Changing Our Dye-it - Day 29

Reclining at lunch.





Grampy and LSP hang out by the sandbox.


Many of you familiar with LSP know that she has a sensitivity to Red Dye #40. And by sensitivity I mean that she becomes wack-o. Completely bonkers, can't stop, scrape her off the ceiling, nutso. This type of hyperactive reaction to food dyes is not uncommon, and Red #40 is the worst. We studiously avoid all food products with Red #40, and have to be on the lookout with medicines as well. An astonishing number of kids' foods and nearly all kids' medicines have this stuff in them. If it's red or pink (like Motrin or amoxicillin), then it's chock full of Red #40.

And looks like we might get to add Yellow #6 to the list as well. She had a TINY amount of some fluoride drops this afternoon, and although she did not go Red Dye wacko, she was so charged up she could not stop moving to get to sleep. She wiggled and squirmed and fiddled and picked and couldn't stop for an hour. It's a weird kind of activity, like she wants to stop but just can't. A quick google confirms it - Yellow #6 is one of the dyes that has been banned in Europe (along with Red #40) for causing hyperactive reactions in kids. But food and medicines in this country that are manufactured for and marketed to children are still full of it. And I am not happy about it.

On other subjects, LSP had a fun day today of playing in the craft room with Nana and swimming in her pool. He favorite thing about the pool is that she can put stuff in the water - garden statues, flowerpots, birdseed, whatever is on hand. Big fun! She insisted on crawling across the kitchen and up the stairs when we went up for her bath tonight. This is notable because even when she was at crawling age she did not crawl, she scooted along the floor on one butt cheek, propelling herself with on arm. It was awkward looking, but it allowed her to carry something in the other hand!

After her bath tonight she was in by bed with the covers over herself playing one of her favorite games - "Sleep in the bed" - and she said "Go downstairs see Grampy. Go downstairs see Daddy." I told her Daddy was at work, and she repeated that several times. I asked if she wanted to see a picture of Daddy, and she replied happily "OK!" So we looked at a picture of Daddy for awhile. Not as good as the real thing.