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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 18, 2015 7:32:28 GMT
Has this been mentioned here? I can't remember seeing it. Here is a link about it: www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project#.ViNJ8SvQOtt Hubby is insisting we need to have candy but I think non-food items are great for ALL kids nowdays. I got mine from Oriental Trading and tried to keep the cost down to what I would normally spend on candy for Halloween. I really like the idea and then there is the fact that we will not have leftovers that just have to be devoured afterwards.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Oct 18, 2015 12:34:23 GMT
I had never heard of this before.
Thank you for sharing it.
But I will share my own two cents. If I had a child allergic to consumables, I would allow them to trick or treat, but would also have a stash of candy at home for them to trade in their TOT candy for.
I just couldn't take a chance on my child's well being to indulge them in having their actual TOT candy.
I have also traded in their candy with my own store bought candy during years where I didn't feel safe enough allowing them to eat, what is essentially, stranger's candy.
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Post by heartcat on Oct 18, 2015 12:43:10 GMT
While I think it's a nice and inclusive idea in theory, I do wonder how it will work from a practical standpoint.
I am wondering what kinds of non-consumables people would buy and give out. I can't really think of anything that I would personally want to purchase and give in my preferred price range, and unless some people have a much higher Hallowe'en budget than I do, I foresee children ending up with a bunch of little 'junkie' items that they probably won't want that will just end up in the garbage.
I am sure it is difficult for children with food allergies and sensitivities, and I am not even sure what sorts of issues there would be with candy, potato chips, etc. I am aware of peanut and nut allergies, but what else needs to be considered? Dye allergies? Dairy?
I do buy and give out peanut free treats on Hallowe'en and would be happy to purchase other candies that might be more universally safe if someone could make suggestions.
But I am really not too keen on the idea of buying dozens of little toys, etc. to hand out, that might just end up being a waste of time and money.
Also, considering the wide range of ages of children who trick or treat, from toddlers to teens, I am really curious as to what sorts of treats would be safe for the under 3 group and wanted by them as well as being of interest to the over 10 crowd. Candy/chocolate/chips are pretty universal, I think it would be difficult to find low cost alternatives to suit all ages.
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Post by brina on Oct 18, 2015 12:56:06 GMT
the only thing I can think of that is worse than my child brining home a bag full of crap candy is my child brining home a bag filled with little plastic crap from Oriental Trading and halloween pencils. I understand wanting to do something nice for kids with allergies, but please there is enough plastic crap in the world without adding more.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2015 13:24:55 GMT
I've seen pencils, stickers and coins instead of candy, but honestly I've only ever given out candy. Have to agree that the other stuff is just like the stuff you get in birthday party gift bags that gets thrown out fast!
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Post by hop2 on Oct 18, 2015 14:10:18 GMT
I've always given out a choice of candy & non candy items. I always have snack items pretzels chips etc, fun size candy, and things like fun pencils and small toys. Trust me 99.9% of the kids want the candy. I have had some take my other treats but it's rare.
I don't have to worry I won't be home again on Halloween ( band competition ) so I don't have to bother this year. But in a few years if/when I'm home again I'll still have a choice. I guess I'll have to put out a patchwork pumpkin lol
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Post by Linda on Oct 18, 2015 15:02:58 GMT
My children all had milk/soy allergies (and one had a long list of allergies) - thankfully they've all outgrown them - but when they were small we either didn't trick or treat (really little ones don't know any different unless you make a big deal over what they're missing) or we checked their bags before they got to eat anything (for that matter - we STILL check bags and toss anything that's not properly wrapped or is homemade or otherwise questionable).
There are a LOT of different allergies out there and what is safe for one allergy isn't necessarily safe for another. And if you HAVE an allergy, the reality is that you're going to miss out on certain foods. Just like a child with coelaic or lactose intolerance or diabetes or....any number of other medical conditions is going to miss out on some foods. That's the reality of living with an allergy or food related disease. As a parent, I wanted my children to a) learn responsibility for their own allergies (age dependent - at first they learnt to always check with me before eating something, then to ask about ingredients/read labels and to say no thank you if they weren't sure) and b) to accept that that was how it was and that sometimes they would need to say no thank you and skip the treat.
As a house owner - it's not a factor for me - I've NEVER ever had a trick or treater at my door other than my own kids in 25 years. So I buy what we like and what works for my children and call it a day. If I did get trick or treaters, I would have a selection of treats but I would understand that there's not always going to be something that works for a specific child. If I KNEW I had a child in the neighbourhood with specific food needs, I would chat with mum ahead of time and make sure I had a goodie bag for that child. But for the random possibility? I'm not going to stress about nuts, milk, corn, food dyes, wheat....
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Post by RiverIsis on Oct 18, 2015 17:12:33 GMT
I got on board with this last year and spent way too much time and energy and not a single trick or treater wanted/needed the non-candy gift. I guess the good thing is I have everything for this year!
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Post by gale w on Oct 18, 2015 17:15:57 GMT
Teal pumpkin only means you offer some non food treats. It doesn't mean you can't offer candy as well. It just gives the allergy kids a choice of something they can actually keep for once.
There have been some really harsh reactions to it on FB. One even said something about natural selection (who the eff says that about kids??) and some have called allergic kids names like "retarded". Everyone seems to think it's one or the other-candy or toys. You can have both. It's all about choice and inclusion (something allergic kids get very little of). And it's 100% voluntary.
People on some groups that participated last year said that their non-food bowl emptied out a lot more quickly than the candy bowl, so it's not just the allergic kids that are enjoying it.
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Post by gale w on Oct 18, 2015 17:20:35 GMT
I had never heard of this before. Thank you for sharing it. But I will share my own two cents. If I had a child allergic to consumables, I would allow them to trick or treat, but would also have a stash of candy at home for them to trade in their TOT candy for. I just couldn't take a chance on my child's well being to indulge them in having their actual TOT candy. I have also traded in their candy with my own store bought candy during years where I didn't feel safe enough allowing them to eat, what is essentially, stranger's candy. Target (and possibly other stores) have a thing called The Switch Witch that a lot of allergic parents are using. The Switch Witch trades all the unsafe candy (for some sensitive kids that means ALL of the candy due to possible cross contamination while mingling in the TOT bag or possibility of normally safe candy being repackaged by another company (like generics) and then becoming unsafe in the packaging process) for safe candy that the parents buy in advance. My kids have never gone TOTing. We live in the sticks and I'm not comfortable going into neighborhoods in town where we know no one. My kids still dress up and we go to a friend's house (who has a list of safe candy to buy) and my inlaws' house (where I provide the candy) and we used to go to a halloween party at the YMCA (they are too old for that now). Sometimes we hit other family members/friends houses but don't collect candy at them. They still have fun dressing up and we take lots of pictures.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2015 18:10:19 GMT
All (I think? almost all..) Hallowe'en candy here is peanut free, so I can't imagine there are THAT many kids Trick-or-Treating who can't eat most of what is offered. My kids so enjoy the couple of pencils or mini Play-Dos they receive, but they usually also come with a selection of edible treats.
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Post by Linda on Oct 18, 2015 18:28:17 GMT
Teal pumpkin only means you offer some non food treats. It doesn't mean you can't offer candy as well. It just gives the allergy kids a choice of something they can actually keep for once. There have been some really harsh reactions to it on FB. One even said something about natural selection (who the eff says that about kids??) and some have called allergic kids names like "retarded". Everyone seems to think it's one or the other-candy or toys. You can have both. It's all about choice and inclusion (something allergic kids get very little of). And it's 100% voluntary. People on some groups that participated last year said that their non-food bowl emptied out a lot more quickly than the candy bowl, so it's not just the allergic kids that are enjoying it. I think that calling children names etc... is completely wrong and uncalled for. I do think some of the negative backlash is due to the trend in today's society to {and I'm struggling with how to phrase what I'm thinking so I apologise in advance if I don't do a good job} to over-accommodate for everything...some things need accomodation and it should be provided but there's a tendency to go overboard and it's that tendency that's causing the backlash. I think most reasonable people are on board with not handing a child peanut m&m's if the child is allergic to peanuts. I also think that they're okay with not eating peanut butter around that child if they are made aware that doing so puts the child at risk. But banning (or asking people to avoid) all peanut products and all products that might ever have been near a peanut ever from an entire school/ball park/other public place starts to cross the line. Peanut-free classroom or lunch table when there is an identified allergy? sure. Peanut free section of a ball park? sure. Asking people to not pack PB&J when they go on a picnic at the park or to provide non-candy treats when trick or treating? To me, that's crossing the line from reasonable. It's NICE if people chose to provide a non-candy treat but the onus is on the parents and/or the child who needs to avoid the candy not on the people handing out treats. Again - if I know that there's a specific child/person with a food allergy, I'll provide an alternative but I'm not going to go out of my way to make sure that everything I hand out to other people/eat outside my home/bring to a function is peanut, egg, tree-nut, wheat/gluten, corn, soy, dairy free etc... on the off chance that someone might be excluded if it isn't.
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Post by gale w on Oct 18, 2015 18:30:39 GMT
All (I think? almost all..) Hallowe'en candy here is peanut free, so I can't imagine there are THAT many kids Trick-or-Treating who can't eat most of what is offered. My kids so enjoy the couple of pencils or mini Play-Dos they receive, but they usually also come with a selection of edible treats. You're in Canada, right? I think nestle favorites are all pn/tn allergy safe and mars minis too. The US is not so allergy friendly. I think the only mini candies I can think of are the non chocolates (American smarties, skittles, etc) and very few chocolates (jr mints, peppermint patties, maybe whoppers) that can be eaten by allergic kids. We actually order Canadian candy (expensive to order) so that our kids can have something beyond plain hershey and dove bars and plain chocolate kisses.
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Post by gale w on Oct 18, 2015 18:39:02 GMT
Teal pumpkin only means you offer some non food treats. It doesn't mean you can't offer candy as well. It just gives the allergy kids a choice of something they can actually keep for once. There have been some really harsh reactions to it on FB. One even said something about natural selection (who the eff says that about kids??) and some have called allergic kids names like "retarded". Everyone seems to think it's one or the other-candy or toys. You can have both. It's all about choice and inclusion (something allergic kids get very little of). And it's 100% voluntary. People on some groups that participated last year said that their non-food bowl emptied out a lot more quickly than the candy bowl, so it's not just the allergic kids that are enjoying it. I think that calling children names etc... is completely wrong and uncalled for. I do think some of the negative backlash is due to the trend in today's society to {and I'm struggling with how to phrase what I'm thinking so I apologise in advance if I don't do a good job} to over-accommodate for everything...some things need accomodation and it should be provided but there's a tendency to go overboard and it's that tendency that's causing the backlash. I think most reasonable people are on board with not handing a child peanut m&m's if the child is allergic to peanuts. I also think that they're okay with not eating peanut butter around that child if they are made aware that doing so puts the child at risk. But banning (or asking people to avoid) all peanut products and all products that might ever have been near a peanut ever from an entire school/ball park/other public place starts to cross the line. Peanut-free classroom or lunch table when there is an identified allergy? sure. Peanut free section of a ball park? sure. Asking people to not pack PB&J when they go on a picnic at the park or to provide non-candy treats when trick or treating? To me, that's crossing the line from reasonable. It's NICE if people chose to provide a non-candy treat but the onus is on the parents and/or the child who needs to avoid the candy not on the people handing out treats. Again - if I know that there's a specific child/person with a food allergy, I'll provide an alternative but I'm not going to go out of my way to make sure that everything I hand out to other people/eat outside my home/bring to a function is peanut, egg, tree-nut, wheat/gluten, corn, soy, dairy free etc... on the off chance that someone might be excluded if it isn't. I agree that there are unreasonable demands. I think asking people to avoid may-contain type stuff around allergic kids is over the top-I can't imagine traces of traces being in the area could be a risk. And there's the other side of that spectrum where there's a nut free classroom and someone brags that they send peanut butter anyway and just puts a note saying it's sunflower butter. Terrible chance to take and it's sending a bad message to kids that it's okay to lie even if it puts someone in danger. Then you have all of the other allergies to consider and it gets even more complicated. Just today someone on one of the allergy groups I'm in was in the room with someone eating almonds and ended up having to use the epi pen on herself. It would be beyond scary to be that sensitive. My daughter ended up with full body hives (probably should have used the epi but we went to the ER and she got steroids) just from being near a booth that was roasting nuts in an indoor swap meet. But I think roasting must release more proteins in the air than just eating (or else she would have had many reactions over the years because you never know what someone nearby is/was eating).
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Post by lorieann13 on Oct 18, 2015 18:45:17 GMT
As a mom to two children with allergies I don't care about the teal pumpkin project. The fun of Halloween is to dress up and go TOTing. I have always allowed both kids to enjoy the holiday and have fun. Dh and I take their candy and they are both allowed 5 dumdums (we give them if they dont receive any) and the rest is bought from them. They donate it to the dentist who then sends it to troops overseas.
Do they miss out because they can not a peanutbutter cup or twix? No! They love Halloween. The decorations. The fun. The costumes.
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Post by gale w on Oct 18, 2015 18:58:22 GMT
As a mom to two children with allergies I don't care about the teal pumpkin project. The fun of Halloween is to dress up and go TOTing. I have always allowed both kids to enjoy the holiday and have fun. Dh and I take their candy and they are both allowed 5 dumdums (we give them if they dont receive any) and the rest is bought from them. They donate it to the dentist who then sends it to troops overseas. Do they miss out because they can not a peanutbutter cup or twix? No! They love Halloween. The decorations. The fun. The costumes. That's why people are trying to emphasize that the teal pumpkin project is totally voluntary. People on fb are acting as if they're being told to do it. That's not the case at all. My daughter is used to not getting what other kids get. She's always been used to it. But to see her face light up (as a kid-she's 19 now and her face rarely lights up. lol) because someone gave her a safe treat is priceless. It's not even the treat that's so great but the fact that someone thought to make sure she got something safe.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2015 19:14:44 GMT
All (I think? almost all..) Hallowe'en candy here is peanut free, so I can't imagine there are THAT many kids Trick-or-Treating who can't eat most of what is offered. My kids so enjoy the couple of pencils or mini Play-Dos they receive, but they usually also come with a selection of edible treats. You're in Canada, right? I think nestle favorites are all pn/tn allergy safe and mars minis too. The US is not so allergy friendly. I think the only mini candies I can think of are the non chocolates (American smarties, skittles, etc) and very few chocolates (jr mints, peppermint patties, maybe whoppers) that can be eaten by allergic kids. We actually order Canadian candy (expensive to order) so that our kids can have something beyond plain hershey and dove bars and plain chocolate kisses. Yes, I'm Canadian and almost all of our candy and chocolates are made in peanut free facilities -- at least for Hallowe'en.
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Post by Linda on Oct 18, 2015 20:26:55 GMT
And there's the other side of that spectrum where there's a nut free classroom and someone brags that they send peanut butter anyway and just puts a note saying it's sunflower butter. Terrible chance to take and it's sending a bad message to kids that it's okay to lie even if it puts someone in danger. That is AWFUL!
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Post by stampnscrap1128 on Oct 18, 2015 20:32:02 GMT
Last year I gave each child candy and a glow stick. I'd light up (crack) the glow stick before the kids would come so they still had several hours of lighting fun. Besides being a non-candy item, it was also a little safety item and it was neat seeing the kids walk down the block with those sticks glowing in the dark. Kids loved them and so did the parents. I bought the thin, inexpensive ones from WalMart (like 100 for $10). I plan to do the same this year.
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grinningcat
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Post by grinningcat on Oct 18, 2015 20:38:25 GMT
And there's the other side of that spectrum where there's a nut free classroom and someone brags that they send peanut butter anyway and just puts a note saying it's sunflower butter. Terrible chance to take and it's sending a bad message to kids that it's okay to lie even if it puts someone in danger. That is AWFUL! That's why the school where my friend's kids go to school had to ban sunflower butter and anything that looks like it... because some idiot parents decided they would play the system. Guess who ratted them out? Their own kids.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2015 20:39:48 GMT
Eh, you can't win. I say do what works for you! We will be handing out candy with peanuts and food dyes. Snickers, Peanut butter cups, and other candy bars are quite popular. It is the norm around here. I'm not going to take the time to read every food ingredient when I select Halloween candy. I'll let the parents look in their kids bags. For me, non-candy items are a nightmare. My son would LOVE to get some crayons, but he eats them. A Halloween pencil? He'd eat the eraser. A tiny bottle of bubbles? Trick or Treating is done! No more going door to door. Bubbles must be blown now or he isn't going to be very happy. Same thing with a balloon. A small plastic item? In his mouth. I guess it doesn't hurt to have non-food items on hand. At least you can save the leftovers and hand them out the next year.
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IAmUnoriginal
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Jun 25, 2014 23:27:45 GMT
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Post by IAmUnoriginal on Oct 18, 2015 21:23:31 GMT
ODS is our allergy kid. I think this is a nice idea, if people want to participate. But, we figured our way around it long before the teal pumpkin (last year was the first year I saw FAAN promote it). We dressed up but didn't ToT when ODS was really small. When he was 4, right toward the end of local ToT hours, he asked to go out. His dad took him, while I scrambled for a solution. He came back with a bag full of things he couldn't have and a few he could. I bought from him the candy he couldn't have for $10 and off to Target for his first Hallowwen toy. A tradition was born. It was always nice when houses had chocolate and non-chocolate choices, but DS still had a great time. He loved his annual trip to Target in costume before the night was over.
I just asked him about the teal pumpkin thing and he said he doesn't like it. He said he felt just like every other kid when he was out getting candy. He went ToTing for time with his friends. That was fun. No one knew or needed to know that we'd go through his candy when we got home. He was just another kid in a costume, not the kid who can't have dairy, eggs, peanuts and the rest of the list.
The ugly comments on social media piss me right off. Those people would be the first demanding change if the day came that their precious was rushed to the ER while in the middle of a life threatening reaction. Keyboard bravery.
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Nanner
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Jun 25, 2014 23:13:23 GMT
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Post by Nanner on Oct 18, 2015 21:41:06 GMT
I always purchase a bag of Nestle bars in case anybody asks if there are nut-free treats available. I have had some kids ask this and am glad of it.
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Post by nlwilkins on Oct 19, 2015 14:33:16 GMT
WOW, I am almost sorry I brought this up.
I remember as a child really liking the "plastic crap" that I will be giving out. Also, as a child I remember the scary trips to the dentist office. I always had cavities and the dentist never could get me all the way numb so I had pain. I also remember how hyper my two children would get from sugar overload at Halloween.
A child doesn't have to have allergies to be happy with non food items. There are other reasons to cut down on children's candy consumption than allergies. AND many kids love the non food treats.
Plenty of people in the neighborhood will be handing out candy. The children will not be deprived. But as was mentioned, it is nice to give kids a choice and if you don't have to give out non-food items, but the idea is put out there in case it appeals to you.
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Post by gale w on Oct 19, 2015 17:34:35 GMT
WOW, I am almost sorry I brought this up. I remember as a child really liking the "plastic crap" that I will be giving out. Also, as a child I remember the scary trips to the dentist office. I always had cavities and the dentist never could get me all the way numb so I had pain. I also remember how hyper my two children would get from sugar overload at Halloween. A child doesn't have to have allergies to be happy with non food items. There are other reasons to cut down on children's candy consumption than allergies. AND many kids love the non food treats. Plenty of people in the neighborhood will be handing out candy. The children will not be deprived. But as was mentioned, it is nice to give kids a choice and if you don't have to give out non-food items, but the idea is put out there in case it appeals to you. I had problems at the dentist too. It took me about 3 times longer than normal to get numb, and the dentist never remembered or never had enough time, so he never waited. I had pain every time. My dentist was not very friendly either.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Oct 19, 2015 17:46:10 GMT
ODS is our allergy kid. I think this is a nice idea, if people want to participate. But, we figured our way around it long before the teal pumpkin (last year was the first year I saw FAAN promote it). We dressed up but didn't ToT when ODS was really small. When he was 4, right toward the end of local ToT hours, he asked to go out. His dad took him, while I scrambled for a solution. He came back with a bag full of things he couldn't have and a few he could. I bought from him the candy he couldn't have for $10 and off to Target for his first Hallowwen toy. A tradition was born. It was always nice when houses had chocolate and non-chocolate choices, but DS still had a great time. He loved his annual trip to Target in costume before the night was over. I just asked him about the teal pumpkin thing and he said he doesn't like it. He said he felt just like every other kid when he was out getting candy. He went ToTing for time with his friends. That was fun. No one knew or needed to know that we'd go through his candy when we got home. He was just another kid in a costume, not the kid who can't have dairy, eggs, peanuts and the rest of the list. The ugly comments on social media piss me right off. Those people would be the first demanding change if the day came that their precious was rushed to the ER while in the middle of a life threatening reaction. Keyboard bravery. Your son makes a very good point. In an effort to make sure everyone is included, we sometimes do more to point out their differences. Thank you for sharing this I guess I'm lucky we don't have any trick or treaters so I don't have to worry about what I give any more
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Post by cadoodlebug on Oct 19, 2015 17:53:51 GMT
I can remember back in the 50's when people would occasionally give us a nickel instead of candy. We thought we had hit the mother lode! I'm not opposed to people giving out non-candy items but please don't give my kid a Tupperware catalog. (Yep, the neighborhood kids hated that lady.)
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Post by PEArfect on Oct 19, 2015 19:02:06 GMT
Peanuts aren't the only food allergy to consider when choosing Halloween candy. I have a wheat allergy and most candies that are wheat free are manufactured in a facility with wheat. Cross contamination. That being said, I would never expect anyone to cater to my food allergy. Same if my daughters had food allergies.
This year I'm filling a latex free glove with candy and stickers for my TOT's. We usually have around 25.
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Post by gale w on Oct 19, 2015 19:13:07 GMT
As a parent of a child with food allergies I've never expected anyone to cater to my child's needs. But I'm forever grateful if they do. I have had to say no to foods/treats so often that an occasional yes is nice.
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Post by cynipidae17 on Oct 19, 2015 19:23:32 GMT
We had a lady by us handing out little bags of pennies. This was my girls favorite stop I always try to have a chocolate and a non chocolate treat, but I don't worry beyond that because really it is going trick or treating that is the fun.
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