If you have a food allergy, how do you tell your toddler that you can't eat what they are having ?

[cmotdibbler]

Cos DS (22 months) loves to feed us, and its really difficult when he's lovingly offering his biscuit to me to find a good way of turning it down. I usually say that its not mummy food, but just because I'm gf, I don't want him to get funny messages about food.

Any ideas or experience ?

How about 'oh thats not for mummy, sweetie, its just special for YOU'.
Thats what I say when the ds's and daddy are having sausages cos I can't stand the things.

We say "daddy can't eat nuts because they make him ill." The DDs aren't allowed nuts either, until they are older, so it's not quite the same issue. But it doesn't appear to be giving them any general food issues.

DD1 is now 5 and fully understand that some people can eat nuts (including her best friend) but she and her daddy and sister can't. It was a while before she grasped the concept of "allergy", but even quite small children understand "sick".

I think children are very accepting of the world as it is presented to them. It never worried me as a child that my mum couldn't have certain things. I think I probably thought that mummies couldn't have x,y and z, but children and daddies could.

Similarly, I'm a strict vegetarian but dp and dd eat meat. Dd is also 22 months, so not really old enough yet to question me about it, but so far I've just been fairly low key about it; "Oh no thank you, not for mummy - would daddy like it instead?" or "Not for me thank you - you eat it all up".

As and when she asks questions I shall answer them.

Does your DS do "full"? I sometimes tell dd I'm full when I don't want to eat what she's offering as it's a concept she understands and uses herself to refuse food.

He's just that tricky age where he really notices everything, and wants us to eat everything that he does (and vice versa), but doesn't really have the understanding to explain it to.

I use the same lines as you Lime - haven't tried full (he just does all done), but I might start saying/signing that

I think like limeinthecoconut that children are very accepting. Opposite way round for us but my 2 year old dd understands that mummy and daddy have cows milk and she has rice milk. She is happy to accept she cant have something because there is cows milk in it and has been from a young age. I dont think she has issues with food. When she plays with her toy kitchen she 'makes' food suitable for all the family . . . that is how they make sense of everything i suppose through their play (but thats another story)