We thank SunButter for their sponsorship of this blog post to help us share information about keeping kids with food allergies safe and included.

Holidays like Halloween that focus on food and treats can be stressful for parents and kids who manage food allergies.  Preparation can reduce that stress and minimize the chances of having a food allergy reaction. Here are our tips to make your Halloween safer and less stressful.

Communicate With Caregivers

If your child will be attending Halloween parties or trick-or-treating with friends without you , make sure there is an adult who knows how to prevent, recognize and treat anaphylaxis. Communicate the importance of reading labels and avoiding cross contact. Review your child's Anaphylaxis Action Plan with them and give them a copy of the Babysitter Drop Off Form. If your child is older, they can help communicate to their friends and families.

Teach Your Child

Teach your child and all caregivers the importance of not eating any treat if there is any doubt about whether it might contain your child's allergens. Carefully read all labels before your child eats any treats. Ingredients and processing can change at any time. Many times, seasonal candies are processed differently than the year-round versions. Many "treat-sized" candies are not labeled with ingredients or advisory warnings on the individual packaging. 

Remind Everyone of Safety Steps

Use our checklist to get ready for trick-or-treat.

Have Safe Treats

Whether it's a class party, trick-or-treat pre-party or post trick-or-treat snacking, make sure your child will have something safe to eat. You may not be able to read labels and verify that treats brought by others or collected during trick-or-treat will be safe. Have a few fun treats on hand that you know are safe for your child. Get ideas from our Top-8 Free Halloween Candy Guide and allergy-friendly Halloween snacks.

For something really fun, make these Teal Pumpkin SunButter® Crispy Rice Treats. These are easy to make and the kids can help decorate them with melted chocolate. You can individually wrap them to prevent cross contamination.

SunButter® Crispy Rice Treats

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp dairy-free margarine
1 pkg (10 oz., about 40) marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup SunButter®
6 cups crispy rice cereal

For decorating:

Teal colored sugar
Chocolate for decorating
Lollipop sticks
Treat bags
Ribbon or baker's twine

Directions:

In large saucepan melt margarine and SunButter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add cripsy rice cereal. Stir until all the cereal is coated in the marshmallow and SunButter mixture.

Line a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan with parchment or waxed paper and coat with cooking spray. Press mixture into prepared pan. Using an oiled spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into the pan. Top with colored sugar. Cool completely.

Decorating Teal Pumpkins:

Remove treats from pan by lifting it out on the parchment paper. Use a pumpkin cookie cutter to cut out as many shapes as you can fit.

Melt chocolate and put in a decorating or zip top bag, then snip off the corner of the bag.

Put a small amount of chocolate on a lollipop stick and gently twist into the treat.

Use the melted chocolate to draw on a jack-o-lantern face. Allow to cool.

Package treats in individual treat bags if desired. Tie bags with ribbon or baker's twine.

Watch video on YouTube - How to Make Teal Pumpkin SunButter Crispy Rice Treats