Leo’s sleepover: what to tell a friend’s parents (Mila & Friends, Episode 7)

A read-aloud story for gluten-free kids and the friends who invite them. Mila's first sleepover is at Leo's house, and Leo wants to tell his parents about the gluten himself. Episode 7 is about saying it simply, letting the grown-ups talk, and packing the few things another kitchen will not have.

The invitation

On Tuesday, at the school gate, Leo handed Mila an invitation he had drawn himself. It had a tent on it, and a moon, and something that was either a torch or a carrot.

"Sleepover," said Leo. "Friday. My house. My dad says we can build a den in the living room and stay up until NINE."

Mila had never slept at anybody's house except Nonna's. She held the invitation with both hands, as if it might fly away.

Mama smiled the smile she used when she was already thinking about breakfast.

What do I tell them?

Then Leo stopped bouncing. He put his hands in his pockets, which is what Leo does when something is important.

"Mila. What do I tell my mum and dad? About the gluten. I want to tell them myself."

Mila looked at Mama. Mama looked back at Mila, and did not say anything at all, on purpose. It was Leo's sleepover, and it was Mila's tummy, and the two of them could sort it out.

Three things

At break time the next day, on the bench under the tree, Mila taught Leo the three things. She counted them on her fingers, and Leo counted along on his.

"One. My tummy and gluten are not friends. Not even a crumb."

"Two. Gluten hides in normal bread and pasta and biscuits. And in toasters, because of the crumbs."

"Three. Ask my mama. She has a sheet."

Leo said them back three times, and the third time he did not need his fingers.

Leo tells them

That evening Leo stood up at his own dinner table and told his mum and dad the three things. He counted them on his fingers. He did not miss one.

Leo's mum rang Mila's mama straight after pudding. "Leo has explained everything," she said. "Three things. He made us count." Then the two grown-ups talked for a while, the way grown-ups do, about pyjamas and bedtime and breakfast.

On Friday, Mama brought Mila's bag. In it: Mila's pyjamas, her toothbrush, her own bread and pizza bases, a toaster bag, and the sheet, filled in by hand, with Mama's phone number at the bottom. Leo's mum stuck the sheet on the fridge with a magnet shaped like a banana.

Breakfast at Leo's

They built the den. They stayed up until nine, and then a bit, and Leo's dad pretended not to notice. Dinner was pizza for everybody on the bases from Mila's bag, with cheese and tomato that Leo's dad checked on the labels like a detective, which is how Leo's family found out that gluten-free pizza is just pizza.

In the morning, Leo's mum slid Mila's bread into the toaster bag. Leo pointed at it and explained to his dad, very seriously, "The bag keeps the crumbs out. Because of number two."

His dad nodded and wrote something on the back of his hand with the pencil from behind his ear. Mila laughed so much she nearly fell off her chair.

Say it in three

When Mama came to pick her up, Leo's mum gave her a big thumbs up. "He explained it better than I could have," she said. Leo pretended he was not listening, and grew about two centimetres.

Say it in three things, in your own words. Let the grown-ups talk. Then have the sleepover. Our About My Child sheet is free, in English, German and Italian, and it fits on any fridge, banana magnet or not.

The end, until next time.

For parents: when your child sleeps at a friend's house

Let the friend say it first. When a child asks how to tell their parents, give them three short things in their own words: what happens (gluten makes your child ill, even a crumb), where it hides (bread, pasta, biscuits, the toaster) and who to ask (you). The NHS calls it a common misconception that a little gluten will not harm you: even tiny amounts can trigger symptoms. Coeliac UK lists bread, pasta, biscuits, cakes, pizza and crackers among the main foods with gluten in them. That is enough for a sleepover. The details are your part.

Then the grown-ups talk. A short call before the day does most of the work: dinner, breakfast, snacks, and who to ring if they are unsure. Coeliac UK’s guidance for parents talks about sharing guidance with everyone who looks after your child, from school to clubs. Our free About My Child sheet is one page you fill in by hand: what gluten means in plain words, the foods that are fine, what to keep away, and two people to call.

Pack the bits a kitchen does not have. Bread or rolls, pizza bases or pasta, and a toaster bag. Coeliac UK suggests toaster bags or a separate toaster for gluten-free bread, which is exactly the thing a friend’s kitchen will not have. Coeliac UK also suggests cleaning surfaces, pans and utensils with hot soapy water, and using clean cutlery for shared butter, jam and spreads: worth a mention on the call. With those in the bag, the other family can cook the same dinner for everybody, and breakfast is easy.

Sources: Coeliac UK and NHS, checked 1 November 2026. We inform, we don’t diagnose: for medical questions your paediatrician or dietitian has the last word.

Read on

• About My Child: the free one-page sheet for every carer (EN, DE, IT)
• Can I really not share a toaster? What about a toaster bag?
• Gluten-free birthday parties: joining in, not just watching
• Episode 6: The Halloween sweets swap
• All Little GF Adventures episodes