Dairy ladder & eating out
Context: I have a 2.5y/o with a moderate dairy allergy. We’ve worked with his allergist and pediatrician to introduce dairy and see what he can and can’t eat (I’m in the US where the dairy ladder isn’t commonly recommended, but it’s somewhere around the milk chocolate/cheese steps that he can handle). He is completely fine with some dairy but not straight milk, cream, ice cream, yogurt, etc.
Question: how do you handle eating out with this kind of allergy? I’ve had it go both ways where I can explain it and they will still serve him what he’s able to eat or I’ve had the restaurant refuse to serve him anything. It feels wrong not to disclose that there is an allergy, but he’s also a picky toddler eater and it doesn’t help if they won’t serve him anything due to risks of cross contamination (which I am not concerned about generally) or misunderstanding of how dairy allergies work.