Sweethearts Candy Blog's

I ran this post last year and it still holds true this year. You can also find a list of safe Halloween candy at Allergic Living's web site. For U.S. readers, you may not recognize some of the candy; that's because Allergic Living is currently based in Canada.

The following items I realized that it's high time I share some nut-free, (mostly) allergy-free Halloween treat ideas that are easy to find anywhere. Of course, there are a few online vendors that I love, but I will get to them in a minute. It's great to have some options to throw in your supermarket cart with the knowledge that it's safe for food-allergic kids.

I found several candy choices that are free of the top 8 allergens and definitely free of peanuts and tree nuts. A lot of the following candies are even available in Halloween-themed snack-sized bags.

While perusing the SuperTarget Halloween candy aisle today I found these "safe" choices: (Important: Please keep in mind that no candy is safe for everyone. Always consider your specific needs and/or call the candy companies if you have additional questions.)


Twizzlers

Skittles

Mike & Ike Jelly Beans

Junior Mints (not safe for all allergies, but safe for nut allergies)

Pez

Tootsie Pops

Carmel Apple Pops (made from the Tootsie Roll company, a completely nut-free facility!)

Life Savers

Starburst

Smarties

Sweet Tarts

Dum Dum Suckers

Dots (including "Candy Corn" Dots and "Bat" Dots)

Ring Pops


While all of the choices above are nut-free, they are certainly not sugar-free and not so great for the kids' teeth. If you'd like to skip edible treats altogether, here are some non-edible Halloween treats to try. Don't forget to tell the class Room Moms and teachers about some of these. I found many of the following items in the Oriental Trading Company catalog--the prices are not bad, either, when you consider how much you spend on candy. Buy in bulk and you'll save $$...just keep leftovers for next year.

Some of my favorites are:


Spider rings (classic!)

Halloween stickers (buy rolls of these and cut them off in segments to pass out at the door)

Halloween pencils

Pumpkin-shaped Ring Pops

Small, Halloween-themed toys


Another thing that I've heard some moms are doing is placing a little stack (5-10) pennies in a little baggie with orange and black ribbon ties. Little kids love to get money so this is a great non-edible idea. Unfortunately older kids won't go for this as much--they'll probably expect an iPod in the little baggie, so use your judgement.

If your allergies are nut only, as always, I recommend Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates. A great variety of Halloween-themed chocolates and jelly beans are available here.

I hope this gets everybody off to a good start and please share your ideas, too!

I want to let you know about two great resources that are currently running sales promotions to help you and your allergic child prepare for the Back to School Season: Oliver's Labels and Vermont Nut Free Chocolate.

I just discovered Oliver's Labels after being contacted by them recently and I really like this product. If you've got kids in preschool, daycare or elementary school, you'll want to pick up these personalized labels that not only have your child's name but that also raise awareness about your child's nut allergy.

Labels are completely waterproof and carry a full-color "No Nuts" symbol along with your child's name or initials. Oliver's Labels also has stickers for egg, gluten and dairy allergies as well as others. You can use them to label clothing, book bags, toys, lunch bags, musical instruments--anything that your child takes to school. I really like the samples I received--they are eye-catching and quickly identify my daughter's belongings while raising food allergy awareness at the same time. Plus, when you order your labels, you get use of a free online service called FoundIt (TM) that helps you get your lost items back without having to share personal info with strangers.

I wish I'd had these sooner--especially when my child was in preschool and kindergarten. It's just one more layer of awareness as your child goes throughout their day. Click on the company's web site for more designs and colors.

If you order now, you can also receive 10% off of your initial order as a reader of this blog. Just use the coupon code OliversFriends at checkout.

Also, many of you already know how much I love Vermont Nut-Free Chocolate! They make delicious candy that is prepared in a peanut and tree-nut free facility, though they do use other allergens such as dairy and eggs. If your only concern is nut-free, however, you should know that they are running a special back to school promotion right now. Just use coupon code Back2School at checkout time to receive 10% off of your purchase through August 31st.

Vermont Nut-Free is a special treat because they make holiday and event-themed candy--a difficult thing to find if you need nut-free. The treats are great to have on hand in a "safe treats" bag that your child brings to the classroom. Check them out if you can!

I'll have more back-to-school resources in the days ahead, but I'm happy to pass along these discounted offers to all of you. If you need more info on either company, go to their respective web sites: www.oliverslabels.com and www.vermontnutfree.com.