Halloween terrifying for kids with allergies

WINNIPEG – Trick-or-treating should be fun, but for children who have allergies it can be terrifying.

“I will get allergic and I will start dying,” said Mason Vickar, an 8-year-old with nut allergies.

Mason says he is so scared he will eat something with nuts he asks people at the door what they are handing out.

“I ask could I have something without nuts,” Vickar said.

There is a push in the United States to let trick-or-treaters know what is being handed out.

It is called the Teal Pumpkin Project and if you are giving away non-food treats you can hang a sign in your window or paint a pumpkin teal to let kids know your house is save to visit regardless of any allergies.

“It’s a scary time of year for us,” said Corrie Clearwater, who has a son with a peanut allergy.

She doesn’t allow him to eat any candy before she is able to check all the treats collected Halloween night for peanuts.

“I take 80, 100, 120 pieces of candy away,” she said, adding she replaces every piece with safe to eat candy.

Her son is 14-years-old now and won’t be trick or treating this year. He says in the past he felt left out on Halloween.

“It was kind of annoying because I would have to wait to eat my Halloween candy where as some of my friends would instantly get home and chow down,” said Andy Sutherland.

He wants people to consider kids with allergies when they buy the candy to give out.

“If you do hand out peanut candy just make sure they know it is peanut candy or don’t hand peanut candy out at all,” he said.