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Halloween is a bittersweet holiday for children with diabetes. There is the excitement of planning a costume and maybe a party but, on the other hand, there is the problem with all of the candy that is dropped into the goodie bag or plastic pumpkin. We can have our children collect for UNICEF, but the candy still comes and even with the new nutrition guidelines, eating many candy bars is not in the cards. There is help out there. I know because I was part of it. Every year our local ADA chapter has a Halloween party for children, siblings, and families. Call your local ADA or JDF and see who subsidizes a party in your city. We had live music, a local DJ, healthy snacks donated by a large food company, games, face painting, prizes for costumes, and for parents all of the information about diabetes they were willing to take home or ask about at the information booth. There was no charge for this party and no one checked to see if you were a member of the ADA. What impressed me was how positive the parents and children were about the party. They were pleased knowing that all of their children could enjoy the same party and asked to have more such affairs for different holidays. We did.
If your children are going to trick or treat there are safety rules that we would like to share with you. One only has to look at the news to know that our streets can be dangerous and that there are people out there who do not have the best interests of children at heart. They find a children based holiday the best time to hurt innocents. So, although, we can all remember our more care-free Halloweens when we ran through neighborhoods with abandon, we need to examine the following for our children and make sure that they return home with all of those goodies that you will share with them and dole out in drips and drabs until it is too stale to bite into.
My best advise to any parent is to always use common sense. If BEWARE DOG signs are on a fence, go to the next home. If lights are out in a home, do the same. If you have young children, do not take them to a house that is frightening with scary music, things that pop out at them or adults who are dressed in costumes that are hard to prepare your child for. Young children should always go trick-or-treating with an adult, preferably you. Don't think that a 12-year-old who is going out with a group of friends will pay 100% attention to your 3- or 4-year-old.
Plan the entire route that your older child will take and keep a copy of it at home so that everyone is aware of where a child will be at any time. Make a time to return home. Make sure they arrive then. This is trust building for both of you. Tell children to wait until they come home to eat candy. All candy should be in unopened wrappers, and parents need to check it all. Some hospitals and police departments will X-ray your candy.
Talk to your children about strangers. Most people are just trying to get into the swing of things, but there are still the others. Tell your children that if you don't know an adult, they will not be your instant friend just because it's a holiday. Never get into a stranger's car, even if they tell you your parents sent them. If you want your child, you'll come.
- Accept treats only at the door. Do not enter a stranger's home.
- Tell your children to use "please" and "thank you". You'll be surprised at how far it will get you.
- Don't play with lighted jack-o-lanterns.
- Don't run through the streets or across traffic. The same rules about crossing at the corner, looking both ways before crossing, and waiting for traffic lights, still hold.
- Do not walk in the street unless you live in a neighborhood where the streets have been blocked off for the night. Use sidewalks wherever possible.
- Always carry a flashlight.
- Carry a cellular phone with you if you have one, just in case.
- If you purchase a costume, make sure it is flame proof. Always try to have a light color on and add reflectors on your child's costume so they can be seen at night.
- Masks can impede sight so try to use make-up or hypoallergenic face paints instead.
- If your child has a hat on, make sure that is secure so that it will not fall over the eyes.
- Make sure all costume accessories are safe and flexible. Sharp points or edges can become dangerous.
- Lastly, give your older children money so they can call you if they need to.
If you follow these rules and talk to your children you will have a holiday that makes only good memories.
How about a party at home? Use black or dark purple table cloths. Change the light bulbs to blue to set the mood. Decorate with cobwebs and plastic spiders as well as skeletons. Place paper bats on the walls and hang other flying objects on wire from the ceiling at a safe height. There are games to play, and some are as old as the hills. There is always bobbing for apples, scary stories with props, and scary movies from the video store. One of my favorite from my childhood is tag. The room is darkened; the person who is it has a flash light, and you are caught when the light shines on you. Then you are taken to a dungeon with a guard dressed up in costume. Prizes all around are given out.
Goop for that scary story is easy to make.
Goop
| 1 | cup cornstarch |
| 1/2 | cup water |
| food coloring |
Combine the ingredients. Add more water or cornstarch to get the consistency you desire. This is great for squeezing through your fingers.
Eye balls
Use hard boiled egg yolks or peeled grapes that are dipped in a thick cooking oil. In the dark this is a winner.
Bones
Use larger chicken or turkey bones that you have dried.
Make sure you have plenty of store bought gummy worms and spiders to pass around with cobwebs. The stage is set.
How about some snack ideas?
There are the apples that the children bob for, and a large bowl of fruit. Add flavored pop-corn to the mix (the web site for recipes) and sugar free drinks so that every one can enjoy themselves.
Sandwiches
| | thinly sliced bread |
| lowered fat cream cheese |
| gingerbread man cookie cutter or ghost cookie cutter |
| currants or raisins |
Make these the day before or that morning, and store in plastic wrap. Toast the bread and cut out with cookie cutter. If you are using the gingerbread man, cut off the feet so it looks like a ghost. Spread with cream cheese and use the fruit for eyes.
Slime Gelatin
| | lime gelatin, sugar free |
| wormy gummy bears, sugar free |
| cookie sheets |
Make the gelatin according to package directions. Pour into thin layers on cookie sheets and add the gummy worms. Do not cut neatly when serving. You want it to look sloppy. Add "free" defrosted dessert topping if desired.
Crunchy Crawlers
| 3 | cups unbleached flour |
| 4 | teaspoons baking powder |
| pinch salt |
| 2 | ounces( 50 g) margarine |
| green food dye |
| 1/2 to 3/4 | cup skim milk |
| sugar free chocolate chips |
Preheat oven to 450 degrees (230 C., gas mark 8) Sift flour, baking powder and salt into bowl. Cut in margarine. Add the green dye and mix to make a dough. Add the milk to make a soft dough. Knead on a floured board. Roll out to 1/2 inch. Place globs of dough on a parchment lined or butter flavored non-sick sprayed cookie sheet. Place chocolate chips on the globs for eyes. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until done.
Makes 15 Crunchy Crawlers
Talk to your diabetic child about this holiday and how to keep blood glucose levels in the normal zone. If you are not sure, talk with the treatment team. If your child is old enough you can talk about how much more important it is to be with friends than it is to gorge on sugar. For younger children, rules are the order of the night. Don't substitute tooth brushes or other healthy things for candy. One year our neighbor, a dentist, did that. His poor daughter, now married with a child, has never lived that one down. It's better to have an apple than one more tooth brush and neither is as good as a full size candy bar. Luckily, in today's market, children tend to get the smallest of candy so that sharing a small bite is easier. Halloween doesn't have to be a nightmare for you or your child. Plan ahead. Have the "talk" and stick to it. It's very easy to back down when those big eyes plead with you, but you are the final judge and jury about what and when your child can indulge.
Have a happy and safe Halloween!
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