Making Sure Your Treats Don’t Turn Into Tricks This Hallowe’en
For parents and carers of children with a severe food allergy, Halloween can be a time of additional anxiety, worrying that their children could be exposed to treats which may cause a reaction.
‘Trick or Treating’ whilst fun for most, brings along hidden dangers for children with allergies. Under normal circumstances parents check everything for potential allergens to avoid the dangers of anaphylaxis but when offered home-made treats by doorstep pumpkin light, the chance of missing hidden allergens increases significantly.
A study, led by researchers from the Montreal Children’s Hospital of the McGill University Health Centre, found that during Halloween and Easter in Canada, there were higher rates of anaphylaxis to unknown nuts and peanuts compared to the rest of the year. As both holidays are also celebrated in the UK, it’s vital parents and children with allergies are vigilant around these times.
Despite the worries, it is possible for parents and their food allergic children to join in and have great fun during the spooky season.
Top Tips:
- Always accompany your child.
- Remind children what their food allergens look like.
- Ask your child not to eat any sweets or treats until they are checked at home.
- Throw away anything unwrapped, unlabelled or homemade.
- Have approved sweets, fruit or non-food treats ready that can be swapped for any treats that are not suitable.
- Check the labels of any sweets you do not recognise before giving to the allergic child. Also, sometimes ‘treat size’ versions of sweets have different ingredients so double check those too.
- Keep your child’s two adrenaline auto-injectors with them at all times.
- Always wash your hands after returning home.
- Make sure that any adults or friends with your child know about their allergies, what signs and symptoms to look out for and how to administer emergency medication.
For more information, contact our helpline on 01252 542029 or email info@anaphylaxis.org.uk