Halloween Safety; It’s Not too Far Away to Think About
By Heather Legg | Oct 19, 2008
I was going to save this until later in the month, but besides that Halloween is creeping ever so closer, I also found some helpful merchandise I wanted to share, and if you’re interested, you need ordering time.
Check out these shirts and hats on zazzle.com. “Food allergies are scary. Please don’t feed me” is written across a trucker cap with a Halloween picture. You can also find t-shirts and buttons here that might help out your trick or treater with allergies. I especially like the button, not as prominent, but won’t interfere with the costume. It’s not specific to Halloween so could be worn year round.
I remember my first Halloween after finding out our daughter had tree nut allergies. I wasn’t too nervous, but did call my food allergy mentor friend and she gave me some good advice, including buy a trade in bag. I let my daughter pick her favorite kind of candy and we bout an extra bag. After trick or treating, we went through her candy (which of course should be done allergy or no allergy) and took anything nutty or questionable out. She got to trade it in for her candy and was just as happy.
Here are some other good tips from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). All it takes is a little preparation and creativity to plan Halloween festivities that are fun and safe for all children. Tips offered in the AAAAI checklist include:
• Accompany younger children as they trick-or-treat, or be sure they are supervised by a responsible adult who knows how to handle an emergency allergic reaction.
• Insist that older children trick-or-treat with friends who are aware of the food allergies and can assist in an emergency.
• Be sure your child carries emergency medication, such as an epinephrine auto-injector.
• Before Halloween, distribute safe snacks to neighbors and request that they be handed out to your child.
• Work with your child’s teacher to plan a school party involving non-food treats, such as stickers or novelty erasers. Or, pack treats from home that other students can give to your child.
• Consider participating in a charity trick-or-treat event to raise money for a good cause, rather than collect candy.
One more option to think about is to join FAAN’s Trick or Treat for Food Allergy, where kids trick or treat for donations to FAAN and to spread awareness instead of for candy. Information can be found here (http://www.foodallergy.org/Support/Halloween/index.html).
