is dealing with a food sensitivity they may feel like because they’re avoiding a certain food that others can eat that they are different. It can be a difficult road to navigate, as I know from personal experience with my son who has many food sensitivities. If he eats certain foods he breaks out in terrible eczema that is extremely uncomfortable. So he avoids multiple foods that he once thoroughly enjoyed eating. This made him feel different in a way that he didn’t like.

Tips to Help Your Child NOT Feel Different

• Help your child understand why they need to remove the food and how removing it can help eliminate whatever symptom they may be dealing with. I’m sure this symptom whether it’s headache, stomach issues, skin problems, hyperactivity or whatever it maybe has caused them some amount of discomfort. Even with hyperactivity I’m sure they’re tired of being told to settle down or any number of things.
• Help your child to notice the subtle differences that may be occurring from the elimination of the food. Sometimes just calling attention to how they are feeling can help them to see the benefits. Maybe their skin is clearer, or they don’t have those headaches that made them just want to lay down and not play. Opening their eyes and mind to what they are able to do now that they’re not dealing with their symptoms can help a lot.
• Help your child know how common food sensitivities are in people. It use to be a more rare occurrence but now their are many sensitivities like dairy, gluten, eggs, or nuts to name a few. Knowing that they are not the only ones who follow a nutrition plan that requires them to remove foods can help them feel less alone and more like others.
• Teach your child when they’re offered something they shouldn’t eat due to their particular sensitivity to just simply say, “No thank you.” They don’t need to say something like, “No I can’t have it”, because then they will more than likely need to explain why. The person offering said item will ask questions and with younger kids this can be difficult to explain. If they are pressed further they can then say, “No thank you. I have food sensitivities so I will pass.” Generally speaking that stops the conversation and no more explanation is needed or asked.
• Prepare your child’s school with snacks that don’t require refrigeration and will keep. This way when there is a birthday celebration, popcorn party, or another celebration that treats are handed out your child won’t feel left out if they can’t eat the treat everyone else is eating. This may take some searching online or in the grocery store, but most likely there will be options you can send.
• When your child is invited to a birthday party contact the parent or guardian. Ask them what they are planning to serve at the celebration. Mention that your child has food sensitivities and that you will be sending food for him/her to eat. This way the parent/guardian can plan accordingly. Then make something as close to what is being served as possible. I found with my own son even though we discussed before a pizza party that he was going to have a wrap, that he was fine with, it was still upsetting for him to not be eating pizza. Since that one time he’s been to a couple more parties where they served pizza and we sent a pizza he could eat and everything was all good.

These are some of the main things that helped our son to accept the changes he needed to make to his nutrition, remain consistent with them, and not feel as much like the odd man out in social situations. Nutritional changes can be hard and hopefully some of these will help your child as they did for mine.

If you know of anyone else who could benefit from this info please feel free to share it. The more awareness we have the better prepared we are to help those we love.