Halloween is one of the scariest times for those of us with children who have allergies. My daughter is allergic to all nuts, with her peanut allergy being the most severe. There are no words for the fear I have when we are out somewhere new or at friends’ houses with desserts, trying to make sure the food is safe for her to eat. Luckily, with people of our generation it is a little easier because they understand. I’ve found that people from older generations, unless they know someone else with a food allergy, don’t always understand it as well and sometimes feel like us “allergy moms” are being overbearing or even a little crazy.
We recently took our daughter to our local zoo’s Halloween party. Before we went, we talked to her about the fact that we would likely have to take some of her candy away. She is two and a half, so last year she didn’t really “get” Halloween yet and the only candy she even knew about were suckers. It was easy to take it and she didn’t mind. This year we wanted to prepare her and take the opportunity to explain her allergy a little more. We even taught her to say “No nuts!”
While we were there, I checked all of the candy because I still don’t know all the different types and what she can and can’t have. Most people were very polite if I asked to see the box the candy came from (each station at the zoo had a different type). There was one man though who clearly didn’t understand. When I first asked, his response was, “They’re all the same!” I wanted to say “Well, duh!” but I resisted. I told him I was checking for allergies and his next response was, “They don’t have nuts in them,” in an even ruder voice. Luckily the other woman responded before I could, because I’m not sure what would have come out of my mouth. She explained to him that the candy could have been made in a factory with nuts. I was thankful for her response. Clearly, some people just don’t get it.
I wish people would realize how important it is to watch out for kids with food allergies. They are no joke. My daughter’s preschool has made the entire center nut-free and they enforce it strictly. I worry about when she goes to kindergarten though, because our school district still serves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the cafeteria. I don’t understand how, in this day and age where so many kids have severe allergies, they could be so irresponsible. My daughter will have to sit at a separate table because if she happened to touch it, or something another child has touched, she could have a reaction. I dread that day and pray that in the next three years our district comes to its senses.
I want to give you a list of some candy you might not think could be dangerous for kids with nut allergies in case you ever come across this situation. There are of course the obvious ones like Reese’s, Snickers, Baby Ruth, Reese’s Pieces, Mr. Goodbar, and Almond Joy that clearly contain nuts, but some are quite surprising. This is not a comprehensive list by any means. If you’re giving a child with allergies candy, check the label first because ingredients and manufacturing processes can change. If you have any to add to my list, please comment!
Candy Made in a Factory With Nuts
Least severe, not likely contaminated, and we often let her eat these: Kit Kat, Milk Duds, and Whoppers.
Made on the Same Equipment With Nuts
We generally do not let her eat these: Hershey’s Candy Bars. I would especially avoid the Hershey’s Miniature Bars. Why? Because they usually come in a variety pack with the loosely wrapped Mr. Goodbar that contains peanuts. Any damage to the bag or one of those bars could allow peanuts to transfer to another bar. Better safe than sorry.
Candy That May Contain Nuts
Due to cross-contamination, we never let her eat these: Plain M&M’s, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way, Nestlé Crunch, Hershey’s Krackel, 100 Grand, Brach’s Candy Corn, and Twix.
Some Nut-Free Candies
Great Halloween candy to pass out: Almost all fruit candy (Starburst, Skittles, suckers, Pixie Stix, etc.), Tootsie Rolls, Hershey’s Kisses, Andes Mints, Rolos, Sixlets, Milk Duds, Junior Mints, and Smarties.
It has been almost a year and a half since our daughter’s daycare gave her peanut butter (she never went back there, by the way). It is still a daily struggle to check packaging on things I buy at the grocery store and ask questions at restaurants. We still take her food with us to many places so we don’t have to worry as much. I hope that one day food allergies will be more widely understood and taken seriously by everyone. Spread the word and help those who don’t understand allergies identify a little better with families like ours.