Discussions

Just wondering as we often hear about severe peanut allergies - do you hand out treats that contain (or may contain) nuts. Or should one assume that parents would have enough sense to keep the kids at home or accompany them and monitor what goes in their bags?  
Bought a box of assorted treats and noticed 3/4 of them are not nut-free.

My opinion is it is up to the parents to monitor as their children need to learn how to cope with being in a world that doesn’t always accommodate them. If I specifically knew some kids with peanut allergies were coming to my house then I’d get something just for them but have the rest of the stuff separately.

I buy an assortment...some nut free others not. I usually let the kids pick from the bowl themselves. I feel that it's the parents responsibility to go thru their children's candy and remove what they cannot have (more for the parents to enjoy).  
 
My nephew had a severe allergy to dairy and grain growing up. There were some Halloween treats he could have and others he couldn't. He went trick or treating and afterward his parents would remove what he couldn't have (ate it themselves I'm sure) and replaced it with a few safe treats that they had bought themselves.  
 
It's impossible for the homeowner to know what every child is able to eat. With the variety of allergies (nut, egg, grain, dairy...) what treats would he left if we tried to accommodate them all?  
 
Also, if a child has a food allergy I'm sure the parents would be educating them on what is safe for them to consume (as they get older they need to be able to advocate for themselves when the patents aren't around). So going through the candy together would be a good learning tool.

Definitely up to the parents of a food allergy kid (POFAK) to monitor what food children are bringing home and being exposed to. Keeping peanut free treats separate from other treats is a great idea, but just realize that peanuts aren't the only allergen that can cause a severe reaction. In our case there's more to worry about than just peanuts. Having a non food treats to give away is a great option to exclude the allergen, not the child. Having said that, I don't expect everyone to run out and buy non food treats, just know that it's an option if you want. See the thread about the teal pumpkin project if you want more info.