How to Avoid Food Allergies at Halloween

If you have a child with food allergies, Halloween can be a challenging time. However, with a little care and planning, your child can safely participate in the Halloween fun and excitement. Follow these 10 tips to avoid food allergies at Halloween.

1. Instruct your child not to eat any Halloween candy that she receives while trick or treating until you have inspected it.

2. Read ingredients labels on candy with care before allowing your child to eat it.

3. If Halloween candy does not have an ingredients label, discard it. Also, be aware that the ingredients in small "fun sized" candies sometimes are not exactly the same as in the full-sized versions of the same treat. When in doubt, throw it out.

4. Distribute "safe" Halloween candies and treats to neighbors and ask them to give them to your children when they trick or treat at their houses. Accompany your children when they trick or treat so that these neighbors can easily identify them and put the right candy in their bags.

5. Don't let children accept homemade Halloween treats even from people you know and trust, since it can be almost impossible to know for sure what ingredients are in homemade goodies.

6. Instead of trick or treating, host a Halloween party for your child where you can control what food is served.

7. If your child will be attending a Halloween party outside your home, let the host know about her food allergies. If need be, provide "safe" candies and foods for your child to eat at the party.

8. Although your child's teacher and school probably already know about her food allergies, remind them prior to Halloween so they can be extra vigilant at school-sponsored events where candy or treats may be distributed.

9. Be sure that adults at Halloween events that your child will be attending know about your child's allergies and what to do if she has an allergy attack. If necessary, provide them with your child's allergy medicine and instructions on how to administer it. Give them your contact information so that they can reach you immediately in an emergency.

10. If severe food allergies mean that you child can keep very little of the Halloween candy she receives while trick or treating, let her trade the discarded candy for a coupon that she can use to "buy" a small toy or game at her favorite toy store.

Sources:

www.medicalnewstoday.com, Avoid Halloween Horrors with Food Allergy Safety Tips from the AAAAI

Deborah Elbaum, www.care.com, Halloween, Kids and Food Allergies - at Care.com