Halloween and trick or treating is becoming more and more popular in Australia, with many neighbourhoods using it as a time to come together and have fun. Trick or treating can be safe for children with food allergy BUT mum and/or dad or a trusted carer need to be involved.

Download help sheet here:

How to stay safe and have fun on Halloween263.27 KB

Some tips and ideas for a safer Halloween:

• Some families pre-arrange with trusted neighbours to drop off safe treats, labelled with your child’s name.

• Some children are happy just to dress up and go house to house (without receiving treats) with their friends and others are not. Have a chat with your child to see what they would like to do – give them some options.

• Have a discussion with your child BEFORE you head off trick or treating about what the arrangement will be so that the child with food allergy won’t be tempted to eat what they are given. Show them that you have treats that they love at home, or even take their treats with you to swap with your child when you are out and about.

• Trick or treat WITH your child with food allergy.

• Take your child’s medical kit containing their adrenaline (epinephrine) injector (such as Anapen®, EpiPen®) and ASCIA Action Plan for Anaphylaxis WITH you and your child.

• Have a “no eating whilst trick or treating” rule. Don't eat until you get home and sort out the stash of treats.

• Have something to eat before trick or treating to avoid the temptation of snacking on something that hasn't been checked by Mum or Dad.

• When you get home, sort treats into a 'can have' and 'cannot have' pile. Label and give the ‘cannot have’ pile to another family who do not have a food allergy. Have some tempting safe treats you can swap for the ‘cannot have’ pile.

• Allow the child to swap their filled treat bag for a visit to a local supermarket/store to pick what safe products they would like instead (this can be done before or after the trick or treating).

• Wash hands before eating the ‘can have’ treats.

• Don't eat anything that doesn't have a full ingredient listing on it. Remember that some foods, which look similar in packaging to the one you usually buy, can have different ingredients.

• Keep packets with ingredient labels so you can refer to them if necessary.

• Dress up with your children and hand out treats at your house to visitors who are trick or treating.

Community safety hints:

• Ask children if they have food allergies before giving food treats

• Consider giving stickers, stamps, cool erasers, pencils, glow sticks and other non-food treats.

• Keep packets with ingredient labels so you can refer to them if necessary.

• Use the A&AA posters to indicate that you are an allergy friendly Halloween home.

Resources

A&AA has developed three posters that you can use at your house to indicate that you give allergy friendly non-food treats. Please feel free to print (and laminate if you can) and place on your letterbox or other prominent spot in the lead up to Halloween and on 31 October.

Go to: Halloween food-allergy friendly posters

Content created October 2018