I saw this mentioned in another thread and wondered what it is?

Also, for those of you who are parents of a gluten-free kid, how do you handle sleepovers when your child goes to a friend's house? I know my stepdaughter mentioned spending the night at her friend's house and when I asked her what she ate, all she mentioned were some chips and some popcorn. She has to be able to eat more than that... do you send snacks or their own food to heat up, or how do you do that? I'm thinking I would send food I know is safe for her to eat. If she chooses not to, at least I know I tried.

GIG = Gluten Intolerance Group. They have restaurant cards available for purchase. Here is a link: http://gluten.net/logo_items.htm

When my son has an overnight, I make a phone call to the parents to see what's on the menu. If there are items that are not safe for my son and I know he'll want to eat them, I provide an alternative for him to take with him. Every parent I have dealt with has been more then accomodating, and eager to help (ie. heating up a pizza, serving a safe cereal that I send along, etc.).

Thanks! I think we might get a couple of cards if ppl think they are helpful.

We have one in our car, and my husband and I both carry them. It does tend to make restaurants take you more seriously (we explain what we need, and then hand them the card "please give this to the cook and bring it back") and streamlines questions. For $1.50, it's a pretty handy thing!

Get some for free here:

http://www.celiacsociety.com/AllergyAlertCard.asp