Halloween is always meant to be an exciting moment. But it is not so for many kids who have allergies to sweet foods or some other food that is given to children on Halloween. This special event could be their least favorite holiday because of their inability to enjoy all those candies.
It will be a wise thing to protect your child by searching for a place that they feel more much comfortable with and that no negative effect on his health – a place that’s allergen-free. You can also notify your neighbors that your child has a food allergy. This will let them find an allergen-free treat for your child, if possible.
Here are the following ways you can help your child have the best of Halloween whenever it comes next time.
Communicate with treat givers
Make sure you inform the people distributing the treats that your child has a food allergy if you’re going trick-or-treating with your child. Then it will be easier for them to locate a food that’s allergen-free.
Other the hand, if it happens that you’re not going with your child, you can hang a small label around your child’s neck reading, “Hello, I have an allergy to [name of allergen]. Please provide me with treats free of this ingredient.” That way, treat distributors will be cautious in giving food that will not affect your child.
Make sure your child takes an anti-allergy medication with him/her everywhere they go
Arm yourself and your child with anti-allergy medication like EpiPen before going out for trick-or-treating. By doing so, you will be able to treat your child instantly in case he or she consumes a treat that affects his or her health.
Younger children especially, might not understand how their food allergy works and how serious the effects of their allergy can be. Use the opportunity of Halloween to get them in the habit of taking their food allergies more seriously.
Remind your child not to eat candy while trick-or-treating
Reminding your child not to eat candies will allow them to wait till they get home, then you will be able to sort through the candy you know it’s appropriate for them and the ones that are not. Offer reminders to wait until consuming the candy throughout the night.
Preface your reminder with a friendly question like, “What did you get from that house?” After your child replies, say, “Oh, you will enjoy eating that later” if the treat is edible or “Oh, we can trade something good for that later” if the treat is inedible.
Read all the labels
Depending on the severity of the allergy, your child could become sick or even die if they eat a food they are allergic to. Therefore, it is important to monitor what they eat. You can best do this by examining their collection of Halloween treats at the end of the night.
Look at the back of each snack for a small printed section that lists all the ingredients. Identify snacks that they can and cannot eat. If there is no ingredients label on the food, consider it unsafe for your child.
Take your child to a haunted house
Kid-friendly haunted houses are a great way to spend Halloween. Instruct your child to invite a friend or group of friends. They can still dress up and admire each other’s costumes, but instead of going trick-or-treating, they will get to visit the haunted house for some spooky chills and thrills.
Host a Halloween party
A Halloween party gives your kid the chance to enjoy Halloween in the comfort of their own home. With you (and, if you choose, other parents) controlling the food, your child will definitely avoid foods to which they are allergic. Your party could feature any number of fun activities for your child and their friends.
• reading a scary story
• watching a scary or Halloween-themed movie
• knocking about a piñata filled with allergen-free treats
• coloring pictures of ghosts, witches, and monsters
Visit a corn maze.
A corn maze is a path carved through tall fields of corn. The corn reaches a height above which most people, and certainly most children, cannot see. Escaping the corn maze is a fun challenge and a non-traditional Halloween adventure. Your food-allergic child and their friends will have a great time navigating the corn maze
image couresy: allergycarechatt.com, sheknows.com, orlandoflconnections.com.
