Trick or Trinkets for Halloween

My kids are counting the hours and minutes until Halloween! It's truly amazing how this event has become... the extravaganza that it is. We've already attended two parties, and two more to go before it's all over. Fortunately, one of them was a Trick or Trinket Halloween party. Yes, the kids had a great time, even without any food or candy.

Hosted by Gateway FEAST and sponsored by Dey, the event was held at a local playground and included a reading of Alexander Goes Trick or Treating by a local teen with a peanut allergy, a clown and a magician. There was pumpkin painting, coloring pages and simple carnival games so the kids could win non-food prizes.

It was really nice to see the kids respond to the story and to realize that there were lots of other people who are allergic to nuts and eggs and milk, just like them. Tanner took particular note that this "big boy" (a high school freshman) carried an EpiPen too!

As I noted last year, Halloween kicks off the season of the "candy-on-the-coffee-table" season, a time when us parents of food allergy kids have to be extra vigilant.

I'm redistributing our bulletin from last year, that includes tips on how friends and family can help us minimize risks. Be sure to download it and spread it around, along with your holiday cheer! BeAware.pdf

Allergy-free Trick or Treating!

Halloween is just around the corner and parents of kids with food allergies are bracing themselves. It's a challenging season, when candy is being shoved (pretty much non-stop) in kids faces. It's the first year my little guy has been really excited about the holiday. He has been walking around for days with a pumpkin flashlight singing, "I loove Halloween! I'm going trick or treating this day!!!"

Some parents, like members of the Gateway FEAST group have taken matters into their own hands. Rather than face the inherent anxiety of trick or treating, they have created their own Allergy-free Halloween Party.

The event will take place at Cadet Park Pavilion, next to CBC High School, 12625 N. Outer Forty Drive, Town and Country on Saturday, October 27 from 2-5pm. The event will feature carnival games, use of the playground, a clown, face painting, and more allergy-free activities!

If you are in the St. Louis area, be sure to check it out! For more information, visit www.aafastl.org or e-mail feast@aafastl.org