In 2004, my son Noah was turning one year old and I had a problem: How do I make him a birthday cake? He was seriously allergic to dairy, soy, and egg. A mis-read food label or a bite snuck from another child’s plate at daycare could send us to the emergency room. But he was turning one – I wanted him to have birthday cake. I found a website called kidswithfoodallergies.org, and asked on the forum there: Did anyone have a dairy-, soy- and egg-free cake recipe? In response to my query, I got a flurry of warm welcomes from parents on the site. They shared an excellent safe cake recipe, and provided a host of other support. Parents on the site helped me figure out how to make a clear and effective allergy-awareness sheet for his daycare teachers. They shared tips for how to safely order food in a restaurant. Their experience was invaluable, and they also were emotionally supportive in a way no one else could be. Parenting an allergic toddler is stressful, and they understood completely.