Halloween with Food Allergies -- Thoughts from a Mom Who's Been There

It's that time of year again! You know--when you start seeing articles talking about how "scary" Halloween is for kids with food allergies (I've said it on this blog!). All clichés aside, I've always believed that if kids with food allergies really want to participate in Halloween trick or treating, there are ways to do this. It doesn't have to be scary and intimidating. With a little common sense and a lot of flexibility, it can be fun and even educational about what foods are safe and what foods are best to avoid.

I have several posts about how we've handled Halloween over the years and now that my oldest (with allergies) no longer goes trick-or-treating, I am here to tell you that for us, at least, Halloween can be a lot of fun whether you decide to trick or treat or not. If your child doesn't want to trick or treat, don't force them. As parents, sometimes the prospect that our kids are limited from certain things because of allergies is more painful for us than it is for them. They often don't know any other way of life so it's less of a big deal for them. I'd rather be positive about the things they can do. Below are two of my most popular Halloween posts:

Trick or Treating with Food Allergies?

 

Halloween Tips and Treats

If you have a very young child who is not going to understand or appreciate that mom and/or dad have to take away a lot of their candy "score," you might want to limit the trick or treating and try some other fun stuff instead. Maybe they can just trick or treat at grandma's house or the homes of a few friends who are in the food allergy loop and will have some "safe" treats to offer. Again, my posts above have some ideas.

Some kids don't particularly enjoy Halloween--food allergies or not. So if they would rather hang out at home and pass out candy, don't assume it's all about the allergy. For example, my non-allergic child hated getting into a costume until she was past age 5. She did not enjoy Halloween until kindergarten, much to our general amusement. Once I realized this, I let it go. The important thing is that the child feels good about what they're doing. This goes double for kids with allergies -- if they're forced to go out and then have to give up all the candy--that's no fun for anyone!

One important note regarding food allergies and school: Speak to your child's teacher now.  Ideally you have a written plan in place for dealing with food allergies in the classroom, but it never hurts to touch base and reiterate how your child should not be given unauthorized food.

Halloween is a great time to work with your child on saying "no" to foods that are not given the OK by you. The trade off is that your child will get some "safe" treats -- edible or non-edible, your choice, of course -- when they do have to say no. Over the years, I've found that helps ease the "pain" of refusing the mountains of unsafe candy kids may encounter at Halloween. Again, my blog posts above have some suggestions for alternative activities/treats at Halloween.

If you're in the market for some delicious and nut-free Halloween candy or treats, please take a look at several of my blog sponsors (to the right of this page, just click the image to go to the company web site)-many good nut-free choices there! Peanut Free Planet is another excellent source --this site is a treasure trove of not only nut-free but other "free from" candies and treats.

My daughter is  headed for high school next year and she is a well-adjusted, confident young woman. I can guarantee that even if she felt badly at times that she had to turn in most of a candy bag, this has not been an experience that has had any lasting negative effects that I can see. It's hard to deny candy to a little kid who is asking for it. But attitude is everything. Be upbeat and find alternative activities, alternative treats -- there are many more of them out there right now -- and it does help.

Check out a reader favorite post: candy corn and nut-free gummies for Halloween.

For all of you just beginning the journey that is holidays with food allergies, hang in there. Follow your gut instincts, focus on having fun with your kids, keep your safety measures in place and the rest will fall into place.

Don't forget to enjoy your kids. Now that my kids are older, I already miss the days when my oldest wanted to dress up and trick or treat, hand out candy, watch Halloween Town on TV or whatever. Parents, I know it can be stressful but enjoy these enthusiastic little faces while you can. They'll be grown up before you know it.

However you decide to handle it, have a fun, happy and safe Halloween! For more general advice on living with nut allergies in general, check out my e-book.Thanks to all of you who have made it a bestseller on Amazon!

Yes, that is a Nancy Drew pumpkin on the left, for the Nancy Drew nerds out there.

 

Food Allergy Halloween News: Crazy for Nut-Free Candy Corn!

A and J Bakery nut-free and gluten-free candy corn.
It's a bestseller, so order yours quickly!

For a lot of people, candy corn looks and tastes like the essence of Halloween. Folks seem to either love it or hate it...but most love it. I know that my kids love it and I do too, especially as a decoration for cakes, cookies and cupcakes. In recent years, it's been hard for me to find nut-free candy corn that I could safely hand out to my kids at Halloween time. Most candy corn seems to carry peanut and/or tree nut allergy warnings, such as the Brach brand, which is widely available but off-limits to the nut-allergic.

Because I need both peanut-free and tree nut-free candy corn, my choices were a bit limited, but I did find two companies that are meeting the nut-free candy corn challenge head on. First up is the awesome A and J Bakery in Rhode Island. This nut-free bakery sells their signature nut and gluten-free candy corn each year both in their store and online. A and J candy corn is made with real honey and the dedicated nut-free facility is an added bonus for me. I ordered mine last week and can't wait to try it! Be sure to order early. Apparently, this is a sell-out item each year well in advance of Halloween. In fact, if you look at Peanut Free Planet right now, they say it is sold out on their site.
Go directly to A and J Bakery web site to order yours.


Next, I found Sunrise Brand Candy Corn. The facility is nut-free, but this brand of candy corn was recalled for milk and sulfites last July. It is available at Peanut Free Planet and check your local grocery stores. Dollar Tree stores have it, too. Check out this post from Food Allergy Buzz, a trusted source, about Sunrise Candy Corn. The Peanut-Free Planet link above has more info about Sunrise facilities, too.

Sunrise foods candy corn. Check your local stores for
this brand or order online.

 

Some of us might be looking for peanut-free only and not tree nut-free. Jelly Belly sells peanut-free candy corn but it is NOT tree nut free, as it is produced on the same lines with tree nut products. While Jelly Belly has gone peanut-free in recent years, it is NOT a tree nut-free company. Look at this post from Smart Allergy. If you have further questions about Jelly Belly, please contact them directly.

 

Grocery stores and pharmacies sometimes sell candy corn under their private label brands, and they rarely contain allergy info. If they DO say "peanut-free" be sure to double check that they are also tree nut-free if that is a concern for you. Some private label store brand candy corn may be safe for you, while others might be produced on the same lines with candy containing peanuts or tree nuts, rendering these candies unsafe due to cross-contact risk. For example, last year I contacted CVS and found out that their candy corn is produced on lines with chocolate covered peanuts--a fact not included on the label. (Companies must only list ingredients, not production info.)

 

 

And now, I've got to mention the latest Oreo flavor to hit the shelves: Candy Corn Oreos.

I am sorry to say, I can't find them anywhere in my area as they have apparently SOLD OUT at some local stores. But I hope some of you can find them and I will keep looking. These are golden Oreos with yellow and orange filling. With any Oreo product, read the label carefully for nut allergy warnings. So far, the new "limited-edition" "basic" Oreo flavors I have seen have not had nut allergy warnings. Nabisco will mark for "may contains" so please read the labels and call the company directly if you have further questions.

One more thing: the beautiful foodie blog Sugarcrafter has a recipe for homemade candy corn. If you have the time and desire to make this recipe, let us know! She did an amazing job with these.

I have a candy corn-inspired goody or two up my sleeve for upcoming blog posts, so be sure to come back soon.

NOTE: You are the best judge of what is safe for your family. Please do your own research on any products mentioned here to make sure that it fits your allergy needs. Thanks for reading this blog!