According to the Allergy/Asthma Information Association, Halloween rates as one of the most stressful holidays for parents of food allergic children. However, children with allergies should be able to safely enjoy trick or treating by planning ahead and taking some precautions.
Some of the key points to address include talking to your child about how to deal with all the treats collected while trick or treating. It's important for your child to understand that ALL treats are prohibited, until Mom and Dad have thoroughly checked them to determine which ones are safe. This means no sharing of treats between friends and holding back on snacking while trick or treating. It's a good idea to feed your child a good and healthy meal before going out that night. This will help ensure that they are satisfied and will reduce the chances of temptation to eat candy.
I have heard that some parents exchange all the treats at the end of the night with a gift or toy. Several parents mention that they've had some success using that particular method. Also, try to take the focus away from the candy. Some parents prepare for Halloween by decorating their house and yard with spooky items and enjoy looking at what others have done for decorations. This could be very fun for the kids. They can even partake in the decorations. Some of my neighbours asked me what would be appropriate treats for Maya because they were willing to provide them. So I told them the tiny Sunmaid Raisins boxes are great. I have heard that some parents offer safe treats to the neighbours beforehand so that on trick or treating night they can give them to the allergic child. That is a great idea too.
Remember to communicate with your child's school or day care ahead of time to make sure that their Halloween celebrations will be safe for your child. I am a big fan of celebrating parties with non-food items, such as little toys from the dollar store, or holiday themed stickers. Suggest a non-food party and see what the school/daycare thinks of the idea. If they still want to go with a food-based party, then make sure that the food being served is safe for your child. Alternatively, you may want to send a safe snack for your child and remind the teachers about the dangers of cross contamination.
For more information visit the AAIA's page on Halloween. In the mean time here is a useful checklist from The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology:
Halloween fun for children with food allergies
On Halloween, parents of food-allergic children must be extra vigilant to ensure their child is not at risk of a reaction. The AAAAI offers these tips for creating a safe Halloween for food-allergic children:
Have a safe and happy Halloween.
Some of the key points to address include talking to your child about how to deal with all the treats collected while trick or treating. It's important for your child to understand that ALL treats are prohibited, until Mom and Dad have thoroughly checked them to determine which ones are safe. This means no sharing of treats between friends and holding back on snacking while trick or treating. It's a good idea to feed your child a good and healthy meal before going out that night. This will help ensure that they are satisfied and will reduce the chances of temptation to eat candy.
I have heard that some parents exchange all the treats at the end of the night with a gift or toy. Several parents mention that they've had some success using that particular method. Also, try to take the focus away from the candy. Some parents prepare for Halloween by decorating their house and yard with spooky items and enjoy looking at what others have done for decorations. This could be very fun for the kids. They can even partake in the decorations. Some of my neighbours asked me what would be appropriate treats for Maya because they were willing to provide them. So I told them the tiny Sunmaid Raisins boxes are great. I have heard that some parents offer safe treats to the neighbours beforehand so that on trick or treating night they can give them to the allergic child. That is a great idea too.
Remember to communicate with your child's school or day care ahead of time to make sure that their Halloween celebrations will be safe for your child. I am a big fan of celebrating parties with non-food items, such as little toys from the dollar store, or holiday themed stickers. Suggest a non-food party and see what the school/daycare thinks of the idea. If they still want to go with a food-based party, then make sure that the food being served is safe for your child. Alternatively, you may want to send a safe snack for your child and remind the teachers about the dangers of cross contamination.
For more information visit the AAIA's page on Halloween. In the mean time here is a useful checklist from The American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology:
Halloween fun for children with food allergies
On Halloween, parents of food-allergic children must be extra vigilant to ensure their child is not at risk of a reaction. The AAAAI offers these tips for creating a safe Halloween for food-allergic children:
- Accompany younger children as they trick-or-treat and send older children out with a group of friends. Don't allow your child to trick-or-treat alone.
- Verify that adults or friends with your child understand his food allergies and what to do in an emergency.
- Make sure your child carries emergency medication along on Halloween night.
- Before Halloween, distribute safe snacks to neighbors and request that they be handed out to your child.
- Eat dinner before trick-or-treating to reduce urges to sneak a treat.
- Remember that small candy bars passed out to trick-or-treaters may have different ingredients than their regular-size counterparts. Even if a certain candy is safe for your child, the 'fun size' version might not be.
- Carefully check all treats' ingredients on packages or company Web sites to ensure there is no risk for a reaction.
- If in doubt about ingredients, throw the candy away.
- Work with your child's teacher to plan a school party involving non-food treats, such as stickers or novelty erasers. Or, pack treats from home that other students can give to your child.
- Instead of trick-or-treating, host a party that focuses on costumes, pumpkin carving, games and other Halloween-themed fun.
- Create a "candy swap" with siblings or friends so that allergen-containing candies can be traded for other, safe, treats.
- Teach your child to politely refuse offers of home-baked goodies like cookies or cupcakes.
- Consider participating in a charity trick-or-treat event to raise money for a good cause, rather than collect candy. The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network hosts an annual drive to raise money for food allergy education and research. Visit www.foodallergy.org for more information.
Have a safe and happy Halloween.
