The Real Scare on Halloween: Allergies

For 12 out of 13 children in the United States, Halloween is a holiday full of treats. For the kids with food allergies, the day can feel like it’s more about the tricks. Most kids love Halloween for collecting pillowcases full of candy and trading with their friends. However, for kids with allergies the candy collecting is often the most frightening part. We end up with bags of candy filled with treats we can’t eat. No matter who we pretend to be that night, we never can escape our allergies and the fears that come with them. In this way, sweet treats and shiny wrappers mask a frustrating trick.

As an older kid with allergies, I understand that life can be disappointing; we will all have moments in life when things feel unfair. I have accepted that sitting back and observing while others have enjoyable food experiences is part of living with severe allergies. Still, there are times when being on the social side lines is very difficult. This is especially true as a younger kid on Halloween.

I remember feeling excited but also a little sad as I would set out with our crew of parents and friends each Halloween. I was part of the group, but I was never able to fully indulge in the experience. As my friends excitedly reached in their bags and discussed which treats to eat first, I watched and wished to be as care-free. Still, I was fortunate; my friends’ moms always went out of their way to make sure there was food I could eat once we got back to the house. My friends and their families did what they could to help me feel safe and included. Not everyone is so lucky.

As Halloween approaches and I think about my trick or treating experiences, I want to share some other ideas about how we can make the day a fun and safe one for kids who have food allergies:

1. Join the Teal Pumpkin Project, which encourages houses to put a teal pumpkin on the porch to symbolize that a house that offers safe Halloween treats. By offering glow sticks, stickers, quarters or other creative treats, you can help make Halloween fun and more inclusive.

   
   

2. Consider handing out snacks that are individually labeled with an ingredient list. Kids with allergies are label readers. If it’s not labeled, we generally can’t eat it.

   
   

3. Consider offering unique snacks. My most memorable trick or treating experiences were when a neighbor offered cups of warm apple cider. It was a special treat that warmed my hands and my heart on a cold fall night. Another year, someone offered the larger and individually labeled Hershey bars to kids with allergies. These were very generous treats, but they are ones I will never forget.

   
   

4. Presently, only the outer packaging is labeled on Halloween candy. This means the important and life-saving information on the label is something trick or treaters with allergies never get to see. If you keep the package labels near the door in case someone needs to read it, your candy might be one of the few that a kid with allergies can enjoy.