Halloween is one of the trickiest days of the year for children with food allergies. Kids often haul home pounds of treats, and even small amounts of an ingredient they are allergic to can cause a potentially life-threatening reaction.
In the video, Dr. Marissa Love, an allergist at The University of Kansas Health System, offers advice to help ensure Halloween's frights stay festive and don't involve a medical emergency. Some of her tips include, always read the ingredient label on any treat your child receives. Many popular Halloween candies contain some of the most common allergens, such as peanuts or tree nuts, milk, egg, soy or wheat. Teach your child to politely turn down home-baked items such as cupcakes and brownies, and never to taste or share another child's food. And offer non-edible goodies to trick-or-treaters and classmates. Food Allergy Research & Education's Teal Pumpkin Project, which promotes safe trick-or-treating options for food-allergic children, suggests items such as glow sticks, spider rings, vampire fangs, pencils, bubbles, bouncy balls, finger puppets, whistles, bookmarks, stickers and stencils. Consider supplying some to neighbors whose homes your child will visit.
The video also includes b-roll of an office visit with 12-year-old Nathanial Der, a food allergy patient, and Dr. Love.
