through the looking glass, and back again

If you were obsessive bored enough to track down all the comments I've made on other people's blogs, over the last 5 years, you'd find more than a handful on the subject of Early Intervention. Somewhere along the way, they would move from theoretical support to personal endorsement.

And yet I haven't really talked about it here. It was, in fact, one of the main things keeping me from blogging here at all, the first couple of years. Because it's extremely difficult to talk about your children's developmental delays without sounding like an ass. Am I invading their privacy, by revealing their shortcomings to the world? Wait, am I supposed to be acting like it's a shortcoming in the first place? Is it okay to say I hope my child doesn't turn out to have X Y or Z? What am I implying about your child who does have X Y and Z and is lovable and perfect and hey, why don't I shut up now?

*cough* So yeah. I am, shockingly, as ambivalent about our experience with Early Intervention as I am about everything else. I think therapy should be about making life more navigable for kids, and whether that's because there's something 'wrong' with them that needs 'fixing', or because the world happens to be constructed in a way that works against them, I don't really care. It shouldn't have anything to do with how it makes me feel. It's about the kids: if they qualify for help, personally, I accept. At least in New York City, EI makes it an offer really hard to refuse. It's completely free (or it was; they're trying to pass a copay bill). They come right to your home. They have really good therapists.

...and I hated almost every minute of it. There were enough strangers coming into my home already, judging every parenting move I made. There was enough crying; I didn't need homework assignments which made the babies cry more. Aleph's physical therapist - whom I otherwise loved, for her ability to make Aleph laugh, for her interest in every part of his development, for her kindness and sensitivity - just couldn't know what it was like to raise multiple babies. She wanted us to do torticollis exercises dozens of times a day. When she realized it would take both me and Mary Poppins to do that (one of us to hold and stretch Aleph's neck, the other to do a song & dance routine to keep him from completely freaking out) she said "Well, maybe once in a while you'll have to put Bet down." Mary and I simultaneously burst out laughing. Once in a while?

And oh, the woman who came in to evaluate the babies for helmets was a piece of work. She made it sound like they had torticollis because I put them down in bouncy seats or swings too much. Hello, twins?? How many arms do you think I have?! Besides which, it's MUCH more likely they had it before birth. It's pretty darn crowded in the uterus, and multiples' necks get jammed in all kinds of ways they weren't designed for.

She also, not so coincidentally, worked for the company that sold helmets. She did not succeed in selling us helmets.

But she was the only one who succeeded in making me cry.

So there was worry that was probably ridiculous, that even if I did everything I was told, these might be delays they would not outgrow. There were medical tests the babies probably didn't need, and I certainly would have preferred not to put them through. And there was so much guilt. Because I knew I wasn't doing everything I was told. I wasn't willing to spend what little time I had when the babies were not crying, doing things that I knew would MAKE them cry. It took me over a year to let myself off the hook for that. "You have to be your child's primary therapist," EI told me again and again. "We're only here half an hour twice a week."

Anyway. I won't ever regret that we went through it, because when there's a known physical cause like torticollis, there's even less point than usual in 'wait and see.' But you can imagine I was relieved for more reasons than one, when both kids tested out of EI last year. Speech: check. OT: check. PT: check.

So why write about it now, after all this time?

Because, although no one is more surprised than I, we're voluntarily diving back into that world with Bet. My joyful happy-go-lucky Bet, who cries almost every day now, over something as mundane as getting dressed. I'm firmly convinced he needs sensory therapy. If he qualifies for something else, we'll probably take that too. Can't-hurt-might-help, as we said over and over in those days.

Now that he's over age 3, the game has totally changed; there are labels like "disability," for one. And yet... I still don't care. This is not about whether my kid conforms to someone else's expectations, or even mine; it's about the fact that my kid is suffering. Whatever defenses I have to get over, I will. Are you going to help him? I think, each time we make his case to someone new. If not, then get out of my way.

too long for twitter

Scene: Aleph is trying to tell me something, but I can't understand him no matter how I try. The train needs to go fash? ...flash? ...fashed? ...frashed??? Aleph is in tears by the time I finally get it. FAST. Duh. Of course. I hug him, and talk about how frustrated he must be. Then Aleph pulls himself together.

ALEPH: Now you say something and I won't understand you.

[Note: We've never done this before.]

EEMA: Hey, that's a good idea. Okay. Um... oogalie boogalie.

ALEPH: [smiling] Snoogalie boogalie?

EEMA: [cracking up, but trying to wail] Nooooooooooo! Oogalie boogalie!

ALEPH: Floogalie boogalie?

***

Seriously, how did this kid get so awesome?

what exactly IS going on at preschool?

Scene: watching one of Laurie Berkner's many "empty white room" music videos.

ALEPH: Is that a classroom, Eema? I think they might be in a classroom.

EEMA: Think so? Hmm. I don't see any tables and chairs.

ALEPH: [look, don't try to best me at logic.] It's a class where you have to stay standing up.

songbites

So it appears I have not been blogging. In quite some time. I'm not sure why that happened, or how long it's likely to continue. For those of you missing your fix (what? at least one reader said she missed me!) (what?? okay, so she's related to me!!), I guess I should mention that I am... uh... tweeting.

i'll be wrapped around your finger

Scene: one of the many disordered naps around here lately. Aleph woke up crying, lay down on the futon with me for a while, then crawled back in bed to sleep again. Bet was sleeping soundly, but couldn't go back to sleep once Aleph woke him up. He's still on the futon with me.

BET: Where did Aleph go?

EEMA: He went back to sleep.

BET: [whispering] Ohhh. Maybe this can be special Eema-and-Bet time.

EEMA: [Awwww!] Okay.

BET: [still whispering] Let's go in the other room.

EEMA: Okay.

[now in living room]

BET: [still whispering] Can I watch a video.

just possibly we should have put aleph with the older threes

The first nursery newsletter included a poll of the children's* favorite classroom toys to play with:

Yankel: "trucks and cars"
Perel: "babies"
Bayla: "boats"
Shmuly: "tractors"
Yitzy: "elephants"
Aleph: "I like to play with things you can put together"
Moishy: "trucks"
Kayla: "blocks"

*not their real names, obvs.

oh. THIS is a nice statement. it's... LOTS of fun.

ALEPH: [stopping mid-tantrum] Can I see if you have some uh, jewelry to put on?

EEMA: Hee. Okay. What kind of jewelry do you think I should put on?

ALEPH: I think some uh earrings, and maybe a necklace. I'll go see what you have.

EEMA: Oh, good choice. [puts them on]

ALEPH: [with look of mild horror] Uhhhh... I'll just go see if I can find you some different ones.

EEMA: Why, what's wrong with these ones?

ALEPH: I just wanted you to look PRETTY.

spin me another story, bet

on nail biting:
My finger got shorter. I ate part of it.

on (completely innocuous) painting of daffodils:
Why is that flower yelling? [how do you know it's yelling?] Its mouth is open. And it doesn't look happy.

on sleep regression (this is pretty much how it seemed to me, too):
I CAN'T stay in my room. All I do is come out and come out and then I never go to sleep EVER again.

more tales of the davkanik*

*also known as: Opposite Boy

ALEPH: Can I have some cheese on my challah roll?

EEMA: No, we're having cheese for lunch.

ALEPH: But I need something to cover my butter.

EEMA: You could have honey, or jam...

ALEPH: [starting to smile] Just say one of them.

EEMA: ... Jam.

ALEPH: [grinning, and nearly instantaneous] No, honey.

zero to three stuff: best of

So this is probably not exactly what Rachel had in mind, but I don't think I have it in me to give comprehensive buying advice right now. Instead, here's a non-inclusive list of things we really enjoyed using (ymmv). Note: big-ticket items were almost all found secondhand in great shape.

This is turning into a List Blog, eh? Sorry. I have at least 3 different prose entries in the works; I just can't find the headspace to finish them.

gear:
Fisher Price Baby Papasan cradle swings - side to side seems a much more gentle option than back & forth for newborns; I think my kids might have slept in them from months 0-6 (ssshhh)

Bonavita Monroe cribs - lovely & sturdy upper; flimsy drawer under; matching toddler rails discontinued (bah)

Dutailier gliding chair - really glides, unlike cheaper ones that look like a glider but have same motion as a regular rocking chair. Though we should have gotten a wider model; ours was too narrow to nurse even one baby at a time. And probably a locking one, too - I was always nervous a baby would get his hand stuck in the works, or tip the whole thing over trying to climb on

Mountain Buggy Urban Double stroller - with fittings, subbed as a bassinet for the first few weeks; takes city curbs like a dream; now the only thing that can still push our 35 + 40 lb twins

Maclaren Volo single stroller - easy folding, lightweight, has a carry strap; pretty nice to push, too

Toastie Toddler stroller inserts - way more expensive than Bundle Me, but waterproof, which is handy when your raincover splits a seam

Moby wrap - there's a learning curve for sure, but once someone showed me how, I loved it

Patapum baby carrier (good grief, that must be the worst product photo ever - why a mannequin? why a see-through mannequin?) - pretty much like an Ergo, but cheaper, and with one less buckle to fuss with

Fisher Price Healthy Care boosters - no cushion is less to clean for a baby with reflux; collapsible enough to take to friends for Shabbat lunch; just watch out when snapping on the tray, we pinched a baby's finger once

Stokke Kinderzeat/Tripp Trapp highchairs - I assume you don't need me to go on about these ;)

Superyard XT gate/play yard - I have to say that (a) I hated the sight of this (b) it was endlessly useful, at least for multiples. We got 3 sets and used them together/apart as needed

foam puzzle mats - these come in all colors, not just rainbow or blue; ours are purple

Ikea nonskid play mat - a fraction of what these usually cost

revolving shadow nursery lamp - we got one with moon & stars, but I gather aquarium theme is classic (we've also used blue Xmas lights to good effect)

Joy (Just One Year) cloud fleece blankets - ordered a couple of these from target.com, and for some reason they were easily twice as plush & wide as the others I'd seen in-store. Went across both babies' laps in the double stroller, with room to tuck in at the sides. So soft and snuggly I think they became MY security blankies, because although they're too small for the boys now, I'm having a hard time giving them up

Fleece Baby crib sheets

Ikea crib pillows - actually flat enough for a toddler to sleep on, unlike some others I could mention

Snoogle pillow - crucial for sleep while pregnant, but I also used it along with a Boppy for nursing after

Playtex sippy & straw cups - IME, consistently the least difficult to clean & reassemble

EDIT: for pete's sake. Forgot to mention Peapods.

music/video:
Elizabeth Mitchell - least annoying children's musician EVER. Let me rephrase that: loveliest voice in children's music today; excellent taste in rock & roll, too. Back when the boys were waking up 3 billion times per night and then Aleph thought the day started at 5 AM, I could put on "So Glad I'm Here" and feel a little less like stabbing myself in the head

Ralph's World - oddly, we didn't like a single song on Green Gorilla Monster and Me; on Kid Astro, we love at least 5 of 'em. I'm not sure which one is representative

Justin Roberts - we started with Yellow Bus

Sandra Boynton - we started with Philadelphia Chickens

For the Kids, Vol. I

Free to Be You and Me - the kids don't like this as much as they WILL (if I have anything to say about it), but they've at least learned to appreciate "The Helping Song"

They Might Be Giants - including their awesome puppet podcasts

Rockabye Baby - far better bedtime music than tinkly-classical Baby Einstein; they have something for everyone, but we're partial to U2 and the Cure

Laurie Berkner on Noggin - the kids like her more than I do, but their joy is contagious

lots of other stuff to poke through on jitterbug.tv

and perhaps my favorite kids' music discovery of all: Foolish Frog, by Pete Seeger - this must get more brilliant every time I see it. Watch for the moment the houses pick themselves up, and it all turns trippy

toys:
Munchkin Sing With Me Magic Cube - the only battery-operated baby toy I actually liked

for some reason, this Fisher Price gym was much more popular than Tiny Love's Gymini

vintage Fisher Price parking garage

play kitchen - any of them, really; we've had 3 hand-me-downs and liked them all

Ikea train tracks - as I've mentioned, not perfectly compatible with other brands; but affordable enough that we have two starter sets + two expansion sets

Ikea play tent - again, not perfect; there's not enough cross-ventilation, and setup is a bit of a pain. But at $10, I'll stop talking now

collapsible tunnel - Ikea has one that's fine, but we found a caterpillar one on eBay

toys I played with as a kid: Lego, Colorforms, Viewmaster, Play Doh

magnetic play sets - for the car, or anywhere else you don't want them making a mess

overpriced pull-tab & pop-up books for shul - Brava, Strega Nona is the current favorite

clothing:
Ikea hooded towels - seriously, the best toddler towels on the market. So much cheaper; kids look like a charming cross between a sprite and a kkk member; snap down the sides. I imagine some of you are thinking baby/toddler towels are a waste of money; but let me tell you, when you have mobile twins, the ability to put a towel on the first baby that will STAY ON while you take out the second baby is a godsend

Babylegs - I know I've gone on about these as well. I should mention again that Babylegs might have the best patterns, but not necessarily the best design; Huggalugs have wider cuffs, so are more likely to fit a chunky baby who can't get a Babyleg past his chunky knee. (Not that we would know or anything.) OTOH, the chunky baby might (hypothetically) slim out enough to wear Babylegs the following year instead

Bumkins bibs - I was a Mally fan for a while, but I had to concede defeat. Mally bibs got small fast, and were too expensive for me to upgrade. Plus, after the magnetic clasp pinches your baby's hair once, good luck getting it on ever again. Plus, if you don't clean them right away, stuck-on food can peel off the finish. Bumkins come in 3 sizes, are comfortable, and you can wash them right along with the dishes

fleece hats with 2 tassels - I don't know why I love these so much; the babies look like they have antennae? what?

One Step Ahead fleece hood/hats - but these are all that AND a bag of chips. One of my favorite discoveries ever. Eliminates the need for a scarf; can't fall off; easy to adjust from warm to superwarm; make the kids look like elves. I kind of can't wait to use them again

Hanna Andersson or LL Bean fleece snowsuits - not for actual snow, but as Moxie points out, much safer than anything puffy in a car seat

Columbia tectonite snowsuits - for actual snow; I love how flexible and easy they are to move in, compared to most snowsuits

pajamas - I've said enough on this topic

Old Navy sueded t-shirts - so soft! their onesies were lovely, too

Genuine Baby/Genuine Kids clothing - for some reason, their colors are always just what I would choose

books:
I've already done a whole post just on books, but I need to add a brilliant one to the list: Go Away, Big Green Monster. If you have a fearful kid, this one will let him literally deconstruct his nemesis. Not to mention giving him a much more useful thing to yell during the stupid monster game than "aaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

EDIT: totally forgot to mention Scholastic Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics - as long as you read the books too, guilt-free DVDs!

Hope you find something you like.

mini me

Bet just brought a library book to the table "so I can read it while I'm eating."

Excuse me while I expire from cuteness.

remedial twin parenting

Note to idiot self: STOP BUYING two different toys, on the theory that they'll get more mileage out of switching when they're bored! All they want in the entire world these days is to parallel play. We will now need two of everything. The end.

is there anything you boys want to tell me?

part 1

Scene: Bet takes a book to bed for naptime, flips through a few pages, and realizes he can't tell this story to himself. He starts to cry.

BET: Eema, I need a different book!

EEMA: I'm sorry Bet, you can't come out for another one. It's naptime, you need to stay in your bed.

BET: But I don't knoooooow this story!

EEMA: I know, honey. It's okay. You can look at the pictures.

BET: But Eeeeeeeeeema! I can't read the WOOOOOORDS!

part 2

Scene: Aleph is playing with his new Playmobil fireman.

ALEPH: Eema, I think you're wrong. It's not a fireman, it's a firewoman.

EEMA: [looks more closely] Hey, I think you're right. How did you know that?

ALEPH: Because it says so on the box!

EEMA: Uh... what!?!

ALEPH: See? [points to picture on box]

EEMA: Oh. [phew!] But how did you know from the picture?

ALEPH: [points to chin-length bob] Because it's a hair of the woman.

EEMA: Ah. Because it's a hair of the woman. I see.

[and then, just when I relax]

ALEPH: But I think the box needs a W for woman.

necessity is the toddler of invention

We've had quite a time getting the boys to stay in bed at nap & bedtime, since they figured out our weak spot: toilet training. I am tired. Lance is tired. The boys MUST be tired, because they're sure doing a whole lot less sleeping.

EEMA: Okay, does everyone remember the new rule? Your potty is next to your bed. Don't come out to get me unless you pooped and you need help wiping. If you need to pee, you can do that by yourself.

ALEPH: [opens door first time] I need help wiping.

EEMA: Did you poop?

ALEPH: No, just peed, but I need help wiping my pee. [NOTE: It would never otherwise occur to him to do this.]

EEMA: Here's a tissue; you can do it yourself.

ALEPH: [opens door ten seconds later] I peed again, so I need another tissue.

EEMA: [Why didn't I see this coming?] Okay. Here's another one, and I'm giving you the box to take with you.

ALEPH: [opens door ten seconds after that] I need a garbage can to put my tissues in.

related: what are we eating??

We've had a pretty limited pantry up till now; in the first couple of weeks I got heartily sick of plain chicken, eggs, and cheese. And there's still a lot of plain vegetables in our menu - sliced avocado, steamed carrots, etc. But slowly I'm starting to find actual recipes for which I have all the ingredients. And every time my kids actually EAT one of these things, I feel like a million bucks.

(Not sure why. We can get into my confused feminist/housewife complex some other time.)

I hope I'll be adding more as we go along. But so I don't forget, a few of the most recent hits:

Chicken: roasted with Gold's sweet & sour duck sauce, McCormick garlic, McCormick paprika

Chicken: rolled in egg and Kellogg's cornflake crumbs; glazed halfway through roasting time with lemon juice, Domino sugar, McCormick paprika and black pepper

Salmon patties: Bumblebee red salmon mashed with Kellogg's cornflake crumbs, eggs, leftover steamed sweet potatoes - I make these coin sized, to invite Heinz ketchup dipping

Rice: Rice Select jasmati, with Ocean Spray craisins stirred in at the end

Yukon gold potatoes: roasted on 400 with Bonelli olive oil, kosher salt, McCormick garlic flakes

Butternut squash kugel: Birdseye frozen winter squash, eggs, Bonelli olive oil, Gold Medal flour, Domino sugar, Davis baking powder, McCormick vanilla, McCormick cinnamon, salt

Sweet potato pancakes: steamed sweet potatoes mashed with egg, then fried - Aleph positively gobbled these, but personally I think they were too omelet-y. Will probably google latke recipes to compare.

Green beans: steamed crisp-tender, then sauteed with minced fresh garlic and Kikkoman soy sauce - these are supposed to have sesame oil [ARGH] but are very tasty even without

Asparagus: rolled in Bonelli olive oil, salt & pepper, then roasted in one layer on 400 until tender (or till the tips are crispy, if you like)

Corn on the cob: if very fresh, dropped into boiling water for 5 minutes, then heat turned off - the kids like it when I slice the kernels off in big sheets

Corn salad: Green Giant shoepeg white corn, halved grape tomatoes, diced avocado, diced cucumber, diced pepper, Sunmaid raisins [Aleph's request, which has become a permanent part of the recipe], Bonelli olive oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper

French toast: Bagel City challah, egg, milk, McCormick cinnamon, dipped in Camp maple syrup - though Bet wouldn't eat this, preferring to dip Dr. Praeger's pizza bagels in his syrup instead. Don't look at me, I'm just the cook.

Lasagna: Barilla noodles, Trader Joe's marinara, shredded mozzarella, cottage cheese, Birdseye chopped spinach

Stovetop mac & cheese: Ronzoni elbows or rotini, american cheese, cheddar cheese, McCormick garlic, salt & pepper [NOTE: If you have a Bet in your house, please note that using black pepper instead of white will turn this from His Favorite Food Ever into Food He Will Not Touch With a Ten-Foot Pole.]

state of the pantry: update

Disclaimer: I'm thrilled that other people with nut allergies are finding this list useful. But please, PLEASE re-confirm all information for yourself!! We're doing the best we can, but especially for companies we called early on, I'm worried we might have blurred "nut-free equipment" with "nut-free facility."
In any case, it's a good general rule: production can change at any time.

***

Okay, I think my baking powder freakout - and (more or less) resolution - calls for a more general update. Though typing this took me most of the day, and I really, really wanted to put my head down and give up about 3 times along the way. Apologies for the random order of categories. I just ran out of steam. Also, I seriously could not figure out where to put waffles. Or pizza.

Gd bless my in-laws, who took on a good deal of research themselves, so they could host us in style for a week. I hope we leave them as non-crazy as we found them.

I'm not listing things we can't eat in this update, only things we can. Things which are questionably safe are in brackets; use your judgment (yay! my least favorite phrase in the entire world right now!) (closely followed by "but that's my JOB!", as employed by children in response to "stop grabbing/hitting/pushing/breaking!")

fruit

Cascadian Farms frozen fruit - a General Mills brand**

Gefen applesauce - nut free facility

Ocean Spray - craisins (all products?) made in nut free facility

Sunmaid raisins - Kingsburg plant is nut free

vegetables

[Birdseye - tree nuts in the facility, but vegetable-only products are made on dedicated lines. Some kind of divider between the nut and nut-free equipment. No peanuts, even in the break room. Verdict: eating, for now.]

Dr. Praeger's vegetable pancakes, burgers - nut free facility

Golden - at least some vegetable pancakes are made in nut free facility (not sure if we asked about their blintzes)

Green Giant canned vegetables - a General Mills brand**

oils

Bertolli olive oil - listed last time as nut free facility, but not kosher!! Whoops.

Bonelli olive oil - nut free facility

[Eden Foods - sesame oil is produced in a nut-free facility, but stored in (and probably transferred into) drums in the same warehouse as peanut oil. Verdict: NOT eating, for now.]

Giant - light & regular olive oils (?) made in nut free facility

Land o Lakes canola oil - nut free facility

Pam - all products made in nut free facility

Smart Balance Omega - nut free facility; nut butters are made in a separate facility

vinegars

Heinz - nut free facility

mayonnaise

[Hellmann's - produced on shared equipment; they clean between runs, but make no guarantees. Verdict: NOT eating, for now.]

Trader Joe's real mayonnaise*

tomato products

Dell'amore pasta sauce - nut free facility

Gefen pasta sauce - nut free facility

Heinz ketchup - nut free facility

Trader Joe's - one line of pasta sauces are made in a nut free facility*

other sauces

Gold's - all made in nut free facility

Iron Chef - General Tso, Orange w/Ginger, Sesame Garlic, Mu-Shu are produced in peanut-free facilities. One of these facilities does process tree nuts. If the label is what is called a "pressure-sensitive" label and does NOT wrap fully around the bottle, then the product is from a tree-nut free facility. If the label is a paper label and wraps fully around, then it is made in the plant that processes tree nuts as well.

Kikkoman - Wisconsin plant is nut free

Soy Vay - all made in nut free facility [although some contain sesame oil; and I have not, so far, come across a safe sesame oil, so... uh???]

salad dressing

Bravo Italian salad dressing (La Jolla Farms) - nut free facility

Vita condiments - all made in nut free facility [BUT sadly, Oak Hill Farms Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette has mustard]

[Wishbone - produced on shared equipment; they clean between runs, but make no guarantees. Verdict: NOT eating, for now.]

sweeteners

BillyBee honey - nut free facility (made by a different company than BillyBee nuts)

Camp maple syrup - nut free facility?

Maple Grove pure maple syrup - nut free facility

Smuckers jam - have to check each jar. In the long number on the side of the jar, somewhere in the middle (5th digit or so?) will be a sequence beginning 00_. 001 and 006 are plants which process fruit only. [Do NOT use 004 and 007: those plants process peanuts!]

Trader Joe's - one line of jam is made in a nut free facility*

peanut butter substitutes

I.M. Healthy soynut butter - nut free facility (also comes in chocolate.) (AHEM.)

NoNuts golden peabutter - nut free facility

Trader Joe's sunflower seed butter - nut free facility*

hummus

Cedar's Mediterranean - nut free facility

Trader Joe's traditional hummus with sesame tahini - nut free facility*

fish

Bumble Bee tuna - nut free facility (also salmon?)

Dr. Praeger's fish sticks, salmon burgers - nut free facility

Ungar's gefilte fish - nut free facility

rice

Rice Select - nut free facility (except for the one with a packet of almonds, which comes from another facility)

Uncle Ben's - nut free facility

pasta

Barilla - nut-free LINES [not sure about facility?]

Mueller / Pennsylvania Dutch - nut free facility? [secondhand info]

Ronzoni pasta - nut free facility?

bread

Bagel City challah - nut free facility

Berlin Natural Bakery bread- nut free facility

Lender's frozen and refrigerated bagels - nut free facility? [secondhand info]

Nature's Own bread - nut free facility, but not kosher

Trader Joe's bread, bagels - one line is made in a nut free facility*

Vermont Bread Company - nut free facility? [secondhand info]

Dr. Praeger's pizza bagels - nut free facility

cookies

Bloom's - at least some cookies made in nut free facility

HomeFree - all made in nut free facility (and pretty darn good)

Katz Gluten Free - at least some cookies made in nut free facility

Kemach - at least some cookies made in nut free facility

Lieber's - at least some cookies made in nut free facility (they sent us a pdf)

Van's waffles - nut free facility

pretzels / chips / puffs

Bachman pretzels - nut free facility

Kettle - potato chips, tortilla chips and baked potato chips are made in nut free facility

Robert's American Gourmet - long list of snacks made in nut free facility, including Pirate’s Booty, Veggie Booty. [NOT safe: Pirate’s Swag Peak Trail Mix, Pirate’s Swag Groovy Granola Almond Cranberry or Pirate’s Swag Cashew Cranberry.]

Trader Joe's - some chips made in nut free facility*

pudding / jello

Kozy Shack puddings, gel treats - nut-free facility

ice cream / popsicles

[Ben & Jerry's - shared equipment, but good reputation for cleaning; BUT they do not consider peanut oil an allergen! Verdict: too chicken to try yet.]

[Breyer's - shared equipment, but good reputation for cleaning; some people only eat vanilla. Verdict: too chicken to try yet.]

Philly Swirl - most made in nut free facility [but NOT Ice Cream Cupcakes!]

Temptation - nut free facility

baking ingredients

[Davis / Rumfeld baking powder - peanut free facility. They manufacture products with almonds in another building, but keep the ingredients separated. Verdict: eating, for now.]

Domino sugar - can't find my source for this??

Gold Medal flour - owned by General Mills**

Hodgson Mills - all made in nut free facility

McCormick - all made in nut free facility? ('pure almond extract' is made from apricot/peach pits, not almonds)

Pillsbury flour - a General Mills brand**

dairy

Breakstone's butter - nut free facility? (not the same company as other Breakstone's products)

Hershey's chocolate milk (juice-box size) - Logan, Utah plant #4962 is nut free (note: chocolate milk is NOT made by same company as rest of Hershey products!)

Land o Lakes - Land o Lakes butter, Land o Lakes margarine, Country Morning blend are made in nut free facility

Stonyfield - yogurt & squeezers are made in nut free facility (NOT ice cream & frozen yogurt!)

toiletries

California Baby - no nut oils

***

NOTE: I have NOT checked that the following are all kosher!
actually, I might have missed a few in the list above as well!

parent company has good reputation for labeling shared equipment/facility - rely on labels***:

**General Mills brands: Betty Crocker, Gold Medal, Bisquick, Pillsbury, Big G cereals, Cascadian Farms, Muir Glen, Small Planet Foods, Nature Valley, Green Giant, Yoplait et al.

Heinz brands: Wyler's (bouillion), OreIda, T.G.I.Fridays, Bagel Bites, Weight Watchers, Smart Ones, Classico et al.

Hershey's

Kelloggs brands: Kashi, Morningstar Farms, Nutri-Grain, Keebler, Carr's, Eggo et al.

Pepperidge Farm

*Trader Joe's in-house labels - they won't explicitly say "nut free facility", but they always disclose shared equipment/facility. If there's no nut warning, then the facility is nut free.

parent company has poor reputation for labeling shared equipment/facility - don't rely on labels:

ConAgra brands: Alexia, Egg Beaters, Fleischmann's, Healthy Choice, Hunt's, La Choy, Orville Redenbacher's, Pam, Swiss Miss, Wesson

Hain Celestial brands: Earth's Best, Spectrum Organics, Garden of Eatin', Arrowhead Mills, Health valley, Imagine/Rice Dream/Soy Dream, Celestial Seasonings, Westsoy, Terra

Kraft brands: Breakstone's/Knudsen, Chips Ahoy!, Cool Whip, Cracker Barrel, Crystal Light/Clight, Honey Maid, Kool-Aid, LU, Maxwell House, Miracle Whip, Nabisco, Newtons, Nilla, Oreo, Philadelphia, Ritz, South Beach Living, Tang, Toblerone, Triscuit, Wheat Thins

Unilever brands: Breyer's, Flora, Bertolli, Hellman's, WishBone, Knorr, Lipton, Slim Fast

***NOTE: When I say rely on labels, I mean read the whole ingredient list, don't just look for allergen warnings at the end!
(1) Allergens can legally be disclosed in the ingredients or in the warning at the end; they don't have to do both.
(2) Peanut oil will almost certainly not be called out in the warning, because the FDA doesn't consider it an allergen. Same goes for pine nuts.

reduced to sputtering

Tensely awaiting morning so we can fire off a call to the baking powder manufacturer which was recommended on all the peanut-free allergy boards, but which I just heard processes tree nuts in the same facility.

But- the- I- what??

We've been using this brand and this brand only, since we cleaned out & restocked the pantry. I don't know of another safe one; the other name tossed around is produced by Hain, which has a generally poor reputation in the allergy world.

Look at any thread which starts out "You can never be 100% sure it's nut-free unless you make it yourself!" and you'll find a string of recipes... nearly every one using baking powder. Where are they all getting it??

Here's hoping this company (a) is not doing anything airborne with those nuts (like oh, say, turning them into POWDER) and (b) has a really convincing line on why they advertise themselves as safe to the peanut allergy community. Because I am not going to make Aleph give up his favorite kugel without crying.

Not him crying. Me.