For those of you who have food allergies, you know how difficult the holidays can be when you don’t have complete control over the food that surrounds you. It makes it that much harder when the person with the food allergy is your sweet toddler. And the holiday is Halloween where you have absolutely no control over what is being collected in that little plastic pumpkin.
One of my sweet babies had many serious struggles with food allergies very early on and, thankfully, outgrew a couple of them. However, eggs and peanuts remain to be two of the things that he cannot have in any form. So how do you handle a holiday based around candy and treats when your little has a life-threatening allergy?
How to Handle Halloween with Food Allergies
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1 Trick or Treat as a family – Doing things this way allows you to monitor what your sweetie is receiving and make sure none of it ends up in that cute little mouth while out and about!
2 Have a list of candy that your child can eat (if any) and encourage him/her to take those items when available.
3 When the evening is over, give your child one piece of ‘safe candy’ – either have one ready at the house, or let him/her choose between a couple safe items collected during the evening.
4 AFTER the kids have gone to bed, dump out the candy and sort into a safe and non-safe pile – I recommend doing this when the kids are not around because they may get upset if they see you going through their loot! – UNLESS your kiddo is old enough to understand his/her food allergy. Then, you’ll want to use the candy sort as a learning experience to practice identifying safe treats. We are at the point with my little man where we want him to recognize what he can and cannot have. So, I will have him sort with me. – Keep the safe candy and toss (or donate) the unsafe candy.
5 If your kiddo has extreme allergies and can only have allergen-free candy, buy some ahead of time to replace what is collected. I recommend this candy from Enjoy Life Foods. They are both delicious and safe for those with most common food allergies!
Allergen-Free Options:
Overall, people have gotten much better about supporting those with food allergies. When I was a kid, I barely heard about food allergies! Now, you can’t walk into a store without seeing a gluten-free or nut-free product. Having a child with serious allergies, it makes me happy that we are more aware and supportive. Because, let’s face it, food allergies SUCK! Who wants to be the kid who can’t eat the class snack or party food?! Definitely not me! So, here are some options to support those littles with food allergies in your community this Halloween:
How to Support Kiddos with Food Allergies
- Hand out allergen-free candy
- Give something healthy and fresh – think clementines, apples, fruit cups or mummy wrapped juice boxes!
- Opt for a non-food treat – sticker sheets, pencils, stamps, or paper pads. Try this variety pack or surf Oriental Trading’s affordable options!
- Try this awesome and easy non-food option that your kiddos can help to make!
- Have two candy bowls, one for those with allergies and one for everyone else.
- Get to know your neighborhood and see if some of your neighbors will agree to hand out allergy-friendly treats!
Enjoy the Evening!
No matter what you do, enjoy the time with your kiddos! There is so much excitement on Halloween, and they grow up soooo fast! (cue the tears!) Just enjoy spending time with your littles. Try not to freak out about the candy collected that may contain allergens. You can sort through all of that later to keep your cutie safe. For now, enjoy being in the moment with that sweet little pumpkin (or ghost, or princess, or giraffe…you get the idea!).
May the tricks be few and the treats be sweet! Happy Halloween!
How do you keep your sweeties safe from allergens on Halloween?!
Looking for a fun craft to make at home? Try our Fall favorite! It’s a great keepsake for Mom too (wink, wink)!
