Halloween Safety For Kids With Allergies

Posted on October 30, 2006

Kids love to go trick-or-treating but eating the candy they have collected can be scary and even dangerous for children with allergies, especially kids with severe peanut allergies.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology provides some safety tips in an article on aaai.org. They include having kids carry their autoinjectable epinephrine with them, being taught to say no to food that may be unsafe (such as homemade items) and being cautious of fun-size products because the ingredients may differ.

The Food Allergy Research & Education site has information about the Teal Pumpkin Project which helps raise awareness of food allergies. A teal pumpkin is used to indicate that you have non-food treats for trick-or-treaters. There is also a Teal Pumpkin Project map available.

Montreal pediatrician Paul Roumeliotis provided a few safety tips for handling allergic children on Halloween in a Canada.com article. His advice includes inspecting the kids candy before they can eat it and making sure they are trick-or-treating on a full stomach so they don't snack on any of the candy before they get home.

Another potential problem is the candy you suspect is allergen free may not always be safe. WMAQ-TV in Chicago reported last year that a child last was rushed to the hospital after eating a single gummy worm. The worms were being kept in a bulk container that previously contained a nut. There was nut residue on the gummy worm and this was enough to trigger an anaphylactic reaction in the child. It is best to take a safe pass on candy that has been unwrapped.

Finally, here is a Mayo Clinic Minute about Halloween and allergy safety:



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