Seeking Birthday Snack Idea for My Son's Preschool.

How about Jello Jigglers?

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Chocolate covered strawberries

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Our preschool had a healthy snacks only policy for birthdays. We did Popcorn in cute little party favor bags, juice boxes.

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My daughter's classmate's Mom did a nice fruit salad, with seasonal fruits.

Or, you can "donate" a class book, or several, for the classroom "library." That is what many parents do too.

Or a "game" for the classroom.

Or, carrot cake, or carrot cake muffins.... without the nuts or cream cheese frosting since there are dairy allergies too in his class.

Or, just some cute/cheap toy for each kid. Like a whistle, or bubbles.

All the best,
Susan

I made these yesterday for my son's "nut free" school and they were a hit. I replaced the almond and peanut butter with sunflower butter since sunflowers are a seed, not a nut. Yummy!- www.weelicious.com

Brown Rice Crisp-Wee Treats (Makes 16 Squares)

2/3 Cup Rice Syrup
1/3 Cup Peanut Butter
1/3 Cup Almond Butter
3 Cups Organic Crispy Brown Rice Cereal

1. In a large sauce pan, heat brown rice syrup, almond and peanut butter over low heat and whisk until melted and combined, about 2 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and pour over rice crispies in a large bowl.
3. Stir with a plastic spatula until completely combined.
4. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch pan and press down to flatten the top (sometimes I put a zip lock bag on my hand like a glove, to press into the pan and flatten the treats).
5. Cool for 5 minutes and cut into bars.
6. Serve.

My son's preschool isn't allowed to have anything sugary, so we brough bagels and cream cheese for his birthday...you could also bring fruit...They seem to love whatever is just a little different because then it's "special".

Good luck and don't go too crazy, you don't need to.

-M

How about a colorful fruit salad?! Or Jello topped with fruit and (maybe) - whipped cream?

*Thanks for clarifying Marianne - I had no idea! That's how much I know about vegans :o/ Sorry!!

I have recipes for a variety of baked goods that are nut, dairy and egg free, including one for fantastic chocolate cupcakes. They were a HUGE hit at my son's bday party.

The only thing I'm not sure about is the wheat. If you can talk to the mother and find an acceptable kind of flour, they would be great. If you want the recipes, just email me at ____@____.com and I'd be happy to send them to you.

Also, pretty much any recipe can easily be adapted to be free of dairy - just use soy milk and/or Nucoa brand "butter" (available at Ralphs and most supermarkets).

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com - where moms connect

Sliced apples and caramel dip may work. That's what my friend sent recently to her son's preschool for snack. Her son has a peanut allergy as does mine.

fun fruit salad? like star-fruit & pineapple rings might be fun? It's tough with so many food challenges these days!

I also suggest a fruit salad. You could buy a bunch of those small Toss and Go plastic containers, put a scoop of fruit salad in each one, put the cover on top, then put the whole thing into a cute birthday gift/treat bag. I would stick with simple fruits like apples and grapes since I would also bet that some of the kids with allergies might also be allergic to certain berries or citrus type fruits.

My 2 YO daughter is allergic to wheat and nuts. Wheat is in a lot of things, so the fresher you go, the better chance there won't be wheat mixed in.

I would also check with the school to see what the "Food Rules" are given by each parent of an allergic child. Both my kids have been taught to only eat food from their lunch box or food that I specifically told them they could eat. We found that over the summer my daughter was being fed small amounts of wheat during snack time at their preschool. My daughter obviously trusts her teacher so took the food without a doubt. A friend of mine whose kids have really bad allergies suggested that I have my kids only eat what I serve them. It's a trust issue. If my daughter learns to trust anyone to feed her, it could be a huge risk factor for her.

Another suggestion, can you volunteer in his class that day? My kids always like it when myself or DH volunteers in their classes. It really makes them feel special.

I would definitely not send food. I would instead give the class a book or maybe a nice crayon set or something they could use or that they need in the classroom. Too many people nowadays are allergic to foods or their parents don't want them to eat certain things. In the case of severe allergies, the child may even have to go to the Emergency room. They could celebrate his birthday by doing something as a class that doesn't involve eating. If you wish to have a celebration at home, you could cook his favorite meal, have a cake, etc.

Hope he has a wonderful birthday.

Easy solution, don't send food!!! My good friend has a son with life threatening food allergies so I am way more aware of what food is sent to school. It is nice you want to include everyone in the class but its likely some kids may be excluded and they may always be as long as food is being served during celebrations. My friends suggestion... A cute pencil or other non food treat, that wast EVERYONE gets to participate and get a treat, it just isn't food!!

What about making cookies using a birthday cake cookie cutter and then icing it with ready made icing in a tube (if you don't have time or energy to make icing from scratch). You can also just buy Pillsbury ready sugar cookie dough and roll it out then use your one cookie cutter to cut the birthday cake cookie. Every kid gets the same one as a treat! Maybe your son gets a super version, decorated fancier than the other children since it's his birthday?

How about apple slices with little dishes of carmel for dipping? I have no idea where you might get single servings of carmel, so I guess this isn't super helpful... :)

Hey! Tough assignment! =) One thing you could do is make vegan dark chocolate lollipops. Go to a craft store and buy a cool "sucker" mold. At any natural store (such as Henry's, Wild Oats, Mother's or Whole Foods) you can buy vegan dark chocolate, which has no nuts/dairy/wheat, etc. Melt 1lb with 1 stick of paraffin (found in craft stores by the "molds") in a double boiler, then spoon it into the molds with succker sticks. Then let it cool. SOOOOO easy and comes out super cute. You can then wrap them with cellophane or other cute stuff and personalize it as much or as little as you want. It sounds difficult, but less than 30 minutes and you will be done. =)

A.

For the past 3 years I brought fruit, pumpkin muffins and mango juice to my daughters school. The couple of kids with nut/wheat allergies didn't have the muffins but they had the fruit and juice - plus Mom's of kids with allergies always (at least at this school) have treats for their kids in case a birthday comes up.

I usually do strawberries and mango or some other fruit that I suspect most kids don't get on a daily basis.

Every year, everything is gone and the kids LOVE it!
M.

Check out the Apple Crushers at Trader Joes. They come in Apple and Apple/Carrot flavors. It's little pouches that the kids can "drink" on their own. Every kid that I've seen try them, loves them.

I agree with the "no food" idea. My daughter is allergic to red dye and you would not believe how much of it is out there, and how often I have to take something away from her given by a well-meaning person.

How about party favor-type items instead?

I'm sorry I don't have a good idea, but I do want to clarify Sophie's idea. I think fruit sounds great.
If there is a vegan classmate, they can't eat jello (gelatin is made from dead cows) and may not eat whipped cream as it is an animal product.

Hi A M Wow it's so complicated!! My son is in a special day class and there aren't as many issues. I say there is no answer but CANDY ha ha
Sorry I know this isn't helpful, but there must be some fruit that would be delightful all cut up in a salad and served in a plastic cup with whipped cream/whipped topping that would be fun for the kids.
I'm sure the finger foods for kids pages of cookbooks would have some good ideas. simple is best!! They're
3 years old and still babies. have fun!!!
I read the offerings and if it's this complicated then forget it and celebrate at home. Where are these crazy allergies coming from is the more important question?

Wow! Good Job! Thank you for being concerned about children and what they are eating and respecting the vegan. That is wonderful. Most snack foods are so full of chemicals.

I always send organic fruit leathers and sometimes I tie a pencil to it with ribbon.

You could also do a fruit tray.

God Bless!

J.