For many kids, trick-or-treating is one of the highlights of their year. My kids are no exception. The twins have been talking about Halloween since they moved in with us last Christmas.
This year as Halloween approaches, I've been thinking a lot about what Halloween will look like for us. The twins have a severe dye allergy. Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 not only trigger complete changes in personality, but they also lead to major stomach issues for the kids. We're pretty vigilant at home, but there have been a few times that they've eaten a snack at school or at a friend's house that has led to some serious problems.
As I've been thinking about what the twins can and can't have this Halloween, I began to think about other kids who have food allergies…particularly peanuts. At one time candy or home-made treats were thrown into kids' Halloween bags and their parents were responsible for sorting through it before the kids ate it. For whatever reasons, the treat giver of today is expected to assume part of that responsibility. This leaves many asking, what is safe to give?
The first thing to cross off the list is anything home-made unless you’re having a Halloween party at your home. In this day and age, no parent is going to let their child eat a popcorn ball or a chocolate spider (no matter how cute) from a stranger. Another consideration is the size of the treat. Some are small but large enough to get stuck in a child’s throat, like bite size candies or gum balls. Others may be hard to dissolve, like taffy or caramel, and pose a choking risk. Instead of candy consider individual packages of pretzels, sunflower seeds, goldfish crackers, fruit roll-ups, or raisins.
More people today are aware of the common allergy to nuts, especially peanuts. While it’s easy to know that “Snickers” has nuts, it’s more difficult to know if the processing plant where the candy is made also processes nuts. It only takes a tiny bit of nut kernel to set off a severe allergic reaction in some people. Many Halloween candy boxes label to indicate if they are “Peanut Free”, so do look for that label.
In general, it is safer to choose a non-chocolate candy because these are more likely to be produced in a nut-free facility. However, non-chocolate candies like Twizzlers, Hot Tamales, Mike and Ike, Smarties and Sweet Tarts, and Lifesaver Gummies most likely contain red dye…which leads us back to chocolate. If you're interested in candy, you could go with chocolate and look for allergy information after the list of ingredients on the package. Watch for a warning that the candy is made in a facility that also processes peanuts, almonds, or tree nuts. Sometimes the warning is that the candy may contain traces of peanuts, etc. or that the equipment is also used for manufacturing peanuts or tree nuts. In view of this information, there are some treats developed where the manufacturing process is known to be safer. These include Junior Mints, Tootsie Rolls, Hershey Kisses, Chips Ahoy Cookies, York Peppermint Patties, and Oreo Cookies.
With so many considerations, you may just want to forego candy all together. Instead, look at products made by Crayola and checking the dollar stores for packages of things that could be divided. For instance, I’ve never seen a kid who didn’t like post-it notes or some sort of unusual pencil. Look for sheets of those temporary tattoos, little cookie cutters, beading, or plastic figurines like army men or farm animals. Look for glow in the dark eyeballs, glow in the dark bracelets or Halloween stickers. If you don’t expect but a few trick-or-treaters, consider giving them money or individually wrapped fortune cookies. Anything you would give as a party favor will do for a Halloween treat.
The important thing is to participate and let children continue the fun of trick-or-treating in a safe manner.
I'd love to hear your favorite “safe” idea! Leave a comment!
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