Halloween Allergy & Asthma Hacks: An Allergist's Guide for Parents

Halloween Allergy Hacks: A Parent's Guide to a Safe & Fun Spooky Season

Spooky season should be fun, not frightening because of allergies! From candy swaps to costume hacks, your bestie allergist moms are here to help you make Halloween safe, inclusive, and stress-free.

In this fun and practical episode of Allergy Actually, Dr. Kara Wada, Dr. Amber Patterson, and Dr. Meagan Shepherd share their top tricks and treats for navigating the holiday. They cover everything from the life-saving Teal Pumpkin Project to the hidden dangers in different-sized candies that every food allergy parent needs to know about.

Whether you're managing food allergies, asthma triggers from foggy nights and campfires, or eczema flare-ups from costumes, this episode is your ultimate survival guide. Learn how to prepare, what to watch out for, and how to empower your child to have a fantastic and safe Halloween.

EPISODE IN A GLANCE
02:22 The Teal Pumpkin Project: Making Halloween Inclusive
04:29 The Hidden Danger: Why Candy Labels Change with Size
09:03 Managing Asthma & Eczema Triggers on Halloween Night
10:42 Pro Tips: Where to Keep Epinephrine & The "Candy Swap"
14:25 Navigating Classroom Parties & Empowering Your Child

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ABOUT HOSTS
KARA WADA, MD
Dr. Kara Wada is a quadruple board-certified physician in allergy, immunology, and lifestyle medicine, and founder of the Immune Confident Institute. As a Sjogren’s patient and life coach, she combines modern medicine with lifestyle and mindset practices to help patients harness their body's ability to heal.
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AMBER PATTERSON, MD
Dr. Amber Patterson is a world-renowned allergy and immunology expert pioneering the future of immunotherapy. As the U.S. ambassador for ILIT™ Protocol (a 3-injection allergy shot protocol), she is redefining allergy care through her practice, Auni Allergy®, and the groundbreaking Auni® ILIT™ Learning Network.
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MEAGAN SHEPHERD, MD
Dr. Meagan Shepherd is a board-certified allergist and immunologist with nearly 15 years of experience specializing in advanced immunotherapy. She is known for her practical, evidence-based approach and her unique focus on "allergy-conscious living"—designing homes, habits, and lifestyles that improve her patients' quality of life.

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Transcript

EPISODE 17 - Halloween Allergy & Asthma Hacks: An Allergist's Guide for Parents
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Dr. Meagan: Spooky season should be fun, not frightening because of allergies. From candy swaps to costume hacks, we are here to help you make Halloween safe and stress-free. Whether you're managing food allergies, asthma, or eczema, we've got tricks and treats to share. All right everybody, so welcome to Allergy Actually. We are back today to bring a very fun topic. One of my favorite holidays throughout the year is Halloween. I don't know about you guys, but there's just something, you know, it brings out like the child in you, right? 

Dr. Amber: Oh my gosh. Why aren't we wearing costumes right now?

Dr. Meagan: We should have. I'm already planning my Halloween decor because I have a big Halloween party for our church youth group, and so we have about like 20 to 40 kids that show up and we've done it for years in a row. And yeah, I'm, I'm, I love that part. So that's the thing I'm the most excited about this year. But I think sharing a lot of the knowledge that we bring from being moms and doing the entertaining and then also being allergist with practical advice is something that we wanna share with you guys today. So, I can start out by saying that, you know, I'm lucky because for me, my children don't have food allergies.

So that is not a consideration whenever we start with thinking about Halloween and planning for that. So that is one stressor that I don't have to deal with. But, Kara, you have a child who is food allergic.

Dr. Kara: Yeah, thankfully Josie has outgrown her egg allergy, but I certainly remember those first few Halloweens and frankly, daycare and navigating those experiences that you don't have full control over were really, really hard and wanting to make sure that she felt included in those activities and not othered is really, you know, important.

And so I think even though we don't personally have kids now with food allergies, it really is a very kind thing to do to think about ways that we might be able to help all the kids in our communities feel included. And that's really been the impetus behind the Teal Pumpkin Project.


The Teal Pumpkin Project: Making Halloween Inclusive
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Dr. Amber: I am gonna share my screen actually to show just a little snippet about the Teal Pumpkin Project, that FARE Food Allergy Research and Education developed essentially to raise food allergy awareness, to offer non-food trinkets and toys in a separate bowl for either trick or treating or, you know, classroom parties, or parties at home.

It's been really empowering for children or adults, families with food allergy so that they feel included.

Dr. Meagan: And the hallmark of the Teal Pumpkin Project is obviously the color teal, but their goal is for obviously more people to participate in that, but also using the color teal as assigned to families that you are aware of food allergies and what you're trying to give for this Halloween for, you know, the people assuming you're doing something like trick or treating that you will have either a non-food treat or some kind of, if you do have a food treat something that is strictly a candy and, you know, free of at least the top nine and hopefully others as well to make that more inclusive.

Dr. Amber: So they actually, you can buy pumpkins, fake pumpkins that are teal colored, or you could paint a real pumpkin to sit out. But that's that signal to families who are looking for teal pumpkin friendly houses to trick or treat that your house is one of them.

Dr. Meagan: That way they don't have to show up and go all the way to the front door and ask and then sort of be let down that you're only like selling Snickers bars that while delicious could be potentially deadly to somebody else. So.


The Hidden Danger: Why Candy Labels Change with Size
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Dr. Kara: Well, Megan, you had a story you were sharing with us about some of the real nuance between candy and reading labels and some of the challenges that can come up about that and around that.

Dr. Meagan: So I felt silly after I learned this because I thought as an allergist, I should have known this, but this was actually many years ago now, and I had a child who was egg allergic as a patient. And mom and the patient came in for a visit and when I always ask, have you had any accidental exposures?

And they're like, actually, yes. So for a type of taffy, I hate to say a brand name because I can't remember exactly, but it's one that is commonly given out in Halloween buckets that the candy that you get that is in like a mixed candy bag that you hand out, that kind of thing. But it also has larger, sort of more normal size, single serving taffy as well. So the patient had always been able to tolerate the little versions of it, the minis that she would get at Halloween, no problem. And so she was on a bus for a field trip and grabbed a larger version thinking I've tolerated this small version all my life, you know, I've never had the large version, but clearly it'll be fine.

And she had anaphylaxis on the bus, kind of in the middle of nowhere. And it turned out that the larger version actually had, I believe it was some kind of like egg albumin or something that it listed. And so it was a surprise to them and then subsequently me, whenever I started looking into that and realizing that there are different ingredients that are added sometimes to different sizes of the candy.

Some of them are made in different facilities. I had a kid come in the other day who is peanut and tree nut allergic, and he was thrilled because he had finally found a type of Kit Kat that he could eat. And if I'm not mistaken, it was in the little,

Dr. Amber: Snack size?

Dr. Meagan: Yes, a little yes. And he's like, this is not processed with nuts. I can finally have Kit Kats. And I was like, oh, that's good to know. Like I had no idea. And so, that's a privilege, you know, not having to think about that personally a lot. But that is really something to think about as a parent and as a patient in the food allergy world.

Dr. Amber: The other thing, if we're thinking about Teal Pumpkin friendly things to pass out, so non-food items is making sure that, that what we think is a non-food item doesn't contain a food. So like, Play-Doh. There's something with that, right? Like is there wheat in Play-Doh or something? So I remember one year getting a pack of those little mini Play-Doh at Costco to pass out, and a mom very kindly brought to my attention, you know, my child has eczema and is allergic to wheat, and so she actually can't play with that.

We have to make our own "Play-Doh" at home without wheat, so being aware of that too. But let's talk about what are some fun non-food treats to pass out? Like what have you guys done in the past?

Dr. Kara: Well, my kids are always a big fan of the fun little spider rings and pencils, and certainly the temporary tattoos don't get old. 

Dr. Amber: I think back to when I was a kid trick or treating, there was always that old person that handed out quarters. I thought, you know what, that's not a bad idea. Like, what's your candy budget if you're spending a quarter per candy or a dollar per candy, give the money. That's kind of fun too.

Dr. Kara: That's a treat for sure.

Dr. Meagan: We live so remotely that we really don't have trick or treaters. There's a lot of homes in the neighborhood, it's just they're very spaced out. And so we go to an area in our sort of downtown portion, and there's somebody that collects all of the duck sauce and hot sauce, or not hot sauce, but like soy sauce packets from the Chinese they've ordered. No doubt it's terrible, I suppose, into duck sauce and what it has and it hopefully is top nine free and process in a good facility, not that anyone's actually eating that but I always say, what's wrong with this one?

Dr. Kara: That's a fun trick instead of a treat. 

Dr. Meagan: And


Managing Asthma & Eczema Triggers on Halloween Night
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Dr. Meagan: then, you know, speaking of, you know, when you talked about like their kid has eczema, I think that skin issues like eczema and asthma are also a big concern for the actual trick or treating night as well. I have a ton of kids who, you know, develop an asthma flare after like going out, you're usually like walking through these like moldy leaves and it's almost always damp and cold. And so kids get excited and they run around. And so for people who have asthma that's worsened by any of those triggers, including exercise or activity, I would go ahead and pre-treat for that because kids act wild and that's not something you can, they don't tell you like, Hey, I'm gonna go run around 

Yeah. 

Dr. Amber: I bet 

Dr. Meagan: it's crazy 

Dr. Amber: in those costumes and the fabric of those cheap costumes are often not very breathable. That's a really good point.

Dr. Kara: And I know, so we moved right before last Halloween and the street just north of us, it is like the place to be in our community. And it's almost like a street fair. So a lot of families had out in their yards, their little fires going too. And so that's another potential trigger for I know I had to be cautious 'cause my airway is pretty sensitive to the smell of campfires and smoke.

And so, I had to kind of steer away from those. But thinking about that is another potential trigger and wanting to pre-treat and having your inhaler with you.


Pro Tips: Where to Keep Epinephrine & The "Candy Swap"
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Dr. Amber: Yes, and epi. Like, I don't know about you guys, but my kids will go trick or treat and then they'll all end up at somebody's house in neighborhood, whether it be ours or somebody else, and start divvying up their candy and digging in. And if your child has a food allergy, just put the epi at the bottom of their candy bucket, and that way they have it for wherever they decide to start chowing down.

Dr. Kara: Yeah, and it might be a good opportunity depending on the age of your kids. And if they are getting to that point of a little more independence to review how to use it, when to use it, what kind of protocol. Almost like we are at the local art festival and they have the fire station there, like having that game plan of if heaven forbid you have a house fire, you have a meeting place, you have a plan.

So kind of having that action plan for if there's a reaction, what to do, who to call, knowing who the in charge person is, if it's not you, all really great things to think about.

Dr. Amber: One thing that I've seen, one of my son's best friends has food allergy and he came up with this thing where he trades candy. So like he can have certain candies but not others. So he'll communicate that to his friends and say, "Hey, at the end of the night, if you want my Reese's Pieces and chocolate stuff that I can't have and wanna trade me for the Sour Patch Kids that I can have, I'm down." And so they actually start negotiating candy trades as they're going house to house. And I think that's pretty cool like you can embrace your condition and feel confident enough to talk about it with your friends and plan to have a fun night regardless of what candies you can eat and what you can't.

Dr. Meagan: Right. That's a really good point.

Dr. Kara: More Skittles for me, right? 

Dr. Meagan: So, one thing where we all live actually in the Midwest, and here I am in West Virginia. It's usually cold on Halloween and so I remember it was such a downer when I was a kid and my parents would always make me wear like my puffy winter coat over my costume and sort ruin the aesthetic, and I hated that. 

Dr. Amber: It does cold sometimes for Halloween.

Dr. Meagan: It really does. I remember I didn't actually trick or treat one year when we were in Columbus. We were gonna go with you guys, Amber, because like it was so cold and it was raining and 

Dr. Amber: I remember that year. 

Dr. Meagan: I was like even though as dressed as a fireman, I'm not. It's, it's too wet. So for kids who do have skin conditions and talking about sort of those cheap fabrics that can be bothersome, weird dyes in it that you're not used to. And a lot of the costumes honestly won't withstand a washing so putting it in the washer first isn't always something that you can do, and it come out looking right on the back end.

But layering is a good option. So that's what I've started, I did with my children was layer and then you put the costume on top and that allows for warmth, and then you get to keep your costume aesthetic. And then if you do have skin issues, then whatever layer that you can tolerate on your skin, often something like bamboo or cotton or something like that's a good layer to have under the costume.

Dr. Kara: Oh, look that.

Dr. Amber: Lena brought me our, one of our teal pumpkins. Thanks, Lena.

Dr. Meagan: That is lovely. I ordered some from Etsy that were like crocheted. 


Navigating Classroom Parties & Empowering Your Child
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Dr. Amber: Oh that's cute. One last thing, classroom parties. And we may have touched on this on back to school, I don't remember, but Halloween is a time where kids are bringing in candy to pass around, potentially, depending on what your kids' school allows.

How do you guys counsel families on being prepared for things like that?

Dr. Kara: We've been fortunate that our district doesn't allow food like, I guess I should walk back. They do allow food, but it's organized by the room parents or adults that are kind of in charge and with food allergies in that smaller community in mind. So that I think helps limit things. But what they've done away with is for birthdays, folks are not bringing in treat, like edible treats for birthdays. They can just bring in something that would be like a little trinket, pencil, that sort of thing to try to minimize the opportunities for

Dr. Amber: I think that's a great idea. It helps reduce people feeling left out and

Dr. Kara: Yeah.

Dr. Meagan: So around here we don't have that. Most schools don't do that. So we still have, you know, a very wild sort of trick or treat set up inside of schools, you know, class parties going on when they can be held. That has, that part has calmed down somewhat since COVID, but they often will do like a school party where you go and the whole school sort of participates in like the gym or something.

But I always tell them, even if your school proclaimed to be like nut free or whatever free, don't trust that. I'm gonna confess, even as an allergist, I've accidentally, I accidentally send in treats before that had peanut, like, not for everyone, but for my own kid during lunch work, like people forget.

And the other thing is that while awareness for allergies has definitely increased, a food allergy, there are some people who aren't very aware of allergies. Well, I guess all the foods to which one can be allergic. And so we'll focus mainly on like, you know, here we have treats, they don't have nuts. And you know, you're like, oh, great, well I can't have egg, or, you know, whatever it. And so I would just advise families to be cautious about that because even if the school like even tries to hand your kiddo like, here's a safe treat bag for you. I've had schools accidentally, you know, they did it all for like peanut free, but forget this kid is also allergic to milk.

Dr. Amber: Yeah. I think also including the child in the conversation. I mean, even as young as kindergarten, if someone has a food allergy, I'm regularly surprised at how mature these kids are in handling their own food allergy of knowing how to avoid things. So as a parent, just sitting down with your child and saying, "Hey, how do you wanna plan for the Halloween party? Do you wanna just plan to not eat a snack? And then when you get home, we have a fun snack that we have together? Or do you wanna pack your own snack?" Having a plan for yourself is really the safest thing rather than expecting other parents or teachers to do what you need. Because to be honest, you can't trust anyone else about that.

Like everyone has good intentions, but if your child doesn't have a food allergy, sometimes you just don't pay as close attention or you aren't looking for the right thing, and maybe you accidentally bring in something that does have the food allergen in it. So, it just seems safest for the child to have a plan up front, and that way they don't feel bad.

Like if they say, "You know what, mom, I don't really want to eat at the party. I can still hang out with my friends and talk while they eat, but let's eat something at home." Then they don't feel bad and they know they made that plan for themselves.

Dr. Kara: I love that that's on that step towards independence, too.

Dr. Amber: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Kara: And as we think about how we're going to prepare our kids in whatever ways to stand up for themselves, to advocate for themselves and to be independent human beings.

Dr. Amber: And to prevent FOMO. Yeah. FOMO is real.

Dr. Meagan: FOMO is real. Well, thanks everybody for listening in and joining us today. And we ask that if you are watching, that you do like, leave us comments. I'm interested in what other tips, people who are living this every day, what they do for Halloween and honestly other class parties and things like that.

So please give us love, ring the bell, send us DM's. We are very interested in hearing what everybody else does.

Dr. Amber: Drop ideas for Teal Pumpkin, things to hand out, to give people ideas for that. 

Dr. Kara: Make sure to share this episode with your friends and family so that they know how they can really make spaces more inclusive for these kiddos.

Dr. Meagan: Yep.

Dr. Kara: Until next time. 

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