Plan a Fun, Safe Halloween Event for Kids with Food Allergies

Halloween can be a scary challenge when it comes to trick or treating — candy, candy and more candy — and most of it loaded with allergens. But there is good news! Here are some tips for Halloween ideas that are so much fun, the kids with food allergies won’t even miss the candy!

• Pumpkin Find Fill small plastic pumpkins or bags with Halloween trinkets and challenge the kids to find them in various places in the backyard. Bring the adventure indoors if the weather turns foul. Give a prize to the child who finds the most pumpkins. A little competition enlivens the party.

• Backyard Scavenger Hunt  Kids of all ages love a scavenger hunt and having it in your own backyard or garden is ideal for supervising the party. Make the list as creative as your age group can handle: Goblin goo, Skeleton bone, Witch’s hat, Creepy spider and such. Of course, you can always forego the scary stuff for toys and trinkets. For the lucky hunter who finds all of the treasure, a ‘special’ surprise.

For the Teens

Older kids and teens might like to watch a scary movie, dance or play games. Here are some game ideas that are favorites with this age group:

• Zombie Tag: One person is the zombie and as s/he claims more victims, they too become zombies. This continues until there is only one human left.
• Eyeball and Spoon Race: In the weeks leading up to Halloween, it’s easy to find small balls that look like eyeballs. Or, you can color ping pong balls to look like eyes.
• Mummy Wrap: Participants in groups wrap willing adults in toilet paper. The ‘mummies’ then race to the finish line and depending on how difficult you want to make it, they can be challenged at the finish line to construct a paper skeleton or complete a quiz.

If Sweets are a Must-Have

Sometimes tradition wins out and if your food-allergic kids insist on candy, here are some allergen-free candy suggestions. Also consider these allergy-friendly tips for a few smart tricks of your own

• Collect all candy and then place the bag outside for the Switch Witch to come and trade a toy for the bag of candy. She needs fuel to fly home after such a busy night.
• Have an identical bag to the one your child is using, except it is filled with allergy-safe treats. Of course this requires parents to be especially secretive.
• Super Lucky Trick or Treater game: Collect candy and then return home to give the entire bag to the next person who rings your doorbell. In exchange, provide your child with a special toy or favorite activity.
• Cash for Candy. Teens especially enjoy a candy buy-out.

Check out Kids with Food Allergies and find more unique Halloween ideas. There are so many fun ways to keep the Halloween spirit alive and still be allergy-safe. Use your imagination along with responsible choices and you and your child with food allergies will have lots of fun.