October 31st is a truly great day of the year for parents and children who love a bit of spooky charm in their lives. But for those dealing with severe food allergies, it can not only be a challenging experience, but also a downright dangerous one. With peanut butter-laden treats and dairy-filled goodies dropping into almost every plastic pumpkin, this is a recipe for allergic disaster for those with sensitivities. However, some easy Halloween solutions for allergy sufferers can make this fall a little better for every pint-size Spider-Man and Snow Queen.
The Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) organization has created a fantastic way to show our support for children who might love chocolate but can’t safely enjoy it. If you plan to offer allergy-free treats on the night of your neighborhood trick or treat, simply paint a pumpkin teal and place it on your porch. This acts as a sign for allergy sufferers and their parents to say that your house is a must-visit stop on their treat-seeking route.
So what are allergy-free treats? Truly, the options are limitless. FARE suggests glow sticks, pencils, spider rings, vampire teeth, and a whole slew of other goodies. Plenty of places from Oriental Trading Company to Wal-Mart retail bags of novelty items with Halloween themes, which makes this update on the trick or treat tradition both simple and cost-effective.
For those of you on board with the teal pumpkin idea, you can offer non-allergy treats either in lieu of regular treats or alongside them. Just be sure if you are distributing items like glow sticks and pencils in addition to candy that includes eggs, dairy, soy, peanuts and other common allergens, then you must keep the two types of treats entirely separated. Even a tiny bit of cross-contamination is enough to send some children into anaphylaxis.
While I myself am an allergy sufferer, I’m fortunate that hives and sneezing are the worst symptoms I experience. However, I grew up with a mother who’s reaction to seafood (and even saltwater in the ocean) was so extreme that it closed her airways within seconds. Add to that my cousin’s adorable daughter Lily and her severe response to eggs and dairy, and this is a cause for which I champion wholeheartedly.
So if you’re with me this Halloween, check out FARE’s website for more ideas about how to make this a Halloween that everyone can enjoy.
Happy haunting!