I’m a lover of all things fall. The crisp air, the colors of the changing leaves, the smell of the fallen leaves in the woods, homemade soup, baked squash, hot apple crisp and my favorite – Halloween! I love to decorate my front porch with scary ghouls, skeletons, cobwebs and a skull & cross bones chandelier. I enjoy watching little kids eye my porch’s inhabitants; debating if the bag of candy on the other side of the porch is worth the risk. (Wow! When I read that out loud, I sound sort of horrible. I’m really not that bad.) If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about trick or treating; a time that should be fun for all kids, even those with food allergies.
This is how we do Halloween in our small town. We live a couple miles outside of town, on a dirt road. Parents drive their kids from house to house in the country, because there are usually only 5 or 6 houses per mile. Since houses are so far and few between, it takes them a long time to make a good night’s haul. We typically only have around 12 or 15 trick or treaters stop at our house, so we load those kids up with candy. Because we’ve dealt with food allergies at our house; I’ve modified the contents of my treat bags over the years. First off, I’m a realist – kids love chocolate. So, each of my treat bags contains 2 or 3 chocolate candy treats, a couple Laffy Taffy, a box of Nerds or a small packet of Starburst or Skittles and maybe a box with a Halloween tattoo. That way, if one of the kids that stopped at my house has a food allergy, chances are pretty good they’ll be able to eat at least some of the candy I’ve given them. If they’re lucky, maybe they can get a sibling or a friend to trade the candy they can’t eat, for candy they can.
Maybe you’ve thought that it would be nice to have candy options for kids with food allergies, but how do you know what candy you should buy? Also, it’s probably difficult to find and expensive. It’s not difficult and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Below I’ve included two different links, listing candy free of the Top 8 allergens. Both are great sites. You’ll be happy to see some familiar name brands that you can find in your local grocery and department stores.
So whether you give out one piece of candy or several, it’s really quite easy to brighten up a kid’s Halloween night when you give them the option of choosing a piece of candy they can eat.
(Right click on each link and you will see the option to open the link in a new tab.)
https://www.spokin.com/candy-guide/list-of-food-allergy-friendly-halloween-candy/
https://gfreefoodie.com/allergen-free-halloween-candy-list-gluten-free-dairy-free-top-8-allergens/
Thanks for stopping!
Brenda
Disclaimer:
These recipes and tips are not guaranteed to work or be safe for everyone. Allergies are extremely complicated and vary for each individual. It is still your responsibility to read labels to ensure your safety. I cannot be held liable for any ill effects from using my tips to avoid your allergies. (Sorry guys, I don’t foresee any problems, but Momma’s gotta cover her backside, ya know? Just read your labels! Do your research!)