An all-ages guide to ensuring that food-allergic ghosts and goblins have a spookily great Halloween.
1. Have a nice dinner first. On a full stomach, there will be less temptation to sneak a piece of candy.
2. Stash a few pieces of safe candy (Tootsie Rolls are peanut-, nut- and gluten-free) in your pocket. When the other kids inevitably indulge along their route, your child will have something safe to enjoy and won't feel left out.
3.Keep the essentials with you. Don't leave home without a cell phone, flashlight, wet wipes and, of course, the epinephrine auto-injector and an emergency dose of Benadryl (diphenhydramine) in a chewable, liquid, or meltaway form in case of accidental ingestion of a food allergen.
4. Consider supplying a few neighbors with pre-filled sealed treat bags. When your child rings the doorbell, the neighbor can pass out the safe loot and you'll be certain that he'll get to keep some of what he has collected.
5. Choose costumes with gloves if your child is extrememly contact-sensitive.
6. At home, pass out low-cost toys or trinkets.
Different approaches may need to be used for different ages:
Siblings: Offer to trade siblings' candy too or consider saving a stash in a safe place and promise to take your non-allergic child on a "peanut date" where they can indulge in the forbidden candy without endangering their brother or sister.
0-2 year-olds: It's a treat just to answer the door and pass out trinkets.
2-4 year-olds: Make sure your child knows that all candy should be checked for safety by a parent. We prefer that even young kids be trained from the start to not dive into the goodies before they are checked (not only for allergy reasons but to make sure they are sealed, wrapped candies that have not been tampered with).
5-8 year-olds: Use the "Trade Up" tactic. Buy a variety of safe candy, as well as a few inexpensive toys. When your child returns home from trick-or-treating, trade unsafe candy for safe candy, toys and trinkets.
8 and up: Cash is king at this age. Trade their unsafe candy for nickels, times, quarters or even dollars. Some kids might be more excited by a larger-ticket item, like a doll or game that can be traded for an entire bag of candy.
Siblings: Offer to trade siblings' candy too or consider saving a stash in a safe place and promise to take your non-allergic child on a "peanut date" where they can indulge in the forbidden candy without endangering their brother or sister.
Source: Allergic Living, Fall 2011
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