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October 12, 2005

Boo! Halloween with food allergies... Scarey!

Halloween is upon us once again, so how does our family deal with the food allergy issue? Well, let's start by saying, we live in a warm weather climate, so that affects our approach somewhat (not too much protective clothing like gloves and long sleeves).

Here are some things we do to keep our kids safe this time of year:

1) Stay with them the entire time (our oldest is only 9 yrs old). This is just good advice for all parents. Letting your child walk around in the dark without you just isn't a smart thing to do.

2) Have the kids wear light gloves. They can still handle all the candy and drop into their bag safely. Long sleeve shirts might help as well.

3) Trade up. Right when they get home, have them trade a piece of non-safe candy for a safe one. (Simply buy a couple bags of safe candy ahead of time.)

4) Just say no. Its okay to say "no thank you" to a peanut butter cup and the likes.

5) No eating on the run. When its dark out, you wouldn't want to make a mistake on which candy the child was snacking on.

6) Most of all - Be prepared. EpiPen, cell phone, flashlight. Ask yourself, "What if...?"

There are some good resources on the FAAN site on this topic too. Take a look and develop your own customized management plan.

Posted by David at October 12, 2005 4:52 PM