to bring my own food to a cafe?

[vvviola]

You see, I think I am, but DH thinks we have extenuating circumstances.

I'm not able to have dairy or egg as I'm still breastfeeding DD2 who is allergic to both.

I find going out for coffee & cake extremely frustrating. I have yet to find a cafe that has anything I can eat. (Am in NZ, so please no lists of wonderful UK cafes that do egg & dairy free cakes! ). Sometimes I can have a bagel with jam, if they do them, but that's about the height of it.

I always bring something for DD2 to eat. I have absolutely no issue with pulling out things for a 1 year old, especially one that is allergic to things.

DH reckons I should do the same for myself. We always buy coffee for me, coffee & cake for him, and juice and a biscuit for DD1. But I still can't envisage taking biscuits out for me too.

So, WIBU to bring something for myself to eat?

notgeoff my DS has quite a severe dairy allergy and would react very badly if I ate anything with dairy in it and then bf him. Shame it took us 3 months of misery for both of us to work out what was wrong .

That's really difficult then, vvviola - my DD decided she didn't want to breastfeed much past a year. I would've carried on, but she had other ideas!

Thankfully we are all allergy free here but it must be so disheartening to go out for a meal as a family or among a group of friends to find there is nothing on the menu you can have. Why can't restaurants/food outlets cater? It isn't that difficult and it is in their best interests to satisfy their customers. Surely if more places were able to accommodate dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free people then they would have MORE customers?

At least you found out in three months, trixy - I can imagine the misery that must've ensued but now you know you don't have that problem any more.

I think retailers/cafes/restaurants are being U, personally...

I brought this up with favourite cafe as there were no gluten free options they now make the most delicious gluten free coconut macaroons to cater for and all the other coeliac customers they have found.

If you want to avoid stares/confrontation, just pack something for your 1 year old that you want to eat.

IME, anything packed in a plastic box and placed next to a sippy cup is assumed to be for a child.

OP I have a multiple allergic baby who is anaphylactic to milk, eggs and nuts and breastfeeding also.

Ive avoided cafes like the plague tbh, all the milk in costa puts the fear of God in me. Like taking him into a peanut factory.

However if I was too, Id take his own snacks but I wouldnt take my own. As an adult I dont need it.

I wish I could do the same with DD2. She is a total fuss pot.

I remember being very irritated with costa coffee (who had run out of choice) refusing to let us get her a roll from the shop while the rest of us ate there and she bought a drink and cake.

I'm from NZ and I know from friends who have gone back that there is a lack of places that provide for allergies like many of the chains in the UK.

OP I doubt anyone in NZ would care, go for it.

We used to have a couple of customers with different allergies, they told us and the chefs made things for them so that they didn't have to go without or feel the need to bring their own food with them

If you can't find places that will not or are not able to accomodate their customers needs then ask them if you can bring your own snack etc - but first ask if they could make you something

YANBU this isn't a life style choice it is a way of life thrust upon you without any choice

FWI - I have just emailed a theme park which we're planning a visit to, sayiing that my children are coeliac and asking what gluten free food is available.

Got an immediate reply saying they don't have any gluten free food, but that we are welcome to bring our own and eat it in any of the cafes.

I thought that was very nice. I daresay some people would expect us to sit out in the cold eating it, but this is a much more reasonable solution. DH and I will buy something from the cafe.

I wouldn't have a problem with it at my work, you are buying other items and you would buy from them if they had the option available.

Now I do mind when people bring in a happy meal for their children and think that is ok to eat in our coffee shop, when we do have a fairly good kids menu available.

fuck yeh!!!

they are not a shelter for the allergic as another said!

that's nice porca. Do 'the allergic' not have a right to go out with their non-allergic family and friends?

I take my 4 yr old to cafes and he has an intolerance and we do the - ask if they have anything suitable, if they don't ask if it is ok if he can have the food I have brought him.
In the last years no one has said no.

Some have had cats bums mouths but we have ignored that. Many have been lovely and those the places that as a family of 4 we tend to go to. They might miss out on the cost of 1 person but they are still getting repeat custom of 3 rather lovely people.

I would ask them if there is anything on the menu that fits your diet and when they say no just ask politely if it's ok if you eat your own cake/biscuits if they say no just cancel the order and go to a different cafe. I actually probably wouldn't ask I'd just eat what I had packed.