November 21-23, 2019 – Orlando, FL – American Speech Language Hearing Association

Seminars & Events

November 21-23, 2019 – Orlando, FL – American Speech Language Hearing Association

Oct 22

👻 Before you fill that Halloween candy bowl, there are a few things I’d
leave OFF the shopping list.

Because some treats & trinkets that seem perfectly innocent can be a real
hazard for young children. And a couple on my list may surprise you. 👀

🎃 Here’s what I would NOT hand out:

🎈 LATEX BALLOONS
This is a big one. Latex balloons are a serious choking hazard, especially
for children age 8 and younger. If you want balloons, choose shiny
foil/Mylar instead.*

🟠 TINY STICKERS
They stick to little fingers, and young kids often use their mouths to try
to get them off. Small stickers can become a choking or aspiration hazard.

🍿 POPCORN & POPCORN BALLS
Popcorn is a choking hazard for young children, so save this treat for the
bigger kids.

🍬 HARD, ROUND OR VERY CHEWY CANDY
Think jawbreakers, hard candies, gum, caramels and similar treats that can
be difficult for little mouths to manage safely.

🍫 VERY HARD CHOCOLATE TREATS
For little ones, I’d choose chocolate that melts readily in the mouth and
skip varieties with hard nuts, candy pieces or other difficult-to-manage
add-ins.

And what about “allergy-safe” treats? 🩵

With so many possible food allergens beyond the Top 9, there isn’t one food
treat that’s guaranteed to be safe for every child.

So consider putting some NON-FOOD TREATS in that bowl too!

One year I handed out colorful little sticky-note pads with a pumpkin
sticker on top. 🎃🗒️

Guess what disappeared BEFORE the candy?

THE STICKY NOTES. 😂
Even the teenagers grabbed them!

Want some fun non-food Halloween treats that can still arrive before
Halloween?

🎃 Comment HALLOWEEN and I’ll send you my ideas!

And SHARE this with the person buying the Halloween treats this year. 👻

*Source: Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Choking Hazard Safety

Melanie ❤️

Melanie Potock, Halloween safety, Halloween treats for kids,
toddler choking hazards, safe Halloween treats, non-food Halloween treats,
Halloween candy safety, pediatric feeding specialist ...

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Oct 22

Open

🎃 What if one of the BEST things in your child’s Halloween bucket is
something that happened years before Trick-or-Treat night?

🥜 EARLY peanut introduction.

Research published last year in Pediatrics gave us something pretty
exciting to celebrate: Researchers found that diagnoses of peanut allergy in
young children declined significantly following the shift toward early
introduction of peanut.

In fact, when researchers compared children from before the guidelines with
those after the 2017 updated guidelines, the cumulative incidence of peanut
allergy dropped from 0.79% to 0.45%. That’s about a 43% decrease! 🙌🏼

And it wasn’t only peanut allergy. Diagnoses of IgE-mediated food allergies overall declined too.

That doesn’t mean every food allergy can be prevented, and early allergen
introduction should always be individualized, especially for babies at
higher risk. Talk with your child’s healthcare provider about what’s
appropriate for your baby.

🩵And on Halloween, we still need to remember the kids who CAN’T safely
reach into that candy bowl.

🎃🩵That’s why I love the Teal Pumpkin Project. A teal pumpkin lets families
know you have a non-food option available for trick-or-treaters with food
allergies or other reasons they may not be able to enjoy traditional candy.

Think:
✨ Stickers (large, small stickers are chokable)
✨ Glow sticks
✨ Bubbles
✨ Little toys (but not too little – be aware of choking hazards)

And nope, you don’t have to skip the candy! You can simply offer a separate
non-food choice too. 💙

🎃 Comment HALLOWEEN and I’ll send you my Amazon list of non-food Halloween treats that can still arrive before Halloween!

Because every kid deserves some Halloween fun. 👻

Melanie ❤️

Melanie Potock, peanut allergy, food allergy prevention, early allergen
introduction, Halloween food allergies, Teal Pumpkin Project, non-food
Halloween treats, trick or treating, feeding kids ...

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Oct 21

Open

😂 I’ll handle the wallpaper. You grab your seat for ARFID: The Anxious Eater.

HEY COLORADO & TEXAS SLPs + OTs! 👋🏼

My most popular 4-hour ARFID Masterclass is coming your way, and we’re down to the LAST 6 SEATS in each location:

📍 CASTLE ROCK, CO | November 6
📍 AUSTIN, TX | December 6 (EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS VERY SOON!)

If you work with kids with extreme picky eating, anxiety around food, PFD
and/or ARFID, I’d love to have you join me IN PERSON.

This is four interactive hours designed to help you better understand these
complex kids and your role in supporting them as part of the
interprofessional team.

👇🏼 Comment either TEXAS or COLORADO and I’ll send you all the details.

Also, how do you feel about the new wallpaper in the coffee nook?

Melanie ❤️

Melanie Potock, ARFID, ARFID Masterclass, ARFID training, SLP continuing
education, OT continuing education, pediatric feeding therapy, pediatric
feeding disorder, PFD, extreme picky eating, feeding therapist, Castle Rock
Colorado, Austin Texas ...

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