Halloween… that time of year that strikes fear into the hearts of parents of children with food allergies and other dietary restrictions. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are several strategies to help you and your child cope and enjoy the holiday.
Forgo the Food
Currently, nearly 1 in 10 children have at least one food allergy, and many others have medical conditions that limit their diets, such as celiac disease. Depending on the classroom environment, it can be challenging — if not impossible — to accommodate the various dietary restrictions. Therefore, the safest and most accommodating option is not to attempt to meet these diverse needs.
Reach out to officials at your child’s school, sporting events, clubs, and organizations to suggest that they avoid serving food at their celebrations. Encourage them to commit to providing non-food treats suitable for the age group, such as stickers, slap bands, glow sticks, bubbles, spider rings, noisemakers, pencil toppers, and similar items.
Parties
Given a long history of tradition, there may be gatherings where treats will be provided to the kids. Here are some ironclad rules for governing such events:
- All children — not just those with allergies — and their parents must agree to follow the food restrictions set forth by the sponsor to avoid the possibility of contact reactions;
- A list of treats must be provided in advance so parents can screen for allergens and approve. (We can help: see below.)
- Homemade snacks must never be permitted. While parents may have the best intentions, cross-contact can occur in any kitchen where allergens are not normally excluded. There is also no way for the adult responsible for a food-allergic child to ensure that all the ingredients used to make a homemade snack are free of specific allergens;
- If treats are to be consumed at the gathering, restrict their consumption to a supervised time period and engage the children in hand-washing immediately before and afterward.
Safe Trick-or-Treating Community
We encourage you to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project, where families in your neighborhood agree to display a teal pumpkin and offer non-food treats. They provide a handy map of participating households in your community where you can also add your home.
If don’t want your child to miss out on candy treats, consider arranging a safe trick-or-treating route with other families in your neighborhood where they agree to provide your child with approved treats you provide them in advance.
“Switch Witch” Candy Swap
If you do decide to trick-or-treat outside of your “safe” group, buy some of your child’s favorite safe treats and agree to swap them one-for-one for unsafe snacks at the end of trick-or-treating. Make sure that your child understands:
- Not to accept any unwrapped or homemade snacks of any kind.
- Never to open or eat any treat until it has been approved by the parent.
Create Your Own Custom List of Allergy-Friendly Treats
Need help finding treats that fit your child’s restrictions? We can help.
We work with over 200 reliable manufacturers who provide us with allergen processing information not required by the FDA, including shared line/facility information you won’t find anywhere else. [Note: We never rely on the label.]
Our Safe Snack Guides (they’re really safe food guides) are continually updated and are available in the following standard editions:
You can also create your own custom edition tailored to omit any combination of the Top 9 allergens — peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, soy, wheat, fish, crustacean shellfish, and sesame — as well as mustard and gluten. We even provide you with your own homepage to share your custom list with others.
