Food Allergy Adventures: Halloween Quick Tips

Children with food allergies love trick or treating as much as their non-allergic counterparts.  Here are some tips to keep them safe & happy:

Candy Buy Back – We give our sons 25 cents for each piece of candy that they can’t eat.  They get to choose a safe treat or a toy to buy with the money.  Try to get the unsafe food out of the house as quickly as possible, preferably by re-treating. Otherwise you will have to make the ultimate parental sacrifice and eat them yourself!

Safe Choices at Home– We only give out treats that are safe for them.  This way they aren’t faced with a big bowl of fun-looking forbidden treats at home.  Many parents avoid foods all together and give out small toys, Play-Doh or seasonal pencils.

Prepare Them – Make sure your children know that they are not to eat anything until it is checked by a parent first.  Review any other rules you have before leaving the house.  Let them know about the candy buy back in advance and try to get them excited about all of the things they can buy with their candy money.

Bring Your Epi-Pen - Don’t leave your Epi-Pen at home while out trick-or-treating.  Even if your child won’t be eating until he gets home, the person handing out treats may have been sampling candy and cross-contamination could occur.  I also carry the Benadryl Perfect Measure pre-filled spoons with me.

Give Back – We will be matching the money our children earn from their candy buy back and are donating it to The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (www.foodallergy.org).  

Have Fun! – If you are relaxed and excited, your children will be too.