Halloween is coming! Will you help support kids with food allergies by participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project and give out non-food Halloween Treat Ideas? 
When my kids were younger, we would do the typical Halloween routine. I would make their costumes, decorate the house, and buy loads of candy to pass out. And honestly, I never really thought about what I passed out until I met a mom who had a son with food allergies. I was curious and asked her if they participated in trick-or-treating. She told me they did, but her son couldn’t eat most (usually all) of the candy he collected, so he did it mostly for fun. What?! Isn’t that a form of child torture to wave candy in front of them and then take it away? But then she told me about the Teal Pumpkin Project and Non-food Halloween Treat Ideas that I could pass out for kids with food allergies.
I learned that homes displaying a teal pumpkin lets families know that there are non-food treats available for kids with food allergies. Since I wanted to make sure all kids walked away with something from our house, I decided to participate and printed out the free teal pumpkin sign to display in our window. Great, I had the sign but had no idea what to pass out. If you’ve never heard about the Teal Pumpkin Project, I’m sure you’re feeling the same way, so here are some ideas for non-food Halloween treats.
Non-food Halloween Treat Ideas
My first year, I only had a handful of kids ask for non-food items (less than 10). Remember to keep these in a separate bowl from the candy to avoid cross contamination.
- glow sticks
- pencils
- stickers
- bubbles
- erasers
- pens
- crayons
- mini notebooks/pads
- mini yo-yo
- toy cars
- book markers
- Halloween themed toys (rings/necklaces/tattoos)
- puzzle games (mini mazes, mini puzzles, mini brain teasers)
Now head over to the Teal Pumpkin Project website to learn more about this movement and to print out a teal pumpkin sign and add your home address the interactive map so others know you’re participating! Because what’s better than seeing a HUGE smile from a child who gets to keep his treat!
I can’t believe I had never heard of this! What an awesome idea. After I read this, I saw them at my grocery store.
I have food allergies. Most of the time I’m fine with it but every now and then it really sucks, especially at holidays that revolve around food from/prepared by other people. I think this is a great idea. My family has already planned to paint a teal pumpkin and make sure we have some allergen-free treats on hand.