Halloween

[wsieving]

So, for those of you BTDT parents of Celiacs, how do you handle Halloween? Do you still take the kiddos trick or treating? If you do, I am assuming that you separate the candy after you get home? Which candies are safe to eat, and which ones are not?

[dandelionmom]

We sorted out her candy and replaced anything with gluten (and anything we weren't sure of) with her favorite candies (dum dums and skittles) that we let her pick out before the holiday.

The ROCK safe candy list helped a lot. I don't know if this year's is done yet but here is a link to last year's list: Open Original Shared Link

Something we learned last year, keep safe treats in your purse when you go to any holiday activity. We did the "Boo In The Park" and she was sad about skipping the donuts.

[celiac-mommy]

We use the ROCK list too, but before we leave to trick-or-treat, we talk to the kids, just to remind them that there's going to be some things they can't eat, they seem totally fine with it. We really pump up the experience of the trick-or-treating, not the candy getting. This year we are going to do something a little different. This is what our dentist recommends: Go out, get all the candy you can, come home, go thru it, whatever is left for them to eat-let them go to town. Eat all they can (and they really end up not eating as much as you think) and then what's leftover goes outside for the "Halloween Fairy" and the next morning they get a little trinket of some sort for giving up the rest of the candy. Saves the teeth and the waistline.

[Kibbie]

So, for those of you BTDT parents of Celiacs, how do you handle Halloween? Do you still take the kiddos trick or treating? If you do, I am assuming that you separate the candy after you get home? Which candies are safe to eat, and which ones are not?

I have my mom to thank for this.... here is what we do

We do the regular trick or treat thing and she gets all types of candy. When we get home we sort through the candy making piles.... gluten free and not gluten free. We put the "gluten candy" in a bag and leave it on the door step for the Great Pumpkin who comes and takes it after she falls asleep and replaces it with a toy. (usually a coloring book and crayons or a cheep craft project from Michaels nothing over $10 heck not even close to $10)

My mom did this with us when we were kids... to help eliminate the amount of candy we had available to us. We got to keep a little and "trade" a lot.

My DH takes the gluten candy to work with him

[aorona]

We do the regular trick or treat and then separate the gluten and gluten free candy. I usually send the gluten candy with my child to school and he gives it to all his friends or I would take it to work and put it in a bowl on my desk so my co-workers could chow down. It was usually gone within a couple of days. My kids know that they can't have gluten and rarely make comments about how they can't have gluten. Sometimes they will give the candy or gluten treat to their dad. I don't replace their candy with anything since they get enough gluten free candy anyways. 99% of the time there is always something they can eat or drink at parties or events. Of course this did take nearly 2 years for my middle child to understand. ( he was only 18 months old when diagnosed). Now he is almost 5 years old and he basically knows what he can and can't eat (or he asks me). Last year we went to a carnival and my son won a cake at the cake walk. I sent it to school with him along with plates and forks (and a note & treat for him) and his teacher let the class eat it.

[wsieving]

Thank you so much for the great ideas!! I think leaving it for the great pumpkin will be a hit! And that list is awesome too! That is just what I was looking for. I am so glad I found this wonderful board.