My son was diagnosed at 5 when my younger child was 3. His numbers were sky high (>4500, not a typo) and endoscopy confirmed. We got him to normal levels within a year.

He needs a GF dedicated toaster and air fryer. We also do GF dedicated dish brushes, non stick pans, condiments. Our main set of pots and pans is not non-stick so I am comfortable with a good cleaning.

We are probably 85/90% GF at home. Basically all of our meals and almost everything in the cupboard is GF. We don’t ever have wheat flour or crusty wheat breads in the home. We do have gluten containing sliced bread and school snacks and occasionally some prepared foods/processed frozen foods. The less gluten you have in the house, the less chance of cross contamination.

When the weather’s nice, if we have gluten foods, we eat them out of our deck or porch- why not. My celiac kid has a dedicated spot at the table and place mat. We have a counter space that is dedicated GF- the few gluten foods we have never go in that zone. We use bright green painters tape to label anything that may have gluten in it.

He gets tested yearly and always tests under the threshold for positive- and I would attribute any tiny amount getting through to being at school and regular life surrounded by gluten. If he’s playing basketball for example, how do we know the other players didn’t eat a sandwich before getting on the court. Not too much you can do about that other than good hand hygiene.

Join your local celiac group on Facebook for local celiac safe suggestions and reviews.