Being a kid with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is tough, especially during holidays. Trick-or-treating may not be the best idea for kids with IBD because they can't eat most of the treats, and it's a long way between restrooms when you're walking around the neighborhood! So, parents, how about a Halloween party at your house instead? You can control the food and activities, and your child and the other kids won't even realize all the food and fun was IBD-friendly.
Costumes
Kids (especially if they're in a flare) will a costume want something that is loose fitting and easy to manage by themselves in the restroom. Here are a few ideas:
- Nerd: Use an old pair of glasses (without the lenses), white dress shirt and black pants.
- Angel: For an angel you'll need a long, white dress, wings and halo.
- Cowboy or Cowgirl: Start with a pair of jeans and add cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, a bandana or two and a plaid shirt.
- Fairy: A fairy is a variation on the angel costume. Paint or dye the wings and a dress a pastel color. Bend a pipe cleaner into the shape of a star and attach to a wooden dowel for a wand.
- Gypsy: A puffy blouse, long skirt, shawl and scarf would make a gypsy. Add clip-on earrings and costume jewelry, or even a crystal ball.
- Lady Bug: Glue black felt dots to a red sweatshirt, and wear black pants. For the feelers, attach two pipe cleaners to a black headband. Paint two polyurethane balls black, and attach them to the top of the pipe cleaners.
- Scarecrow: Sew patches on some old clothes and attach straw (or raffia) to the arm and leg cuffs with duct tape. Add a straw hat, white face make-up and a black nose.
- Strawberry: With fabric paint, paint some strawberry seeds on a red sweatshirt and sweatpants. Cut leaves from green felt and glue them around the collar.
Ghoulish Gobblins
All the recipes I've included here have ingredients from a low residue diet. Every person's condition is different, so make sure none of your child's trigger foods are on the list of ingredients before you decide to serve the recipe.
Main Dishes
- Coffin Sandwiches (this recipe calls for whole-wheat bread, which you can replace with white bread)
- Homemade Maggot Stew (I made this recipe myself -- it's really good!)
- Worms on a Bun
Finger Food
Breads
Beverages
Treats
- Cobweb Cookies
- Glowing Jack-O-Lantern Cookies
- Great Ghost Pumpkin Cookies
- Halloween Crisp Candy Corn Treats
- Kitty Litter Cake (I also tried this recipe, it was a hit and it makes a lot of cake!)
- Looks Like a Pumpkin Cake
