Our Halloween Preparations

My son and my niece, ready to face the villains!

My kids are in what I like to call the "Golden Age" of celebrating Halloween. Old enough to participate in crafts and baking, able to walk to trick or treat, and excited about dressing up, but young enough to still believe in the magic of ghosts and witches and to want to celebrate everything with their parents. I know it's only a matter of time before the older one will want to go trick or treating with his friends instead of his parents, or he'll be embarrassed that his mother likes to dress up to hand out candy at the door.

So I'm making the most of it while I can, and enjoying every minute. Kids of all ages can participate in Halloween decorating and treat making, provided the activities are scaled to their ability and interest level.

10 Tips for Keeping Kids Safe on Halloween (updated)

I first published this post last year, but I think the content is pretty timeless. I've updated the post with new information and links where relevant, including safe Halloween candy lists for 2014. 

When your child has food restrictions or allergies, holidays that are supposed to be fun can turn into nightmares for parents trying to keep their kids safe. In addition to the usual safety precautions, there are the concerns about what your child can eat, and how to handle the disappointment that can accompany the realization that most of what’s in their trick or treat bag isn’t safe for them to consume. Here are some tips for a safe and happy gluten free Halloween.

The "Switch Witch" is Coming to My House This Halloween

A few days ago I wrote about my decision to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project this Halloween, which helps raise awareness of food allergies while also supporting allergic children by also making some non-food Halloween items available for trick-or-treating kids. It would be incredible if my son could come home with a bag full of safe items for him, but I know that much of his treat bag will contain gluten-filled snacks that he cannot eat.

10 Tips for a Safe and Gluten Free Halloween

When your child has food restrictions or allergies, holidays that are supposed to be fun can turn into nightmares for parents trying to keep their kids safe. In addition to the usual safety precautions, there are the concerns about what your child can eat, and how to handle the disappointment that can accompany the realization that most of what’s in their trick or treat bag isn’t safe for them to consume. Here are some tips for a safe and happy gluten free Halloween.

Gluten Free Buzz (18) : Halloween Edition

In the spirit of Halloween, I thought I might do a Halloween themed Gluten Free Buzz this week. So, instead of the latest research or news headlines, here are a few articles about Halloween, GF-style.

Five Tips for a Great Gluten Free Halloween

Yesterday I wrote on a more personal level about my own anxiety around ensuring that my son has a safe and happy Halloween despite his gluten and dairy issues.  Today I'm offering a few quick tips and ideas for making this Halloween great, and of course, gluten free!

1- Think outside the loot bag:  Every year, we engage in some GF treat making at our house.  I rarely choose anything too time consuming or difficult, because I like my son to be involved.  Two of the simplest ideas: a) mini muffins decorated like miniature pumpkins, or with Halloween themed sprinkles and shapes.  I also have a skull shaped cupcake mould that I use to create fun treats.

My sister made these particular pumpkin cupcakes and they look great, but kids could easily make something similar.  Orange icing and sprinkles, and they're good to go!

I use a boxed mix (usually Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix) to make things really simple. 




















Looking for a no bake option that's so simple a preschooler can make it?  Try these dipped marshmallows.  1- Melt high quality gluten free chocolate (we use the good stuff because it has to be dairy free too) in the microwave and let cool slightly.  2- In small plastic containers or cupcake wrappers place different toppings.  We used coloured sugar crystals, sprinkles, etc.  3- Dip the top of the marshmallow in the chocolate, and then dip again in topping of choice.  Stand them up to dry.  Simple.

















2- Give the kids their own pumpkin to decorate:  There are plenty of no-carve pumpkin ideas out there, from Mr. Potato Head-type decorating kits that feature facial decorations that just get pushed in to more complicated stencils. For really young children, I like to keep things simple.  Decorate with stickers, or glue on items for a unique look.  For my son, I set up room for him at a table, hand him a brush, and let him paint to his heart's content.

When he's done with his masterpiece, I let it dry and then put it on display.  A word of caution:  most kids' paint will get washed away in the rain, so it's best to either display the pumpkin on a covered porch, or somewhere indoors until Halloween night. 

3- Buy some gluten free candy:  It's important to be prepared to swap out candy that's unsafe for you or your child to eat, and having a variety of options on hand is better than just removing the offenders from a kid's point of view.  It also doesn't hurt to hand out some gluten free candy.  There are a ton of options available, at the same price as other options.   My Gluten Facts  
( http://www.myglutenfacts.com/halloween/Halloween2012CDA.pdf ) has printable lists of gluten free candy available on their site, with options for candy available in both Canada and the United States.  I've provided the link to the Canadian list.  Last year our next door neighbour had a little loot bag of only gluten free options ready for our son.  Obviously that was unexpected, but also really thoughtful, and my son felt incredibly special.

4- Talk to your child's school/daycare and come up with a plan:  Yesterday I wrote about how my son wasn't allowed to open his candy at the daycare last year because staff wanted to make sure he didn't eat anything that would make him sick.  They did the right thing, but it was still hard for my son.  That was my fault.  The staff did their job, which was to keep him safe.  This year, I'm going to be proactive instead, and so can you. 

Talk to the staff ahead of time, and find out the plan for Halloween parties or celebrations.  Print off a list of candy that's safe for your child if they're open to the idea.  Or, provide the school or daycare with some candy for your child that you know is safe, therefore taking any responsibility out of their hands.  The goal is to let your child have all of the fun of Halloween without the worry.

5- Plan your night in advance:  This year, Halloween falls smack-dab in the middle of the week.  Chancces are, you'll be coming home from work, and then rushing to eat, get everyone ready, and prepare for trick-or-treaters.  Plan in advance. Gluten free eating makes it more difficult to just order something in or throw something together quickly.  Cook something on the weekend that just needs to be reheated for dinner, or pull something out of the freezer the morning of.  I usually put a lasagna together ahead of time because it's a one-pot meal that just needs to be warmed in the oven. 

Get the Halloween candy ready the night before and set it up by the front door so it's ready to go when the first ghoul or goblin knocks on your door.  Ditto with the costumes.  Try everything on over the weekend, including putting the costume on over sweaters or jackets if necessary.  Make sure that everything fits and adjust anything ahead of time. 

Decide on activities to keep your little ones occupied.  Will they watch a Halloween special before or after heading out?  Are there games or books that might keep them occupied?  Sometimes the excitement is too much for little ones, and a little distraction can go a long way. 

HAVE FUN! 

Halloween is for kids, but that doesn't mean that adults don't love it too!  Relax, chat with the neighbours, and remember to take lots of pictures.

Halloween With a Gluten Free Child

For most kids, Halloween is one of the best holidays of the year.  What could be better than being allowed to dress up as your favourite character, stay up late and eat as much candy as you can handle?  Not much.

I know that I loved Halloween as a kid, and to be honest, still do. 

I love making my house look spooky, but not so scary that the littlest kids are afraid to come up to the door. 

I love deciding what costume to wear and carving pumpkins.

I love the TV specials and movies. 

I love the excuse to eat candy and not  feel guilty about it. 

But as the mom of a kid who can't eat anything containing gluten or dairy, I'm also a little bit anxious.  Last year, my son had no idea what was in his trick or treat bag, so he didn't notice when I simply removed anything that he couldn't eat, essentially leaving his bag almost empty.  This year he has a better idea of how things work, and it won't be so easy to pull the wool over his eyes.  I want him to enjoy the holiday, but I also want him to be safe, without passing on my anxiety to him.

Here's how I plan to do it:

Daycare:  My son's daycare provider is really good about making sure that he doesn't eat anything he shouldn't, but sometimes this means that he misses out.  Every Halloween, other children in the class bring in small bags of candy for their friends, and the daycare also provides some treats for the children.  Last year, my son wasn't able to open his until I got there to pick him up because the staff wanted to be sure that what he ate was safe.  While this was a relief for me, it wasn't so much fun for him to watch other kids break into their candy while he couldn't. 

This year, I'll be providing him with a little bag of assorted candy that the staff can give to him to eat.  I'll also be asking ahead of time if there will be any special baking or desserts served at their Halloween party.  I'll be providing him with a comparable item so that he doesn't feel left out. 

Halloween Night:  This one's a bit trickier.  It's not practical (or polite) to try and vet the candy as you go.  Instead, I'll be buying replacement candy for when he gets home.  We've bought most of our Halloween candy already, and it's a mixture of candy, chips, gummies, lollipops, etc.  Some of it is gluten free, and some isn't.  I've separated a few gluten free items from each package and put them aside.  I also bought some candy that I know my son likes and can eat and put it completely aside.

When he gets home, I'll be sorting through his candy like all parents should- getting rid of anything that is open or that doesn't look safe for whatever reason.  Unlike all parents though, I'll also be checking for items containing gluten and /or dairy.   It's during this process that I'll be making the switch.  Instead of just taking treats away or replacing something with random candy, there will be a bowl with a variety of candy that he can eat.  For each piece we have to remove, my son will be able to choose a replacement.  I'm hoping that rather than feeling like a punishment or a deprivation for him, that it will instead be kind of a fun game where he gets to choose.

The candy we take away can then be put back in the bowl to hand out to other children who come to the door, or we can donate what's left to our neighbours children or bring it in to work.  I'm crossing my fingers that this all runs smoothly. 

How do you handle gluten free Halloween at your house? 

Check back tomorrow for my tips on having a stress-free GF Halloween, including some easy to prepare treats and where to find a printable list of gluten free candy to use as a reference when sorting through candy.