The frightful fun of Halloween & trick or treating make this holiday among most children's favorite celebrations. It is also considered one of the most dangerous nights of the year for children, especially if they suffer from food allergies &/or sensitivities. This frightening statistic is enough to spook the most calm & collective parent(s). But, there are many things that you can do to help reduce the dangers associated with this holiday.

Prepare to contact your child's school weeks in advance and discuss any planned events. Use this opportunity to review your child's emergency management plan with his/her teacher. If your schedule permits, request to be the room parent for the party. This will allow you to help oversee the event, while allowing your child to safely participate. At minimum, offer suggestions for safe activities that do not involve food (see links) and attempt to provide at least one of the treat items. For example, a safe punch and/or gelatin dessert are easy to prepare and inexpensive. They also can be tailored to meet most dietary needs. Providing one of the treats will ensure that your child can share at least of the treat items that are being served with his/her classmates. Requesting that your child is served first will prevent an accidental cross contamination. It is also wise to reserve a small container of the treat, in the event your child's treat is dropped or contacts unsafe surface.

Here are some festive, non-food Halloween Oriented Activities to do at home or in class:

The concept of trick or treating can be a confusing one for children. Parents forbid their children from accepting treats or talking to strangers 364 days of the year. Then, one day a year, most parents find it acceptable for their children to receive treats from individuals that they do not know. This conflicting message can be even more difficult & dangerous for those with dietary restrictions. Establishing rules, including accepting food items from family & friends, & discussing them thoroughly with your child is important for his/her safety. Thorough preparation reduces risks, but does not eliminate them. Even if you remind your chilld not to consume unchecked foods, he/she may be intrigued by fancy packaging or persuaded by peer pressure into trying a questionable item. Regardless of how mature your child appears, she is still a child & is much more likely to take a chance than an adult. Therefore, it is important to be prepared to handle any emergencies promptly and efficiently.

Before Halloween night:

• Check your local newspaper, community, or law enforcement agency for your scheduled neighborhood trick or treating times.
• Locate a flashlight with fresh batteries, so that your child will have a reliable source of light during their adventure.
• Establish the route that your child will follow.
• Attach reflective tape, a chemical light or other glow in the dark jewelry &/or clip light to your child's costume to make them more visible.
• Make sure your child's costume, including shoes, properly fit to avoid tripping or falling. And, avoid masks or head dresses that may obstruct your child' vision.
• Do not allow children to carry any sharp objects or props(i.e. utilize toy swords or knifes that are flexible or blunt)
• At least 24 hours in advance, patch test any cosmetic product that your child will be wearing.
• If you are not traveling with your child, provide the designee with a list of rules, including not entering stranger's houses, not getting into vehicles with someone that you do not know, not consuming any treats until checked by an adult, etc
• If your child will be trick or treating without a parent or trusted adult, & does not have a medical alert bracelet, attach a tag inside of your child's costume with pertinent contact information and any medical conditions or allergies. Provide the child with a watch (with a back light), a cellular phone or two way radio (establish the channel settings and test them in your area before the event), coins for phone calls, a map of the area that they will beallowed to visit, instructions on how to handle any emergencies, & a strict curfew.
• Remind children that jack o lanterns can & often do contain burning candles.

Before Halloween night:

Source: Diane Hartman

In a blender, combine until smooth and creamy:
12 ounces soft tofu
1/4 cup soy milk
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 tsp gluten free vanilla extract

In a saucepan, combine:
2-4.5 ounce packages Dr. Oetker Organics Chocolate pudding mix or equivalent
1/2 cup Dari Free or English Bay powder
2 1/8 cups cold water
1/4 cup Wax Orchards Fudge, optional
1 tsp glycerin, optional


Add creamy tofu mixture to pudding mix and bring to slow boil, stirring constantly. Transfer into small containers and chill. Top with crumbled chocolate sandwich cookies or graham crackers(or blend together to produce a more realistic looking "dirt"). Add gummy worms or bugs, if desired, for a creepy Halloween dessert.

Source: Diane Hartman

2 packages Super Fruit Dessert Mix(choice of flavor(s)
1-- 2 liter bottle of ginger ale
1-2 liter bottle lemon lime soda
festive shaped ice cubes and/or cubed fruit, optional

In a medium saucepan, combine dessert mix and 2 cups of soda. Bring to boil, stirring constantly, over medium heat. Immediately transfer into large pitcher that is filled with remaining soda. Stir and transfer into food safe container, such as a stainless steel mixing bowl. Place food safe container carefully inside of decorative "witches' pot" to serve, if desired. Makes approximately one gallon.

Source: Diane Hartman

1 package Miss Roben's Roll & Cut Gingerbread Mix, prepared - item # 3117
1 package Miss Roben's Vanilla Buttercream Frosting - item #1151
1 package Miss Roben's Milk Chocolate Frosting - item # 3100
Gimbal's Fruit Chews - item # 1197 or other candies, as desired New India Natural Vibrant Color Sanding Sugars

Frankenstein Cookies:
Use a gingerbread boy cookie cutter to cut out basic shape, after cutting out dough, cut the top of the gingerbread boy's head just enough to flatten and produce a more realistic Frankenstein, bake per package instructions. Allow cookies to cool before decorating.

Witch Cookies: To produce a more realistic hair, pipe prepared milk chocolate frosting onto desired cooled cookie surfaces, use a toothpick point and pull streaks into frosting to look like hair strands.

Skeltons:
Gingerbread people are a good basic shape for piping white frosting "bones" for skeltons. You can also make skeleton animals using the same basic techniques.

Pumpkins:
Frost cooled cookies with prepared vanilla buttercream frosting mix, immediately sprinkle with marigold orange India sanding sugar Item#1800. Cut Gimbal's fruit chews or other candies into shapes to form facial features & stem of jack o'lantern.