Trick-or-Treating with Food Allergies BY heidi hynes Karen Toupin Manser, mom of 7-year old Patrick, who is allergic to peanuts, eggs, milk, and wheat, sorts his Halloween treats. Halloween is a much-anticipated holiday for children. As October rounds the bend, their excitement escalates, with thoughts of ghosts and goblins, spooky stories, bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins, Halloween parties and more. And at the top of the Halloween Fun list - they get to dress up as their favorite character and go trick or treating, filling their bags to the brim with sweet treats! For children with food allergies, however, Halloween may be a time of disappointment and anxiety. Children with food allergies often cannot eat the candies and confections that their friends and siblings enjoy because many candies and confections contain nuts and other food allergens, or, have cross-contamination with candies that contain food allergens. The eight major food allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, soy, milk, and wheat. According to The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, approximately 2.2 million school-aged children have food allergy - one in every 17 children under the age of 3 has a food allergy. Candy from Vermont Nut Free Chocolates. So how do parents with a food-allergic child approach Halloween? Well, they use a number of different strategies, based on what is appropriate for their child and family situation. Below are a few strategies that may help you develop your own approach to Halloween for your food-allergic child Trick-or-Treat with Restrictions Karen Toupin Manser, mom of 7-year old Patrick, who is allergic to peanuts, eggs, milk, and wheat, says, "I allow him to trick or treat. He occasionally will ask people if he sees a Reese's or Mr. Goodbar heading his way if they have anything without peanuts. I buy him his own safe candy, gum, etc. He has seemed satisfied with that. He is also not allowed to fish into his pumpkin. I will put a Ziploc bag with his safe treats into his pumpkin and when we look at the loot, he gets to eat what is in that bag. I do go through his pumpkin and will pick out safe treats such as tootsie rolls. EpiPen is on hand at all times!" Trick-or-Treat at Select Neighbors Amy Regan, mother of 11 year-old Brian, who has a life-threatening food allergy to peanuts, says, "When Brian was little, we enlisted our neighbors' help with Halloween. A day or so before trick-or-treat, I delivered small zip-lock baggies of safe treats for Brian. The neighbors could then simply give him the safe treat I'd provided. The neighbors were supportive; Brian was happy and safe, and they didn't have to worry about providing a peanut-free treat. An unexpected benefit of this plan was that interested neighbors learned what treats were safe for Brian. Several began to hand out safe treats on their own. I remember being brought to tears when I realized how many households were handing out Tootsie Rolls because Brian loved them and could have them!" Trading Post Regan's strategy changed as her son grew older. "As Brian got older, being different became a big issue. The Ziploc baggies weren't an option. So, we purchased lots of extra safe treats for our own home. When Brian returned from trick-or-treat, he traded his unsafe treats for safe ones from home. All of the unsafe treats were sent to work with my husband to share with co-workers." Brian, now 12, decided to give up trickor treat entirely. He opted instead to have cocoa at home, and hand out candy to the little children. Have a Halloween Party A unanimous favorite strategy with many parents is to host a Halloween costume party at their home for their food-allergic child. This way, they can provide a fun and allergy-free environment for their foodallergic child and his friends. Allergy-free cupcakes, punch, and other treats are served. Pin-the-face on the pumpkin, bobbing for apples, decorate-your-own (artificial) pumpkin, and other fun games are played. Some parents even set up a "haunted house" for the little guests to travel through on a treasure hunt for (allergy-free) candy - an indoor trick or treat experience! Some parents print right on the invitation it is a "peanut-free party" to reinforce with their guests their child's particular allergy. For all trick-or-treaters, it is most important to be safe and have a fun Halloween. Many community school and fire departments provide guidelines to follow for a safe trick or treat experience. For more ideas and information on having an allergy-safe Halloween, contact The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network at 1-800-929-4040 or visit them online at www.foodallergy.org. Heidi Hynes is a Massachusetts-based freelance writer and communications consultant. She also sits on the board of directors for the Ayer Education Foundation, Inc. (www.ayer.mec.edu). Hynes has a 6-year old son, who has a life-threatening food allergies to peanut and egg. 3 Peanut Safe Candy Options Below are three places parents can buy safe candies and confections for Halloween trick or treat or parties: 1. Halloween Cupcakes, Cookies, & Frostings Cherry Brook Kitchen, Inc. offers a line of Peanut/Nut Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free (Also Available in Wheat Free/Gluten Free) cookies, cakes and frostings, which are absolutely "bakery delicious." Products are available at www.cherrybrookkitchen. com or at Shaws Supermarkets, Super Target, Whole Foods, and Market Basket. For a complete list of store locators, visit the Cherry Brook Kitchen Inc. Web site. 2. Peanut Free/Tree Nut Free Chocolates & Candies Vermont Nut Free Chocolates offers candy corn, milk, or dark chocolate candies in Halloween shapes (pumpkins, witches, etc.) wrapped in orange and black festive foils, in addition to truffles, maple creams, skippers (taste like M&Ms), chocolate covered pretzel twists and chocolate lollipops. www.vermontnutfree. com 3. Peanut Free/Tree Nut Free Chocolates & Candies Kellie's Candies Nut-Free Confections offers gourmet chewy caramels, chocolate fudge, chocolate covered pretzels, chocolate covered lollipops, caramel covered popcorn, and white or milk chocolate nonpareils. www.nutfreecandy.com