Being mindful of allergies is about more than inclusivity.
For kids and teenagers with life-threatening food allergies, Halloween can be isolating.
Christine McCusker, an allergist at Montreal Children’s Hospital, says parents of children with allergies need to plan ahead and talk with them about Halloween candy.
“Make sure that the children don’t snack during trick or treating. Or if they do, they snack with snacks that the parents provide,” since she says it can be hard to properly read the ingredients while trick-or-treating.
“Put a couple of things in their pocket because every kid wants a snack from their their bags, and you don’t want a child to feel left out. … But if you put a few things in their pockets that they know are safe, then they can still get that little thrill.”
On a holiday especially beloved by children, the impact of allergies is significant, since they are twice as common in children as in adults. It’s estimated that six per cent of all young children and two per cent of adults in Quebec have at least one food allergy, according to the Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux du Québec.
If kids have an allergy that is difficult to avoid, like dairy, McCusker suggests letting them trick-or-treat and then fully exchanging the bag with one that the parents have prepared.
“Mom and Dad up in the bedroom later can have the collected bag. But that way you don’t have to worry. You’re not worrying that anything’s been mixed up or that you missed something.”
If the allergen is less ubiquitous, such as peanuts, she says parents can exchange the individual peanut candies for safe ones once they get home, since most of the candies will be peanut-free.
For older children going to Halloween parties, McCusker says parents can prepare a candy box or an allergen-free cake for the party so they don’t feel left out.
Be mindful of other families’ allergies on Halloween
Even families with no food allergies can still take steps to make the holiday more inclusive and safe for others, according to Dominique Seigneur, the communications director for Allergy Quebec.
“It’s something that you learn as a kid with food allergies … always saying no, restricting yourself, checking, double checking the labels,” adding that gestures to include these children can be meaningful for them.
Seigneur suggests having options that don’t contain priority allergens when handing out candy at home or in the classroom. Options include plain potato chips, fruit-based candy or small toys.
Allergy Quebec also champions the Teal Pumpkin Project, a symbol used across North America during Halloween to flag which households have allergy-friendly options.
“Every year I see one or two kids living with food allergies arriving to a house with a pumpkin coloured in teal, and they’re so happy because it it makes them feel special and included,” she says.
For Seigneur, being mindful of allergies is about more than inclusivity, noting that they “can put your life in danger.”
“It’s an emergency. It’s not something that you choose. It’s a disease. It’s something you live with.”
While managing children’s food allergies can be anxiety-provoking, McCusker reminds parents that Halloween is meant to be fun. She says the most families can do is prepare and be on the lookout for one another.
“You don’t want the families to be hovering and stressed because it’s supposed to be fun. And you don’t want that stress to transfer to the child.”