Halloween Treats for Food Allergies
It’s that time of the year where food allergy parents and children alike will feel the stress of Halloween Parties and trick-or-treat bags filled with things that are delicious, and possibly life threatening.
We all remember being a kid at Halloween. For some of us, it was a competition to see who could fill their bag with the most candy possible. It went something like this:
- Age 2–4: Small jack-o-lantern basket
- Age 5–6: Bag with a Halloween graphic
- Age 7–8: Larger bag, color didn’t matter
- Age 8+: Parent’s king-size pillow case
Starting when my oldest was two, we would walk him to the door and kindly turn away any treats that had his allergens. We would thank the home owners of course. Some felt obligated to find something else, but we had a secret stash of treats at home because we knew over half the homes would have the usual allergen suspects: Something with nuts and/or something with dairy.
Once he was four years old, he was able to identify the treats that might not be safe, and turn them over: “This has nuts so it’s for mommy.” We’re now going through that journey all over again with our youngest and I can empathize with all the parents out there who are going through this same journey. Here’s what we’ve learned…
Lead by example
You can’t blame people who don’t know what this journey is like. It’s not their fault, and with everything going on in their lives, it’s not their responsibility to have safe treats for your kids. But you can be the house that provides a safe and fun trick-or-treating experience for the ghosts, ghouls and princesses that stop by your home. We did this by offering the standard and safe treats at the same time, so there’s no exclusion.
When the doorbell rings, we ask: “Is there anything you can’t have?” You’d be surprised how many kids tell you “I’m allergic to ____” or “I can’t eat _____” for a variety of reasons. We show them the safe tray. If they shake their heads no, we show them the tray with usual suspects.
Just after the first year, we became known as the “best house to trick-or-treat” as rated and ranked by kids of all ages, and their parents. Kids would walk up the next year and say to their friends: “I remember this house, it’s the best one on this street!” You know what? They are right. We love our children, and you love your children, so it feels really good when we can bring a smile to them all. All it takes is a little planning and repurposing some of the money you were going to spend exclusively on Snickers and Reeses.
Non-Edibles (aka cheap toys)
One of the easiest ways to build your safe tray is to buy little toys in bulk. Things like crayons, play doh, monster teeth, eyeballs, and tattoos. We used to use Oriental Trading for this, but since 2016, Amazon has almost all the same stuff for similar prices and it arrives to your doorstep super fast. Here’s some ideas (with affiliate links):
Have fun with it, maybe the dollar store has a deal on dozens of Halloween toys. Sometimes Target runs specials and they put something that catches your eyes in their dollar section. Walmart is always running clearance on small toys. Maybe you have party favors from birthdays past and haven’t decided what to do with them. Just don’t do what we did the first year and end up with a thousand small toys! But they don’t expire, so you can store for next year if you do.
Edibles (aka treats)
In 2014, we decided to offer what we thought were safe edible treats for all the trick-or-treaters. We were surprised that two kiddos told us they couldn't have what we picked because they had a gluten allergy (wheat). We had another cute little pumpkin tell us she couldn’t have sugar.
So just keep in mind, there are kiddos with severe allergies to items that aren’t just top eight. And some have a dietary restriction because of a medical condition or just family preference. Nonetheless, we have some favorite brands (with affiliate links):
- MadeGood Mini Granola Bars
- EnjoyLife Chocolate Minis
- Really Good Gum
- Utz Halloween Pretzels
- That’s It Mini Fruit Bars
One resource that’s also been handy for us is the SnackSafely blog. I recommend their newsletter and their product section, both are up to date. A lot of their sponsors also provide free samples if you follow the labyrinth of links.
Have a spooky, fun and safe Halloween y’all!
