Does anyone else's child feel awkward about special meals?

[darlenebrown674]

Hi

I'm just wondering if anyone else is dealing with something like this. My daughter has multiple life-threatenng allergies and we try to get involved in our church lunches but most of the time I leave feelnig that it wasn't worth the stress. I obviously bring her own food in separate containers but I can see the look on people's faces when I say "please don't let her share anything". I can tell it makes her feel different and sometimes she just goes off by herself whilst everyone else is still chatting at the table.

I dont blame anyone but it's just tricky when food's involved. And the stuff we bring always ends in those plastic Tupperwares that stand out like a sore thumb. She never tells me that she minds but I can tell she feels a bit embarrassed.

I just wish there was a better way that we could include kids with dietary needs at these things without making it too obvious or awkward. Its so hard to balance making sure she's safe while letting her feel a "part of it".

Curious if anyone’s found anything that actually works?

Oh my gosh yes, my son is the same way. If you're looking at it purely from a safety perspective, we got one of those lidded "allergy safe" containers (from Araven) for him but its honestly so massive and so tall that she cannot even see over the top at the table. It kind of defeated the point of him joining in because he was hidden! Plus they were the bright red plastic ones so subtlety went out the window. Still, they worked well for keeping food separate (they had those air tight lids and it was made from easy to wash plastic so there wasn't any cross contamination). When I bought them, the idea was to have something that clearly showed that it was different and for allergies but I regret doing it with the bright colours now (I think I embarrassed him). At the moment I'm looking for something that shows it but looks nicer. He still can't share with the others though.

Oh yeah I know the Araven ones but aren't those more for the kitchen than the table?? Not sure if our tupperware plan is going to work😂

Could you not decant their items into a plate and serve it to them at the table? That way they don’t feel any different