Halloween and Food Allergies
It’s that time of year – costumes, parties, pumpkins, and trick-or-treating! If you have a child with food allergies, that last one may make you pause. Halloween is often centered around candy, which can make it nerve wracking for food allergy families. Fortunately, FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) started the Teal Pumpkin Project, an initiative that offers safe options for those with food allergies.
1 in 13 children have a food allergy, so there are many families going through this together. The Teal Pumpkin project is a great way to celebrate Halloween in an inclusive way. My family has participated for the last five years, and have found a few ways that have worked best for us. Read on for a few of our Teal Pumpkin Project ideas and tips.
The Teal Pumpkin Project
“The Teal Pumpkin Project is a simple way to make trick-or-treating safer and more inclusive for the one in 13 children living with food allergies, and many others impacted by intolerances and other conditions. Placing a teal pumpkin on your doorstep signals that, in addition to candy, you offer non-food trinkets and treats that are safe for all trick or treaters. Help us make this Halloween one to remember!” – FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education)
How to Participate
- First, add your house to the Teal Pumpkin Project Map on FARE’s website. This is a great resource for families to find homes that are safe for food allergies on Halloween.
- Place a teal pumpkin outside of your house to indicate that you’ll be offering non-food treats. You can purchase a fake one, or paint your own! Teal and turquoise pumpkin decor is becoming popular, so also adding your house on the Teal Pumpkin map is the best way to ensure families can find you.
- Have a bowl of non-food treats available for trick-or-treaters (separate from candy, if offering both).
What to Put in Your Teal Pumpkin Bucket
There are many ideas out there on what to offer in your Teal Pumpkin Project bucket. You can order bulk party favors on Amazon, check out your local Target’s party favor section, or browse your local dollar store! All of these offer a variety of fun trinkets and toys for all budgets. Below are a few ideas to get you started:
- Assorted Party Favors – the easiest way–buy a bulk variety for your bucket!
- Glow Bracelets and Necklaces – the dollar store is also a great resource for this.
- Stickers or Temporary Tattoos
- Crayon Stacks (in Target’s party favor aisle) and Mini Notebooks
- Glow-in-the-Dark Bouncy Balls
- Mini Glider Airplanes
- Binoculars (we had quite a few extra unused ones from a birthday party one year, and they were a hit in our Teal Pumpkin bucket!)
- Sticky Hands
- Slap Bracelets
- Mini Shaped Slinkies
Handing out Non-Food Treats
There are several ways to handle the Teal Pumpkin Project on Halloween night, and there’s “no one size fits all”. Do what works best for your family and situation.
Below are a few different approaches:
1. Offer Both Options at the Door
One option is to have a traditional candy bowl, and a separate bowl with non-food options (to lessen cross-contact concerns). When trick-or-treaters arrive, give them the option of candy or a toy. Some choose to ask trick-or-treaters about allergies, but we simply offer a candy or a treat to everyone, regardless. I’ve found it simpler this way since it doesn’t single anyone out, and makes it inclusive of everyone.
2. Leave Both Options On the Porch
This has been our go-to for the last several years, as we are usually out trick-or-treating with our own children. We leave one bowl of candy out, and a second bowl of non-food treats. You’d be surprised at how often kids will go for the toy over the treat! It’s fun being the house that offers something “different”.
3. Simplify: Offer Only Non-Food Items
To simplify, you can only offer non-food toys trinkets at the door or porch. This eliminates any confusion about offering two bowls, and you’re not left with a bunch of leftover candy (a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it).
How my family approaches it has changed over the years. To spread the word, I usually create or print a sign to indicate that food allergies are the reason we offer non-food treats. FARE has some great free printables on their website, otherwise, I create one using a free app like Canva.
We’ve had years that we’ve stayed home and handed out candy/toys. We’ve also had several years recently that we’ve gone out Trick or Treating with our children, and left options out. As long as you have non-food options available, there’s no wrong way to go about it.
Other Ways to Make Halloween Special
Halloween doesn’t always have to be centered around the candy. Instead, try to find different ways to make holidays special. A few things you can do each fall to get into the spirit:
- Make Halloween crafts (Pinterest has tons of fun ideas)
- Carve Pumpkins
- Visit a Pumpkin Patch or Apple Orchard
- Find a safe cookie recipe (here’s one of mine!), and make fun cut-out cookies
- Spend time together making or searching for a special costume
- Focus more on the experience, and safe fun with family/friends
Holidays are what you make them, and look different for everyone. Perhaps candy was your favorite part of Halloween as a child, but it doesn’t have to be that way going forward. Try to see this as an opportunity to create new traditions you can enjoy together as a family.
Stay safe out there!
Have additional ideas or tips for those participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project? Leave your ideas in the comments below!
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