Need Help with Snacks

Is it me, or are there a ton of children with food allergies these days? As a PTA, we have found it very handy to have fruit snacks on hand for those times when we have to accommodate an allergy. Hope this helps! Good Luck

I have a preschool and we have one child with every allergy, we give him graham crackers and apple sauce, or fruit snacks. Some store bought rolls from the deli section fill that category, and then you can decorate?? Family fun.com has several ideas.

Hi,
Vitamin Cottage has a line of products called "Moms in the raw" or something like that. They have all sorts of gluten free etc sacks. Also just ask Vitamin cottage they have lots of stuff.
For fresh made stuff Hungry Momma makes "free" bakery items,
I also think there is a bakery in El JeBel that makes glutten dairy and wheat free stuff

When my son was in Kindergarten, there was a little boy with a whole bunch of different allergies. I don't know what they all were but his mom wouldn't let him play at our house because she didn't know if I knew how to use the epipen. She provided a list of treats that was safe. These have to be I would still check the label but it should give you a starting point. Swedish Fish; Dots-regular flavor only; sour Patch Kids; Kraft "jet puffed" marshmallows; Smarties-name brand only; Laffy Taffy-regular, not twists; Mike and Ike's; Zours; Amazin Fruit Gummy Bears; Lifesavers-regular fruit flavor only, no creme or butter rum; Jolly Rancher fruit chews; Lay's plain potato chips; Fritos-original flavor; Otter Pops; 100% apple, grape, orange juioe; Capri Sun Drinks; Peeps -no cocoa flavored; Nerds; Skittles; Pixie Sticks; Dum Dum Lollipops; Jolly Rancher lollipops; Starburst-not sour, not creme; Runts; Blow Pops; Betty Crocker Fruit Gushers; Trolli brand gummy tropic O's, apple O's and peachie O's; corn nuts-original flavor; Tostitos corn chips; Meadow Gold Twin Popcicles; Dole Frozen Juice bars, strawberry, grape and raspberry flavors; Kellogg's Fruit Snacks: Buzz Lightyear, Lion King, Princess and Winnie the Pooh; Kool Aid Jammers.

Hi Adianne,
My son would be "that kid" in the class (allergic to all the major triggers-except wheat-plus a few extra foods like white potatoes and chicken.) We found a company called Divvies (www.Divvies.com) that make dairy/nut/egg free cupcakes that are actually quite tasty. I think that they are $24 dollars a dozen (a bit pricey, I know, but they are made in a facility that is dedicated to be dairy, nut and egg free.) I just re-read and realize that you also need gluten free snacks, they do carry other treats like Caramel Corn that "may" contain wheat, which can be a bit risky. I'm hoping that they will come up with wheat-free/gluten free items in the future.
Good luck to you.
-C.

As an allergy mom, I would like to applaud you for asking around for ideas and not just complaining about how difficult it is to find snacks all the kids can have. :)

Off the top of my head, FruitaBu and Stretch Island fruit snacks would be good. I think you can get both at Costco or SuperTarget. Costco also has some packets of freeze-dried fruits by Brother's All-Natural (banana-strawberry and apple come in a variety pack there) that are yummy.

I'm in a really fabulous allergy group on Yahoo. I'll ask around there for some ideas & post back here... maybe tomorrow.

(later)
I asked in my allergy group. Here are a few more ideas:
applesauce, raisins, craisins, dried bananas (watch for cross-contamination warnings), Del Monte fruit & gel, Hunts lemon pudding, marshmallows, Lay's plain potato chips, Fritos, fresh
bananas or apples.

I hope some of those might work for you. Best of luck!

Typically Whole Foods, Vitamin Cottage and other health food stores bakeries have a lot of food contamination in them. I have 2 children with severe Peanut and Tree Nut allergies. We never purchase anything from a bakery. If a nut accidentally got into a mix of cookies or cupcakes it could be deadly. My suggestion is to tie a lollipop or decorative pencil to a balloon. When the kids are leaving school you can have you and your daughter pass them out so it won’t interrupt class time.
(To the other comments please make sure to realize that kids with allergies didn’t choose to have them. They don’t get to have a lot of treats like other kids do and a lot of times they feel left out. If you can, please always try to include them in the treat rather than having the teacher provide them with something different, if available)
B.

I like Vitamine Cottage. They will have some good sugestions. They are very knowledgeable and helpful.
C. B

Jelly beans and licorice. Lots of fresh fruit is a better idea, though.

I'd try a non-food treat. Check www.orientaltrading.com for cheap toy and craft ideas.

For my son's soccer team I got the mini shark squirts for 25c each.

Maybe the teacher would let you lead them in a craft instead? (Pine cone turkeys for 50c each)?

I frequently get free shipping offers from them. Have fun.

Hi A.,
I know how you feel, I know alot of Moms who were looking for snack ideas to and they came across these awesome nutritional shakes and the kids absolutely love them because they taste so good and the best news is that there is no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners in these shakes...So these shakes are a great alternative as a healthy snack.

Honestly, as a former Kindergarten teacher, I would suggest to skip the snacks. It's a pain - it takes at least 15 minutes to settle, get them passed out, eaten, cleaned up, and back to learning (this is a really low estimate too!) In half-day kindergarten, especially, that's a big chunk of learning time gone. And some kids may not like the treat, no matter what you bring.
Bringing treats can almost become a contest for moms, having to bring the best or most brilliant (I even had one mom bring in a full cake and balloons and candles ... ) but I really don't think that other kids expect it, especially in Kingergarten.
If lots of kids have brought birthday treats and your daughter feels like it's neccessary, I would go for a non-food goodie like cool pencils or erasers or a little party-favor type toy (look in the party section of Wal-mart). They cost you less, no worries about allergies, and she can pass them out in the last few minutes of the day without disrupting the learning time.

Sorry to be such a party-pooper! But there is SO MUCH expected of Kindergarten teachers to cram into 3 hours a day that every minute of learning time is like gold. (If it takes 20 minutes for each child's treat and there are only 20 kids in the class that's 400 minute, or 6.5 hours lost).

We did fresh fruit for my daughter's birthday - she chose watermelon slices and the kids loved them! Many came back for more, and only 2 didn't want them. The teacher was happy not to see candy, although they may have had a few more trips to the bathroom that afternoon! Her teacher also suggested purchasing a book for the class that she would read and put a nameplate in it as well.

Go to Whole Foods or Wild Oats, tell them what you need. They have bakery items set up for just such allergies. We have a little boy in my daughters class with very serious nut allergies. His mom went and found really yummy cookies at the bakery at Whole foods for their fall party. The kids loved them. Popsicles can be a big hit too, depending on the weather outside! :) Fresh fruit trays with yummy carmel dip too? I would say go to a market that specializes like Whole Foods and ask them. They have a wider variety then regular groceries.

In my son's preschool we had several children with the same allergies you mentioned, and I know everyone is incredibly anti-candy these days, but most could eat laffy taffy. For my son's 5th birthday/valentines day, we put 2 of them in goodie bags with pencils, stickers, etc; (which could also be a treat for your situation.) Hope this helps, good luck!

Hi,

There is a line of products called "Enjoy Life" that are free of the top 8 allergens...including the ones you mentioned. My kids have multiple food intolerances, so we keep these treats around and take them to school for special occasions. They love them and their friends love them. I know that Vitamin Cottage has the cookies on sale right now. The snickerdoodles are particularly good.

Double check this, but I heard that rice krispie treats are allergy safe! My daughter has a child with nut allegies on her softball team, there is also a milk allergie and and egg allergy kid on the team and we were told RK treats were safe.

A.

I feel your pain. We had a similar situation with my daughter's school and I felt like it was getting out of hand. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the allergy thing since my son has severe allergies to peanuts and treenuts. It's just when you add all the other possible allergies out there, you are truly left with just fruit, popcorn and candy. And, I'm guessing you don't want your own child tanking up on that every time she goes to school. Do kids normally bring their own snack and it's a special occasion for the birthday? If so, you should really ask why they have to be store bought. My guess it is eliminate the food you prepare to become contaminated with allergens, although there seems to me to be a greater risk with store bought stuff. So, if you can talk the teacher into letting you make something, I suggest rice krispie treats or popcorn balls. Both are just popcorn or rice krispies, sugar and butter. Use Fleischmans butter in the stick- it is lactose free (check the label- it should be made with corn oil). I did that, colored them with food color- for my son I decorated them with cars fruit snacks. If you cannot make something, then maybe just bring candy or something special your daughter likes since its her birthday. After all, what is exciting about grapes and popcorn?

Deb K already wrote my own thoughts. Whole Foods is really great and everytime I've gone there, the people are happy to help and share their knowledge!

Prepackaged apple slices (like at Mc Donalds), Wow beyond that I am at a loss.... Good luck

My son doesn't like cake, cupcakes or cookies or anything that will make him messy. We would take fruit roll-ups or fruit snacks & capri sun drinks. I'm not sure about the gluten but it's worth a try.

Buy some apples and some carmel dip and some vanilla yogurt dip and some cinnamin and sugar and give the kids the dips they can have but not the ones they can't. kids love to dip.

How about frozen juice bars/popcicles? This has always been a real treat when I've taken them to school for a special treat. Best of luck and have fun.

Oh my! I have an idea. It is fall so how about apples and carmel dip (for those who can eat it, I am not sure about the gluten). You can also ask the teacher what the moms of the kids with allergies would suggest. If all else fails you can let the teacher know that you would like to bring (i love the itty-bitty cupcakes) a snack for the class and see if the kids with allergies have something in the classroom for snack. I know that is what my daughter's teacher mentioned at the beginning of the year. She doesn't like chocoalate (don't ask me why) so when there are treats we make sure there is something for her so she doesn't feel left out. Halloween is always fun she trades it all away for other things with her brothers (i get the dark!). Good luck! Remember, you can't please everyone all of the time.

My son’s class last year had many birthdays in February and I was tired of him getting a cupcake, cookies, or something else every other day. So we decide that cupcakes would cost us about 15.99$. We got on oriental trading company http://www.orientaltrading.com and let him pick out toys to make grab bags. We also ask the teacher if we could do a craft instead of snacks. This turned out to be great fun. It only cost 20. $ and about 20 minutes. I hope this helps. Could also go to a party supply store near home if you wanted.

Maybe a fresh trail-mix type snack, but fruit based. Maybe a bunch of different dried fruits. You could 'make' your own from store-bought by just separating into baggies...or do they want everything individually packaged? Could you do one main snack that is say, nut free and lactose free, but not gluten free, and then just substitute an alternative for the gluten-free kid? Or prepare regular snacks with an alternative for each of the allergies? Sorry I'm not more helpful. Try a natural market or health food store, they might have some ideas for you too since they carry a lot of those products.

My daughter is diabetic so I have changed how I do my holidays and birthday celebrations. The past few years we have given out very small, inexpensive toys for sugar related celebrations at school. It costs a few dollars more, but you can do it very cheaply if you look around. Party stores like Party Time or even the dollar store will sell sets of little toys or pencils for only a few dollars. I can outfit my daughters whole class for about $5-$10. Oriental Trading Company is also a really good source for these types of toys, but the shipping is very expensive so if you do decide to order from them order with friends or order for several events ahead.

Try organic lollipops. Also enjoy Life has a great line of snack bars with no allergens. Nana Bars Cookies are expensive but you could get one box for allergy kids and make regular blondie cookies without dairy for the rest. I also made a pear bar cookie using rice flour and oat flour mix. they were good and allergy free...but you have to store buy....

Well this is a hard one. Have you thought about a simple vegi tray or a fruit tray. Most the groceriy stores have some of these made up or you can have them made up.

I don't mean to be glib---gee, they're taking all the fun out of snacks for birthdays aren't they?

Hi A.,

My kids love the Strethc Island Fruit Leather. We get a big box at Costco or they are in the protien bar section at the grocery store. Usually on the top shelf. Or the dried fruit section. They about 25 cents each (a bit less at Costco). Or just some fun little party favor toys would be fine. Dum Dums lollipops would work too. Have fun!