So many of my other favorite bloggers have given some fabulous tips about allergen safe candies, tips and tricks for Halloween parties and trick or treating. As a busy mama of four I am usually not that creative and don’t plan too far in advance by special ordering candy, etc. But I do follow some very simple rules every Halloween that make the holiday fun and carefree for John. Here’s some ideas about how to get through this “tricky” holiday:
- PREPARE TO HANDLE THE HALLOWEEN TREAT FOR SCHOOL PARTIES: Ever since John started preschool I have designated myself as the “Snack and Treat Mom” for all holiday parties. Sometimes, I’ve had to combat with some moms who were adament about sending in their child’s favorite peanut m&m’s. But over time, as there has been more awareness over the danger of food allergies, I’ve had less resistance. I like to offer a treat that also serves as a craft: pumpkin shaped plain sugar cookies (see my recipes section), bowls of allergen safe icing, candies and sprinkles to decorate. I also love to serve fresh fruit kabobs to the kids along with the cookies. Too much sugar CAN be a bad thing….
- LOAD UP ON ALLERGEN SAFE CANDIES AHEAD OF TIME: There are some good allergen safe candy choices at the store. Our favorite every year are Smarties, Starburst Plain, Original Skittles and those fabulous little Dum Dum Suckers. I fill a huge bowl with all of these and let my kids pass the candy out to all the trick or treaters.
- GO TRICK OR TREATING: What makes Trick or Treating so much fun is not just getting candy, but the act of running from house to house with your family and friends and waiting for the perfect moment to scream “Trick or Treat!”. This is probably John’s favorite part, even more so than getting the candy. We have had a strict rule since he was old enough to talk that there is NO eating on the way. But I always have a backup bag of “safe candy” in my purse if he whines loud enough. So we all just go from house to house, trick or treating like everyone else.
- WHEN YOU ARRIVE HOME WITH YOUR CHILD, ASK HIM TO HAND OVER THE BAG: This is discussed several times prior to Halloween so there are no surprises or issues. The full bag of treats is handed over to me for even exchange of my own bag of “safe treats, cookies and candies. In addition, I pack either a Target gift card or special toy I know he’s been asking for (this year it’s a DS game (on sale of course…). When John was in preschool hot wheels and little trucks did the trick.
- DONATE THE RELINQUISHED BAG OF CANDY: Our school collects excess candy to give to nursing homes and homeless shelters, so it is easy for us to trade our candy in. If your school doesn’t do this already, consider asking your principal to start this year. It’s a wonderful way to give back to others.
- SIT BY THE FIRE, ENJOY A CUP OF MULLED CIDER A WARM DINNER IN THE CROCKPOT: My sister has a tradition of having sloppy joes in the crockpot waiting for her overtired and sugar-crazed trick or treaters. I inherited this great tradition from her and it is a wonderful way to end the evening of craziness. The kids warm up their toes, eat a good dinner and talk about how much fun they had. Again, the less emphasis put on food and candy, the better. So, in the end, John’s Halloween isn’t much different from anyone else’s. Halloween doesn’t have to be so scary, right?
I’m sure many of you have your own tried and true Halloween tips and tricks….I’d love to hear them!
Happy Halloween!
Hi Kelly!
I have a family with four children too. Ages almost thirteen to an almost 3 year old. My son, who is 10 now has had allergies since birth. He was allergic to everything on the planet but rice, pork & green beans! Tough start for the little guy. But like you have mentioned in your website through the years many…MANY changes have happened. There is more information out there for parents with allergy kids, like your web site & new cook book. Outlets like this are so very much appreciated from allergy families.
Just wanted to give a quick idea for Halloween as well. I have always been the class treat mom for my son as well. ; ) With trick or treating….when we get home the kids all sit in a circle and dump out their bags of candy. Then we go through and make the Allergy Safe pile and the other pile. Of course the other pile is always larger than his, but the kids share their treats and it makes my son feel like he really does get to celebrate like other kids. The candy eating usually only last a few days while the buckets are left out anyway…once treats put away, they forget they even have the candy still!
I am new to your website and already love it. It is sooo helpful to have this as a resource. We have an 8 yr. old son who is allergic to milk and eggs and when we first found out about this we had to change our lifestyle alot, so we made the change for us as well as our other two children who do not have food allergies. I just bought a bag of Spongbob crabbie patties candy that my son really wanted. Of course I read the package first and he could have them according to the label on the outside of the packaging. However, the individual wrapped pieces had a different warning that included “processed in a facility that used eggs” which is always a warning to stay away from that product. He had a few pieces and did not have a reaction thankfully-and my 10 year old daughter was the one who saw this and alerted me and so I am contacting the company. Thank you for this site!
Hi Kelly,
Do you make all your cookie icings or are there some pre-made at the store that you like? You cookie decorating idea sounds like a fun group project.
Thanks!
Jackie
I buy the Pillsbury frostings (even their Cream Cheese flavor was dairy-free last time I checked). I know there are some delicious homemade dairy-free frostings, too, but I just love the convenience (not to mention taste) of the store-bought ones.
All excellent suggestions but I have a question for you as a Mom of more than one kid. How do you handle the other kid’s treats. Do they keep them or do all the same “rules” apply to each kid in your family. Like does everyone get a new game or just John? Thanks.
Jackie, I make my own cookie icings. Super easy, and you can tint them any color you want. My cookie icing recipe is on this site under sugar cookie as well as my book.
Excellent question Liz. I’ve learned over the years that the best thing to do is to apply the same rule to ALL my kids regarding treats. No one is left out and everyone is included. My kids are all totally fine with it, especially if they know they can trade in a huge bag of candy that will ultimately give them a stomachache for something they really want…my 3 and 4 year old boys are very happy with little toy cars and trucks, and my 9 year old daughter is happy with a book. And again…the extra candy is donated so there is no waste. Hope that helps!
Thanks. That is my game plan too. I look at our family like a team so the same rules apply to everyone. My kids are only three and one so it is not a big deal yet but I can see in the future that the other siblings would be mad if one got a toy and the others didn’t. So the same rules across the board make it easy for everyone.
Just a side note. I was at our major grocery store over the weekend and passed through the “allergy free” baking section and they had some new baking mixes and the prices they charge for those is almost criminal. That is why women like you have changed the food allergy world in ways I can’t thank you enough.
Liz, definitely do it across the board. My kids have grown used to the “we’re in this together” attitude, and I think it just becomes habit over time. That doesn’t mean they don’t still sometimes try to lay claim I’m doing more for one than the other though!
Oh, and I agree 100 percent about the prices of allergy free baking mixes. They are fine in a pinch; but really…to pay that much money when you can create homemade yummy treats in 10-15 minutes with ingredients you already have on hand….can’t be beat. I understand why they have to charge that much, to cover their added cost of being allergen free and that’s why I always like to support them. Because I am happy we at least HAVE the choice now. But honestly, I’m too cheap to spend that kind of money more than once in a blue moon.
I agree that it is great that we have some mixes available to us but I was looking at a gluten free brownie mix and it was $8 for an 8×8 pan of brownies. Nick had a problem with wheat when he was very little and it was so hard to find anything fun for him to eat so to make $8 brownies that would be hard for a lot of familes to afford. But these companies are trying to do the right thing.
$8 is INSANE. Wow. That’s the thing…I spend so much in groceries anyway that it always bothered me that many allergen free recipes used products that weren’t affordable. I think that’s why my number one favorite egg substitute is simply water. How cheap is that? I use silken tofu in only a handful of recipes for this reason as well. I want treats that are yummy, affordable and easy to make with your kids.
This is such a great website! I really enjoy the recipes and all the tips for how to deal with things we allergy moms deal with on a daily basis. I have three boys, aged 6.5, 5, and 14 months. The oldest is anaphylactic to tree-nuts, the second is not allergic to anything, and we’re still waiting to find out if the youngest is allergic to nuts or fish/shellfish–fingers crossed, so far so good! Anyway, kinda related to Halloween since it’s a candy question, I’m wondering if anyone knows of a nut-free candy bracelet (not containing nuts and not made on any shared equipment with nut-containing products). I know I saw one in the past and I can’t seem to find it any longer and I can’t remember the brand. Keep up the terrific work, Kelly! Best of luck with your pregnancy!
Helen..
My little girl is anaphylactic to milk, eggs, and peanuts. I know that Regal Confections is an allergy aware manufacturer that dedicated an entire line of their products for food allergic individuals. In fact, this is what we’re giving out for Halloween this year, and it’s no more expensive than all the other candy. We buy it at Walmart or other grocery stores. Regal Confections makes Rockets here in Canada (also known as Smarties in the USA), and they make them in different shapes like necklaces. I am not sure if they do bracelets, but they definitely make the necklaces. You can see the full list of their products in this link: http://www.smartiesstore.com/Casesofboxexjars.html
And you can view their allergy statement here: http://www.smarties.com/allergen.html
I hope this helps.
Hi Kelly,
I love your cook book. I have a question for or anyone out there that can help me. My daughter Natalie is also allergic to soy, so what do you suggest i use instead of the tofu and non dairy butter. what you have recommended she can’t have because of the soy.
thank you for all you are doing
Silvana
Noha,
Thank you so much for the info on the candy necklaces. It’s great to know there is a safe option for my son. He will be delighted!! He will probably be even happier with a necklace than a bracelet since there will be more (safe) candy on it! He has quite a sweet tooth.
Thanks!
Helen
Thanks so much for the suggestions everyone….I’ll have to look up the candy necklaces too. I LOVED those as a kid!
[...] From The Food Allergy Mama [...]
Helen and Kelly..
I just want to let everyone know that I got a bit of bad news today. I called to confirm that Rockets (aka Smarties) is actually safe only to discover that it is not safe in Canada. The product in the USA is safe, but once it enters Canada, it is packaged in a facility that produces nuts, dairy, and eggs. I have more details in this link here: http://www.halifaxaag.com/1/post/2009/10/safe-halloween-candy.html
I am so sorry and I really hope that no one gave it to their child. I am so grateful that I did not give it to my little girl before I called the company.
I hope everyone is safe.
Thanks so much Noha for the info! So helpful!!
Kelly–those are great suggestions. I am allergic to milk and egg, and I always loved Halloween. You’re right when you say it’s more about dressing up and running around than eating.
I want to offer another suggestion for dealing with unsafe trick-or-treating spoils. I usually went trick-or-treating with my dad or some friends’ parents while my mother stayed home handing out candy. Before I left, she would give me a hit list of candy that SHE loved (Butterfingers and Three Musketeers topped the list). If I was at a house that had no safe candy for me, I would try to find one of the things that she wanted. Instead of feeling like there was no point in taking anything, I felt like I was helping my mom who was stuck at home. When I went home, we would sort the pile into “mommy candy” and “kid candy.” I’m sure she didn’t eat it all (in fact, I suspect she may have recycled some for the following year’s handouts), but it made me feel useful.
When I was 10, I had a huge crush on a boy who loved Nestle Crunch bars, and I made sure to get lots of those to give to him at school the next day.
(Just to clarify: I wasn’t particularly jealous of the unsafe candy. I knew it must be good, but so were Starbursts. I had no idea what Butterfingers of Three Musketeers were really like, so I didn’t crave them)
I am the mom of 2 kids with severe allergies, and the holidays are always difficult b/c of the emphasis on food. My daughter who is almost 5 is reaching the age of knowing that she is “different” and is starting to be upset about it. I love the idea of the switching the candy bag and getting a special toy as well! I don’t know why I NEVER thought of that, but I will definitely be doing it this year. Thank you for this great resource.
Thanks so much Kristen…happy halloween to you and your kiddos!
Thanks so much for this helpful post! I love the idea of donating the candy and the gift as an exchange- I will definitely be using this plan!
It is so comforting to know that Halloween isn’t scary for other FA families and makes me look forward to the holiday even more!
THANKS!!
I too have a 2 1/2 year old allergic to milk, eggs, and nuts – it is a daily battle. I am thankful everyday that I have babysitter that is willing to work with his allergies! I have recommended she visit this site. I plan on buying her “the food allergy mama’s baking book” for Christmas!
For Halloween we have started a new tradition – “the Good Witch”. She comes late at night, takes the unsafe candy and she leaves a special toy in place of the candy! We talk about the “Good Witch” taking the unsafe candy and giving it to other kids who maybe were sick or in the hopsital and couldn’t go trick-or-treating. It is a good lesson on sharing/gving for kids and makes giving up the treats a positive thing and a way to help those in need. I then take the candy to a local children’s ward or senior center to enjoy.