21 Oct A Creative Approach to Food Allergies and Trick-or-Treating
Posted at 15:00h
in Parenting
By Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP
*This post was originally published on ASHA’s online blog. The original can be found here.
Ever notice how many kids who are in feeding therapy also have food allergies? With Halloween just around the corner, I’m encountering parents in my practice who are scared to let their food-allergic kids go Trick or Treating. As their child’s feeding therapist, I try to offer creative strategies to ease their minds and still allow their little munch bug an evening of safe but spooky fun!
Trick or Treat Nirvana (What’s a Parent to Do?)
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. My neighborhood is a child’s Trick or Treating nirvana; street after street of tightly packed houses, much like enormous Pez® candies crammed inside a spring-loaded Casper the Ghost container. It’s the perfect setting for little fists holding giant plastic pumpkins to collect as many pounds of sugar as humanly possible in the shortest amount of time. The neighbors are obsessed with decorating their homes to the hilt and consequently our sidewalks are packed with little Batmans, Disney Princesses and giant Rubik’s Cubes negotiating their way to each and every over-the-top decorated home and loading up on anything the neighbor’s offer when the kids shout “TRICK OR TREAT!”
So what’s a parent to do when their child with food allergies so desperately wants to join in on the door to door fun? Well, keep this in mind: For the kids, Halloween is about ringing a doorbell, shouting “TRICK OR TREAT”, remembering to say “thank you” as they scurry off to the next house and most of all – giggling non-stop with their friends. It’s truly about the social experience, and not so much about what gets thrown in the bag. But for many of my clients, what ends up in their bags is vitally important for safety reasons. Here a few strategies for parents to consider.
Enlist the Help of a Few Neighbors
1. Secret Passwords: Nobody wants a child to miss out on the big night. Most friends and neighbors will be thrilled to stash your candy alternatives by their front door. If your alternative candy needs to be kept separate from other food substances, be sure to let them know. If your child is old enough and/or you are not present, just tell them that Mrs. Smith needs to hear the secret password (e.g. “monster mash”) because she is saving something just for them. The last thing you want is Mrs. Smith accidentally giving some random fairy princess your child’s special allergen free candy!
Photo Credit: Will Montague via Compfight cc
2. Create a “TREASURE HUNT” with clues that lead your little pirate to the buried treasure where X marks the spot. Give ten clues to ten neighbors; use brown grocery bag paper, black ink and even singe the edges for that authentic “treasure map” look. Each piece of paper provides the next clue on where to go: “Yo ho ho, ye pirate gents! Go to the next house with the white picket fence!” Little do they suspect that the 10th clue will send them back to their own house, where they will discover a giant X and a special treasure buried beneath, just for them!
Trick or Treat Nirvana (What’s a Parent to Do?)
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. My neighborhood is a child’s Trick or Treating nirvana; street after street of tightly packed houses, much like enormous Pez® candies crammed inside a spring-loaded Casper the Ghost container. It’s the perfect setting for little fists holding giant plastic pumpkins to collect as many pounds of sugar as humanly possible in the shortest amount of time. The neighbors are obsessed with decorating their homes to the hilt and consequently our sidewalks are packed with little Batmans, Disney Princesses and giant Rubik’s Cubes negotiating their way to each and every over-the-top decorated home and loading up on anything the neighbor’s offer when the kids shout “TRICK OR TREAT!”
So what’s a parent to do when their child with food allergies so desperately wants to join in on the door to door fun? Well, keep this in mind: For the kids, Halloween is about ringing a doorbell, shouting “TRICK OR TREAT”, remembering to say “thank you” as they scurry off to the next house and most of all – giggling non-stop with their friends. It’s truly about the social experience, and not so much about what gets thrown in the bag. But for many of my clients, what ends up in their bags is vitally important for safety reasons. Here a few strategies for parents to consider.
Enlist the Help of a Few Neighbors
1. Secret Passwords: Nobody wants a child to miss out on the big night. Most friends and neighbors will be thrilled to stash your candy alternatives by their front door. If your alternative candy needs to be kept separate from other food substances, be sure to let them know. If your child is old enough and/or you are not present, just tell them that Mrs. Smith needs to hear the secret password (e.g. “monster mash”) because she is saving something just for them. The last thing you want is Mrs. Smith accidentally giving some random fairy princess your child’s special allergen free candy!
Photo Credit: Will Montague via Compfight cc
2. Create a “TREASURE HUNT” with clues that lead your little pirate to the buried treasure where X marks the spot. Give ten clues to ten neighbors; use brown grocery bag paper, black ink and even singe the edges for that authentic “treasure map” look. Each piece of paper provides the next clue on where to go: “Yo ho ho, ye pirate gents! Go to the next house with the white picket fence!” Little do they suspect that the 10th clue will send them back to their own house, where they will discover a giant X and a special treasure buried beneath, just for them!
To continue reading, please click here to be redirected to ASHAsphere.
Disclaimer:
We only call it treats due to Halloween but they are really candy, food, or food with lower nutrition.
