Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! Time for love, presents, and of course, candy and chocolate! For the food allergy family, Valentine’s Day can be a little tricky when it comes to the sweet treats available. We can’t just grab a heart shaped box of chocolates and call it a day. Instead, a little more research needs to be done in order to find safe options for Valentine’s Day goodies. Actually, a lot more research! I remember some of the first years after my daughter was initially diagnosed with food allergies. I would sit on the computer for hours, trying to find safe Valentine’s Day chocolate for her. I wanted her to have cute heart shaped options, just like every other child. Back then there were definitely companies that were becoming popular with the allergy community, but a decade later we have tons of options, which makes me smile. Some of the items below are so darn cute, I would buy them even if we didn’t have food allergies!
If you have food allergies or you know someone who does and you want them to be your Valentine or your child goes to school with children that have food allergies and you want to bring in safe treats for the class, take a look at the list below. Some of these companies specifically cater to the allergy community all year long and others just happen to not use allergens in these specific products. All the options below are Top 9 free, but please always read the ingredient label every time. Especially around the holidays, such as Valentine’s Day, companies come out with slightly different products that may not be produced in their usual facilities.
Amanda’s Own; Amandasown.com
Chocolate that is totally free of the top 14 food allergens. This is a company that is new for us. I am anxiously awaiting our chocolate shipment for my kids this Valentine’s Day. I will definitely let everyone know what we think. I love the story behind how this company was created as well. It usually comes down to a personal story of a parent with a child diagnosed with food allergies that desperately wants their child to have the same simple, yet special life experiences as other children and stay safe at the same time. Could you get any cuter than those chocolate roses?
“The purity of Amanda’s Own dairy-free, nut-free, peanut-free, gluten-free, wheat-free, soy-free, egg-free, corn-free, sesame-free, mustard-free, shellfish-free, crustacean-free, sulfites-free and lupin-free chocolate is of the greatest importance to us, as the safety of our child and yours depends on it.”
Dots
Top 9 allergen free plus gluten. Sweet and chewy and now with Valentine’s Day colors make it a fun treat to put inside your child’s Valentine’s Day basket. You can find the Valentine’s Day Dots on Amazon and at Walmart. These are a favorite of our daughter and again, we are awaiting the arrival of the boxes we ordered on Amazon!
Dum Dums
Top 9 allergen free plus gluten. We have always opted for Dum Dums as a go-to treat for our kids. I have never seen the heart-shaped pops before! Such a cute addition to the line. These are sold at Target.
Enjoy Life; Enjoylifefoods.com
All the products are free of wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, and shellfish and made in a dedicated nut- and gluten-free factory. Definitely one of our favorite allergy-friendly companies. We have their chocolate chips in our pantry right now! If you ask my daughter, I think she would say this is her favorite chocolate option. You can find these at local health food stores, Whole Foods, Amazon and Target. I have seen them everywhere!
Jolly Rancher Jelly Hearts
Top 9 allergen free. Everything is better when it is heart shaped! Found on Amazon and at Target.
No Whey! Foods; Nowheychocolate.com
Top 9 allergen free. No artificial colors or flavors. Vegan and Kosher. If you ask me, this is the most delicious looking box of allergy-friendly truffles I have seen! This is definitely something our family needs to try. Yum!
Ring Pop
Top 9 allergen free plus gluten. The flavors for Valentine’s Day are red cherry craze and pink strawberry. Not only is it candy, but you can also wear it! If that isn’t fun for the kiddos, I don’t know what is!
Sensitive Sweets; Sensitivesweets.com
Top 9 allergen free plus coconut and gluten. If you don’t want to make your own sugar cookies, opt to buy these adorable, decorated cookies. If I made these at home, they would never turn out this cute!
Note: In November they do make some pies with eggs, but they are very careful with cross contamination, due to their child being anaphylactic to egg.
Smarties Love Hearts; Smartiesstore.com
Top 9 allergen free plus gluten. Smarties have been around forever, but these are Valentine’s Day Love Hearts! They come in 6 flavors and a range of messages, such as “My Angel”, Text Me”, “You Only”. Found at Target and Walmart.
Yum Earth; yumearth.com
Top 9 allergen free plus gluten. Not only is this company allergy-friendly, but their products are also organic! Big favorite in our home. This was one of the first allergy-friendly companies I found when my daughter was little. The added benefit of having organic ingredients was such a bonus, that we go back to Yum Earth products for a lot of their sweet treats.
For those parents who don’t want to just give sweets to their children, I feel you! When my children were younger, I did not give them sweets for Valentine’s Day. I would fill my children’s Valentine’s Day baskets with the items below before they realized the connection between sugar and Valentine’s Day;) So, if you are looking for some non-food options for your little ones this Valentine’s Day, here you go!
- Bouncy Balls
- Bracelets
- Bubbles
- Chalk
- Coloring books
- Craft supplies: Melissa and Doug have such cute options.
- Crayons
- Kiss Freely heart shaped lip gloss and chapstick
- Matchbox Cars
- Paints
- Pens/Pencils
- Piggy Paint nail polish
- Play-doh
- Pop its
- Silly Straws
- Stickers
Remember, Valentine’s Day isn’t just about candy and chocolates, it’s about showing those that you love how much you care. As allergy parents’ small things can seem exhausting, such as buying Valentine’s Day treats. I hope this list gives you some direction on where to start your search for the right options for your family. A sigh of relief and a feeling of understanding is my hope for what this blog brings to allergy families. Because believe me, I understand, and I am here for you. I hope this Valetine’s Day brings you lots of happiness and cuddles with your family. Safe treats just make it that much sweeter!
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