Will your child’s classroom at school be having a Valentine’s Day party? This is one of those situations where you cannot be certain what foods, sweets, or treats your child will encounter. It can be a dangerous situation for children with food allergies. Fortunately, there are some allergy-friendly valentines treats to be found.
If your child has food allergies, I would highly recommend that you speak with your child’s teacher before Valentine’s Day. Find out if there will be a Valentine’s Day celebration taking place in the classroom. Will the party include cookies, candy, and other treats that are sent to school by the parents of the students? Or, will the party be “candy free”, (like some schools are doing)?
Parents of kids who have food allergies need to decide if they want their child to attend a school event that could put them in danger. One option is to remove your child from school right before the party starts, and have your own, family, Valentine’s Day celebration instead.
Another option is to send your child to school with some allergy-friendly Valentine’s Day treats. Will the school allow parents to send in homemade treats? If so, then get a box of gluten-free Rice Krispies cereal. Make a batch of “cereal treats” (as they used to call in on the “Cake Boss” show). This treat will not contain gluten, peanuts, milk, or eggs.
Celiac Family has a very detailed list of Valentine’s candy that has been identified as “Gluten-Free”, “May Contain Gluten”, or “Unsafe”. Parents of kids who have gluten-allergies can read over that list for more information about what to avoid.
Peanut Free Planet sells Valentine’s Day candy that is peanut free. Many of the things that they sell are also dairy free, egg free, and gluten free. There are Tootsie-Roll pops, Blow pops, chocolate candies, and even some heart shaped cookies that are peanut free, egg free, tree nut free, and dairy free.
Natural Candy Store is another place that sells allergy-friendly Valentine’s Day candy. They have candy hearts and heart shaped chocolates that will blend in with the rest of the treats. They use a code system that can instantly tell you which candies are gluten-free, allergen free, or are safe for Feingold Stage 1 or Feingold stage 2.
It is not easy being the only kid in class that cannot eat the abundance of sweet treats that are being passed around on Valentine’s Day. It can be very uncomfortable to have to say “no thank you” to the foods that everyone around you is enjoying.
Your child may come home from the Valentine’s Day party feeling as though he or she is the only weird kid in the world who cannot eat like everybody else does. Or, your child could “give in”, and eat something that will end up making him seriously ill. Parents need to be careful with school celebrations that involve tons of sweet, and unlabeled, treats.
Image by seelenstrum on Flickr