Living With Food Allergies

Hosting a Child With Food Allergies

Parents of kids with allergies will usually call before a party or a playdate to find out what you're serving. Help them out by:

• Calling or e-mailing first, or including a note with the party invitation saying that you're aware of their child's allergies and asking for specific info about what to do.
• Buying foods allergic kids can eat. Even mainstream supermarkets can carry a range of allergy-free products. Or go to divvies.com for sweets and popcorn; dumdumpops.com for lollipops and candy canes; vermontnutfree.com for gourmet chocolates; and peanutfreeplanet.com for cookies, doughnuts, breads, and pretzels.
• Saving boxes or wrappers from packaged foods, including cake mixes and decorations, so you can answer questions about the ingredients.
• Giving non-food options such as stickers, pens, or inexpensive puzzles as party favors.

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