Kids with Food Allergies and Halloween Candy
Parents - how are you feeling about Halloween?
Are you excited for your kids to get to experience all the costumes, silliness, and trick-or-treating experiences?
Or are you having trouble focusing on anything other than the candy and sweets?
The hard truth is that Halloween goodies are here to stay. Have you heard the saying, if you can’t beat them, join them? Instead of hyper-focusing on sugar, we can use Halloween as an opportunity to help our kids learn how to have a healthy relationship with food. And that includes all food - even candy.
Last year I shared my thoughts on how to use Halloween candy as an exercise in food neutrality. I also highly recommend this newsletter about the sticky topic of Halloween candy from the Ellyn Satter Institute.
But what about the kids with food allergies?
The story of how we forgot about our Halloween candy…
Earlier this year I was doing some spring cleaning and found two long-forgotten bags of Halloween candy shoved in the back of our cereal cabinet. I was shocked because 1) I didn’t think it was possible to forget about Halloween candy and 2) my kids didn’t get anywhere close to the Halloween haul that I remembered from my childhood.
Because of the pandemic, last year was the first time our children went trick-or-treating. My husband and I were both excited for our kids, but also nervous because it was also our first Halloween with a food allergy kiddo. We bought a large bag of Halloween candy that was free from his allergens and devised a plan that other family members could eat the unsafe candy while he was sleeping.
Fun fact: in Nebraska there is no set trick-or-treating time. It just kind of starts around dusk or dark. So our food allergy toddler was actually in bed for the night when my oldest children started their Halloween adventure. To be honest, it was a relief that food allergy anxiety wasn’t going to spoil our night.
We had already decided to follow Ellyn Satter’s recommendations, and it was refreshing experience as a parent to be in the moment with our older kids without worrying about their sugar intake. Our 5 and 3.5-year olds had so much fun trick-or-treating, and then sorting and organizing and enjoying their bucket of treats back at home. And then they got to eat as much as they wanted, within a 20-minute time frame (it was a school night and they were already up way past their bedtime).
Our kids were able to repeat the experience again the next day, during their afternoon snack. We served candy with a glass of 2% milk, to provide some protein and fat to help with satiety. During candy time, we kept our interference to a minimum. No comments were made about what they were eating, other than casual reflections about our favorite candy and childhood trick-or-treating experiences. If a child asked for candy outside of when it was being served, we simply responded with what meal or snack candy would be served that day.
As the days progressed, we would alternate between serving 2-3 pieces of candy with dinner or unlimited candy and milk for afternoon snack. But as they started to run out of their favorite candies, our children started to lose interest in their Halloween haul. The novelty had worn off and they were ready to eat something else.
So on day 5 or 6, we skipped the candy. No one noticed. I brought it back the next day, but then skipped two more days. And no one noticed, again. So the remaining bags of candy were left to collect dust on the top shelf of our pantry and became…forgotten.
What did I learn from this experience? That kids can actually learn how to be matter-of-fact about candy. And that it is possible to teach our children how to manage sweets while also nurturing a healthy relationship with food.
But what about the kids with food allergies?
How can food allergy families manage Halloween candy?
With the success from last year, I am even more passionate about letting my kids - ALL of them - get the experience of using Halloween candy as an exercise in food neutrality. But a toddler with food allergies makes this year a bit more complicated.
I put a lot of thought into this conundrum. And I spoke with other food allergy parents as well, like this conversation from the first episode of my new podcast, Let’s Talk Food Allergies.
Because it is pretty impossible to be neutral about food that contains my son’s food allergen. We want him to learn about the foods he cannot eat, but we also don’t feel entirely comfortable letting his siblings eat candy with peanuts or peanut butter at the table with him.
Truthfully, there is no universal answer to this problem. Each family has to decide how to manage food allergens within their unique household and comfort level. But here are the strategies I will be using for managing Halloween candy within my food allergy family:
Expose food allergy kids to new candy before Halloween night. This is important if your young child has never had candy before. It is also important if any of their allergens have changed since last year. This step is to give parents some piece of mind that their child will come home from trick-or-treating with safe options to enjoy that night.
Review the plan for safe trick-or-treating with your family. For example, my kids each got to decorate a plastic bag for their safe candy, as well as a second bag for treats that contain (or may contain) their brother’s food allergens. During this activity we discussed our family’s plan for a safe Halloween, which includes not eating unsafe candy around their brother.
Allow children to select their own candy, if possible. This may not be a realistic option for every food allergy family, especially those with kids that like to put fingers or objects (like candy wrappers) in their mouth. As the adult, you can encourage safe options and explain what choices contain your family’s food allergens. But the selection process is what allows kids to have more autonomy in their Halloween experience.
Consider a no eating rule while trick-or-treating. We explained this rule to our kids as a safety expectation, as there is always some risk for cross-contact with allergens in the shared candy bowls. Also, if we are going to have to use the epinephrine auto-injector, we would much rather be in our own home than outside on a dark, cold street. As always, don’t leave the Epi at home!
Have a plan for the unsafe candy that is brought home. This year we are trying a modified Switch Witch game. My kids don’t need more toys in our house, so instead we will let them switch out the unsafe candy with safe options like Oreos, fruit snacks, fruit bars, suckers, and Skittles. Our kids without food allergies can choose whether to keep their candy or to switch as well. But they do understand they can only eat the candy with their brother’s allergens when he is not around.
With these plans in place, I am confident that even my child with food allergies will be able to enjoy trick-or-treating (and their candy). And remember, Halloween is about more than unlimited sugar. It is an exercise in learning how to nurture a healthy relationship with all foods, especially as we start the gauntlet of one food-related holiday after the next.
Additional resources and more information
Do you still feel uneasy about allowing unlimited candy on Halloween night? It can be helpful to take a step back and look at the big picture. What does your family plan to eat during the rest of the day or even week around Halloween?
With the Division of Responsibility, parents are responsible for what, when, and where of eating. That means we have the ability to plan ahead to serve more nutrient-dense foods, like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. For example, we could offer an afternoon snack of veggies with dip or a fruit tray before Halloween night. As the parent, we always have the option to be intentional with the foods we include as part of our menu plans.
But if you are still feeling triggered about the idea of unlimited candy, here are some resources to help you assess your own relationship with food:
Ellyn Satter Institute: Are you tired of feeling bad about your eating?
Intuitive Eating: 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating
National Eating Disorders Association: Eating Disorder Screening Tool
Good luck friends - and have a Happy Halloween!
