Last year, my son went Halloween trick-or-treating for the first time. After the third house, he latched on to the idea and thoroughly enjoyed collecting candies and other goodies. Actually, he didn't realize he was getting candies. He was so engrossed in going from house door to house door, and was awed by the costumes and Halloween decor, he didn't even bother to look at the stuff that were slowly accumulating in his bag.

After the trick-or-treating, though, that's when it happened. I can't remember if my son opened the chocolate bar on his own, or has been offered a piece by the other kids. Half a minute passed and he was retching, his body trying to get rid of a "poison". His face got swollen, hives broke out. Minutes later, I read the ingredients label and identified the offending allergen: peanuts.

I hope you don't have to go through what we experienced. Halloween is fun, but not if it has to end in a hospital or an emergency room. Have a look at FAAN's Halloween Safety Tips. Here's a good one:

Choose a trick-or-treat route ahead of time. Talk with neighbors in advance about having safe treats for your kids; you may even want to supply them with these.

Also, beware of masks, or other Halloween-items which may trigger latex allergy symptoms in latex-sensitive individuals.