Halloween Trick-or-Treating and Food Allergies

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Halloween Trick-or-Treating and Food Allergies

Published: Friday, October 29, 2010, 6:06 AM

Halloween is about getting candy and lots of it, but what if your child has food

allergies?I have several friends whose children have one or more food allergies,

making Halloween Trick-or-Treating a nerve-wracking experience.

Mediband is offering a tool to help parents of children with allergies, a

silicon wristband, such as those promoting a host of causes, that a child can

wear to identify them as having allergies. Although it could be a big help for a

Halloween party or similar occasion, would it really be helpful for

Trick-or-Treating? If a group of kids are at your door clamoring for candy, will

you really notice a child's wristband? And even if you do, then you're now in

the awkward position of refusing a kid candy because you don't have something he

or she can safely eat.

One of my friends has a son whose food allergy eliminates nearly every chocolate

candy, which seems to be the favored Halloween treat. His mom shadows him and

helps him choose appropriate items at each door. If a house doesn't have a safe

treat, later, when he's not looking, she picks out the offending loot and

discreetly puts it in his sister's bag. This kind of vigilance certainly makes

the Trick-or-Treat experience a stressful one for her but this approach so far

has not really affected him.

If your child has food allergies that make Trick-or-Treating a tricky situation,

how do you handle it? And would you use a Mediband?

What about giving out candy on Halloween this year? Food allergies are not an

issue for us and because chocolate seems to be the favorite Halloween candy,

that's what we usually offer (although I do sympathize with parents of children

with allergies).

Some friends of mine are dispensing more " allergy friendly " candy such as one

who will be offering pretzels this year (although if a child has a gluten or

wheat allergy they might not be any better than candy). Another mom I know is

giving out small toys, which could be the safest bet in terms of allergies.

Do you consider allergies when deciding what to hand out?