September 1, 2024   |   Tips, Gluten-Free Living   |   Little Northern Bakehouse

Community Crumbs:
Gluten-free Tips for Surviving the School Year from Little Northern Bakehouse Subscribers

Whether you’re a parent sending a newly diagnosed celiac child to kindergarten, or a teen away from home for university, navigating school can be stressful for gluten-free students of all ages. And learning to avoid gluten at school isn’t an elective anyone takes for extra credit. Our collection of back-to-school gluten-free tips can help!

We posted a want-ad for experienced gluten-free tutors on our virtual community cork board, because we know the best teachers are the people who’ve been there. From gluten-free grads to grandparents with grown-up gluten-free kids, Little Northern Bakehouse subscribers took our back-to-school bell as an invitation to share their wisdom with a fresh class of eager students (and their parents, too!)

Check out the best Back-to-School Gluten-free Tips subscribers handed in for this assignment and see why they earned top marks!

Scroll through their gold-star gluten-free school year survival tips at your own pace. Or click a headline on this list to skip ahead to any chapter you choose:

 

Empower and Educate

Learning to look before you leap takes practice. But gluten-free kids don’t have the luxury of time when mistakes can harm them. Our subscribers’ most passionate tips highlighted how giving gluten-free and food allergy kids the knowledge to make safe choices at school is more than pass/fail—it’s a matter of life and health.

“Most importantly, educate your child about the foods that are safe for them to eat, the ones they should avoid, and why they should never share food with others. This will encourage them to make safe food choices and avoid accidentally eating foods containing gluten. Pack lots of nutritious fruit and gluten-free snacks that will keep your child satisfied throughout the entire school day!” – A. Langford

“I will involve my son with picking out foods and snacks for school so that he knows what is safe for him! He has several allergies so it’s important that he has the knowledge to feel good at school (gluten-free, peanut-free, dairy-free, coconut-free, and sesame-free).” – Dawn Coleman

“In the classroom encourage children not to share their lunches as some could be celiac or have food allergies, maybe get the parent to put a sticker on the child’s lunch box/bag that they have celiac.” – Wendy Hutton

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Train The Teacher

Teachers and school staff can be critical allies for gluten-free students—especially when the learning goes both ways. With education and communication, teachers can help make school a safe and welcoming space for everyone. Read what subscribers shared on this serious subject:

“When first starting school it is important to educate everyone on celiac disease. A way to do this is to prepare a letter for teachers and nurses and have the teachers educate the children so no food is exchanged. … You also need to educate your child so she/he is able to protect themselves from contamination…” – Nana knows her gluten

“It’s so important to have good communication with your child’s teachers, making sure everyone knows how important it is to avoid gluten. I even email the school cafeteria to check on ingredient lists.” – A

“Don’t try to speak to teacher on first day of school—too much going on! Print off up to date information on CD [celiac disease] from Celiac Canada and hand it to them, with a note saying to email you with any queries. …” – Julie C

“…I try to make things that kids in her class would have so she doesn’t feel different. You can also always talk to the school cafeteria! My daughter’s school, with some celiac education, has done so great at providing safe gluten-free options so that she can order lunch like her friends.” – K. Corkum

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Send Safe Snacks

As much as we love gluten-free sandwiches, we know growing bodies and busy brains need more than that to fuel full days at school. For gluten-free kids who can’t partake in the school yard snack sharing that happens between their non-gluten-free peers, access to safe snacks is essential! Here’s some of the wisdom subscribers shared about sending gluten-free snacks:

“Send gluten-free snacks to school (for young kiddos) for the teachers to lock up and secure. That way the child always has something available if they drop their lunch, spill it, etc. No hungry bellies!” – NF

“When they are young it is tough for them if they feel that they are missing out on what the other kids have such as cookies etc. Always keep plenty of gluten free snacks and sweets on hand (whether homemade or store bought) so they won’t feel tempted to try something from other kids. Also offer a variety of fruits – apples get boring real fast. ” – Debbie Flynn

“Our biggest tip is to inform teachers!!! For school age kids, some teachers have snack bowls in the class and for our daughter, the teacher would always have GF bars and snacks available so she could feel included. It made a world of difference on hot lunch days etc.. The other thing most important to us was to educate the kids on reading ingredients for EVERYTHING. “May Contain” is not safe!!” – Mairin Coutu

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Special Food for Special Days

Almost every culture celebrates with food—but this otherwise beautiful tradition presents a challenge for gluten-free students in the classroom. From theme days to sports day, here’s how subscribers help make sure their kids feel safe and included on special food occasions at school.

“I never want my daughter to feel less-than or too “different” in her class, so at the beginning of each year, I talk to the teacher about her being gluten/dairy free and you can tell pretty quick if they “get” it or not. Some teachers have allergies of their own, so they understand where I am coming from, and other teachers don’t. So, I ask them to please let me know if they are going to do a treat or something food related in the class, so that I can source something for my daughter that is similar ahead of time. Some teachers are amazing and say, “Don’t worry, I will get something for her” as they have allergies and understand. Others can’t or won’t be bothered, so I say I will get something as long as they let me know ahead of time. It’s a great way to make my daughter feel more included in her classroom and me to stay up on what treats are being offered.” – T.M.

“…Ask if there’s some freezer space where they can store half a dozen iced cupcakes for your celiac kid to enjoy on last minute treat days.” – Julie C

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Be a Sticker Stickler

This tip was the simplest stand-alone version shared, but more than a few subscriber tips got stuck on this theme. Whether you’ve got an early reader or you’re off to university, the need to identify gluten-free food and spaces for yourself and others came up again and again as a back-to-school tip:

“Always label your bag and lunch box stating it’s gluten-free and carry a tag with you so teacher and other kids can see it, so they know and be aware of your condition.” – Wendy

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Shared Space Survival Skills

From dorm rooms to roommates, the gluten-free learning curve doesn’t end at graduation. Growing up and moving out means finding new ways to navigate gluten-free life. Here are subscribers’ top back-to-school tips for young adults away from home:

“For shared spaces, like dorm rooms, my tip is to buy stickers that say “gluten-free” on them and use them to label anything that you do not want to get contaminated! You can easily order a roll of stickers from Amazon.” – Jen C.

“…When they get older and are off to university, if they have to share a dorm room, it is important to tell your roommate of your condition and set up boundaries for food storage. You can put your cooking utensils, plates, etc. in a drawer and those yummy nighttime snacks too. A small fridge, and perhaps an air fryer or small microwave in the room is perfect, and you are set to make pretty much everything. AND don’t forget your own sponge and dish towel for washing your dishes. …” – Nana knows her gluten

“My tip is to label every gluten-free food item container and keep separate from other non-gluten-free foods containers. Tell your friends and roommates how critical it is to not put their food in your containers even when it is empty.” – Lynn P

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Kindergarten Kindness

For the smallest students, the first months of school come with hidden classroom perils—especially when they’re not quite out of the licking-each-other and exploring-the-world-with-their-mouths stage. From playdough to papier mâché, colourful and squishy temptations can be tough to resist. That’s why one Little Northern Bakehouse subscriber shared this handy back-to-school safety tip:

“Make a batch of cornstarch playdough for the kindergarten classroom teacher, and print out a recipe, too. A lot of the teachers actually make their own playdough, so this could help make the classroom a bit more gluten-free friendly.” – Amna P.

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Back-to-School is For Teachers, Too!

Students aren’t the only people teachers need to look out for at school—gluten-free teachers and staff need to look after themselves, too! One Little Northern Bakehouse subscriber generously shared teachers’ tips for creating safe, gluten-free, allergy-friendly classrooms for all.

“I’m a teacher, and while I’m not celiac and can personally withstand cross-contamination, I need to avoid wheat and its cousins for other conditions, so the school cafeteria isn’t really an option. I’m lucky that I have access to a fridge and a toaster oven, so I keep a safe food stash at work so I can have lunch on those days when I forget to bring one and don’t have to starve.

…On special food days… I talk in advance with the sponsor and kids who are cooking and make sure they keep a patty aside for me to put on my own bun so I can have a treat too.

I’m also one of several GF folks at work…, so I try to make sure we have safe treats for our meetings, too…. While the school is good about making sure there’s options for us, they’re almost always things like fruit, and sometimes you just want to eat a muffin like everyone else.

I also always check my class lists for allergies as I like to provide treats for special recognition or events. I always make sure to let those kids know I have treats for them and keep the packaging so they can read the ingredients and certifications themselves (I can’t eat lots of GF stuff because of other ingredients, so I never trust based on the certifications only). I keep those in a separate sealed container away from the other treats and remind them to only take one if they feel it’s safe for them or to take one to share away if they prefer.” – Jennifer C.

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Preppies and Planners are Cool

In any food situation, planning ahead is a life skill when you’re gluten-free—and school is no exception! Here are some of the many subscriber tips that tackled this valuable tactic and the keeners who proved that a little preparation can get you through the school week safe and satisfied.

“Cook and prepare snacks on the weekend. It will get busy during the week so always have gluten-free meals prepared in advance, e.g., rice and veggies, salads with olives and peppers, hummus dip and veggies.” – Rose333

“I have found it really tricky to find gluten-free nut-free snacks for my grandchildren and other sensitivities) so I started making them myself (including the children in the kitchen with me). We set up an assembly line with well-loved recipes that work, ingredients and packaging material. We tend to make a marathon event out of it with several recipes at a time over an afternoon. Once the recipes are prepared and baked, they are cut into portions and then packaged to a small snack bag (or appropriate portion) and frozen for a quick pick up and dropped into lunch boxes or an after-school snack when they are all ravenous.” – Denise Pare-Watson

“We like to do lunchables of our own to help with things. I also really like making make-ahead sandwiches with the bread and freezing in the freezer so that they are ready to go.”
– Michelle Eckhart

“…Create a DIY gluten-free version of lunchables with:

  • Gluten-free crackers
  • Plant-based cheese slices or cubes
  • Plant-based meat
  • Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber slices
  • Roasted chickpeas” – Angela B

“I bake treats on Sunday and stick freezer so there’s always something quick to grab and eat that’s healthy.” – B Diemand

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TL;DR: A One-Tip Summary of Back-to-School Gluten-free Advice

There’s a mountain of helpful tips on this page to make heading back to class easier for gluten-free families. But if you only have time to read one tip on this page, Little Northern Bakehouse subscriber C.M.J.T. has you covered! Their tip touches on almost every gluten-free back-to-school topic our community shared in short-and-sweet bullet points:

  • “Plan ahead! Map out your week so you’re prepared!
  • Make sure the staff that will be with your children are fully aware. Share your knowledge.
  • Store gluten-free snacks at school—so when the other classmates are getting a treat that isn’t GF. There isn’t anyone left out!
  • Pack lunch night before to beat the morning rush.
  • Make sure everything is labelled gluten-free.
  • Remind your kids not to share food with anyone and educate them on what they can’t have.
  • Make sure you change things up often. You don’t want to get bored with lunches or get into a “food slump”. Find creative ways to pair different foods and pack different snacks. Leftovers help keep things interesting as well. Include asking your child(ren) to create and pack lunches can help keep things fun and interesting. (May have to find an alternative or make from scratch)” – C.M.J.T.

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Thanks to all subscribers who made time to share their gluten-free back-to-school tips—parents, gluten-free guardians and grandparents, teachers, school staff, and gluten-free students of all ages in the Little Northern Bakehouse community benefit from your experience, empathy, and generosity!

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Disclaimer:

Some subscriber travel tips have been edited for length, clarity, grammar and/or brand standards, and to limit duplication. Little Northern Bakehouse has not reviewed the individual resources listed on this page and does not endorse or otherwise promote the specific information contained therein.

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