Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in West LA, CA

My son has a serious peanut and tree nut allergy and for awhile I thought we would never be able to safely celebrate Halloween. Although parents complain about the candy-gorging, the thought of having to keep our child home and away from the costumes, trick-or-treating and general merriment made our hearts ache. But thankfully there are ways to make Halloween a safe holiday for allergic children. Here are the basics.

1. Accompany your child when he goes trick-or-treating and bring their emergency medicine (Benadryl, epi-pen, etc.) with you, just in case.

2. Feed your child dinner before heading out for trick-or-treating so he'll be less likely to want to munch on his candy en route. Bring a safe snack (something sweet wouldn't hurt, considering) in case he gets hungry and wipes to clean his hands before eating.

3. Trade his unsafe candy for allergen-safe treats or a non-food item like a books, coloring books, toy cars, dolls, stickers, stuffed animals or balls. Talk about this before they go out trick-or-treating so they're prepared to let go of the unsafe candy.

4. You might consider giving your neighbors allergy-safe treats or small toys in advance to give to your child when he comes to the door. Or encourage your neighbors to consider handing out allergy-safe treats or small toys to all their trick-or-treaters.

5. Pass out non-food items to the kids who come to your door. Oriental Trading Company is a great resource for small, cheap toys.

And even if you're child is not allergic, passing out non-food items will endear you to every parent of an allergic child that comes knocking on your door. For more information and suggestions, check out Kids with Food Allergies fantastic 8-page booklet on celebrating Halloween with Food Allergies.