All right all you ghosts and goblins, Halloween is almost here! As someone with a food allergy, a bit of preparation in advance can equate to having a ton of fun and a safe Halloween season for ourselves and little ones. Here are 5 spooky, I mean creative, ways to keep everyone safe (and allergy-free) on Halloween.
- Switch witch – Switch Witch is a simple idea that asks children to leave their leftover candy from Halloween on their doorstep to swap for small toys or a safe treat! In the case of allergies, the unsafe items are given to the Switch Witch and she leaves behind allergy friendly candy or a small toy. Here is a book of how the Switch Witch came to be:
- Teal pumpkin project – By putting a Teal pumpkin on your front doorstep, you let others know you are offering an allergy free treat! Find people in your community who participate with this map and purchase Teal pumpkin or a Teal sign.
Map: https://www.foodallergy.org/our-initiatives/awareness-campaigns/teal-pumpkin-project/map
Sign:
pumpkin:
- Bring an allergy friendly version of a treat to school or a Halloween party. Sweet Loren’s has various cookies that are wonderful treats and is free of the top 14 allergens. For Halloween they have a Pumpkin Spice cookie dough. There are other flavors too! I dare you to see if the batter makes it into a baked cookie or if you eat it all before you can say “boo!”
-Sweet Loren’s cookies
- Alternative activity: If participating in Halloween is too “scary” for you, take the anxiety out of it and host your own Halloween movie night, Halloween party with craft, or costume contest. This way you take the food aspect out of Halloween but still enjoy the fun or being together with your friends!
- Gluten free suggestions and some alternatives to Halloween treats
Some gluten-free alternatives to food treats at Halloween and don’t forget about the non-food items too.
Food:
-pouches
-applesauce
-fruit cups
-dum dum pops (suckers)
-Yum Earth is a brand that has allergy safe candy
Non-food:
-mini bubbles
-temp tattoos
-stickers
-glow sticks
-spider rings
-slap bracelets
-bouncy balls
-pencils
-crayons
Stickers
Tattoos
