As I start to prep for the holidays and think of crafts for gift-giving, my thoughts go back a couple of weeks to Halloween and an amazing handmade costume. This peanut-free costume was so thoughtful and creative that I just had to share it … better late than never!
Lisa made this costume for her 8 year old son who was diagnosed with his peanut allergy at 16 months old. Ironically, before they found out about his allergy, they nicknamed him “Peanut,” because he was a really small baby. He’s now a Short Track Speedskater and despite his peanut allergy, the nickname stuck and all of his coaches and parents around the club know him as “Peanut.”
The idea of the costume started out as a joke, Lisa explained. “This year we were discussing costumes over breakfast and I joked with him that he should be “Peanut Free” instead of just our Peanut. He loved the idea.” Lisa’s son is proud of his allergy and doesn’t see it as a hindrance, but feels that it makes him unique, like a birthmark. “He felt special wearing the costume. Almost everyone understood his costume [while trick-or-treating], several neighbors commented that it was perfect and knew which bowl to give him candy from.”
I think this costume was such a creative way to spread awareness about food allergies and am grateful to Peanut for advocating for the food allergy community. Congratulations on a great costume, Lisa and Peanut!
