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About 1 in 13 kids has been diagnosed with a food allergy, so if you’ll be handing out candy tonight, it would be nice to have some allergy-friendly treats — either to give only to the trick-or-treaters with allergies, or to everyone. The most common allergens are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and crustacean shellfish, meaning that lots of popular candy bars are off-limits. (OK, maybe you don’t have to worry so much about the fish and shellfish.) Do you try to accommodate kids with allergies on Halloween? (Hey, no judgment if not!) Do you have a child with allergies who has to be careful during the holiday?
If you’d like to let trick-or-treaters and parents know that you will provide non-food items and allergy-acceptable food, you can print out a Teal Pumpkin Project sign and put it on your door. (If a child comes to your door with a blue pumpkin bucket, however, note that it may be the blue pumpkin for autism, which has generated debate — in theory, light teal is for kids with food allergies, while royal blue is for autistic kids.)
Want to offer an allergy-friendly Halloween treat, but forgot to buy any? Don’t worry, we gotchu… so here are:
5 Allergy-Friendly Halloween Treats You Already Have (Probably)
1. Tootsie Pops and Dum Dums
Besides Tootsie Pops, all Tootsie candy is free of peanuts, tree nuts, and gluten, although some items contain milk. The company even has printable “peanut-free house” signs on its website. Dum Dum products that are packaged by the Spangler Candy Company (check the bag for the source), do not contain peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat, or gluten.
2. Applesauce and other fruit pouches
I don’t think I’d ever give out pieces of fruit — say, oranges or apples — but pouches like this seem a bit more Halloween-adjacent, if not environmentally friendly. (By the way, here are some ways to have a more sustainable Halloween — the holiday produces a ton of waste, which I admit to never having thought about before, sadly.)
3. Fun pencils and erasers
At our house, we have many, many unused, un-sharpened pencils lying around. Some came from party favor bags, others came from teachers, and I think some must have spontaneously generated, because otherwise how did we get so many?! Though not quite as exciting as candy, pencils are a passable Halloween item. (By the way, why do so many of these pencils have erasers that don’t actually work and instead leave a permanent smudge on your paper? REALLY, eraser, you had one job!) Speaking of erasers, those little ones that are shaped like food, etc., would be good to hand out, too.
4. Temporary tattoos
Halloween themes would be ideal, but any temporary tattoos would be a good allergy-safe option.
5. Miscellaneous party favors and/or things from Target’s Dollar Spot
I’m sure you have some fun doodads lying around from Target impulse buys and past birthday parties and so on, so now’s your chance to declutter all those random Floam toys, glow sticks, slime, PlayDoh, gel window clings, stress balls and squoosh characters, and more. (Although those are often Kat’s “restaurant presents” to bribe kids into a allowing you a few moments of peace when you eat out with your kids. Also, did you know that Target’s Dollar Spot has been rebranded as “Bullseye’s Playground”? It makes me think of the ’90s one-hit wonder Marcy Playground — and actually, the song “Sex and Candy” is somewhat Halloween-appropriate. Also, it was written at my alma mater. Here’s to ’90s nostalgia!)
What do you give out for Halloween, and do you keep any allergy-friendly treats on hand? Do you take your kids trick-or-treating while your spouse or partner stays home and takes candy distributing duties, or vice versa? Or do you both accompany your kids and simply leave out a bowl and hope for the best?
Stock photo: Deposit Photos/monkeybusiness.
Buble says
Yea, let me just dip into the handy stash of temporary tattoos I keep around my house in case of emergency… what?
This article rubs me the wrong way. It’s not enough as moms that we had to remember to buy candy, but did we remember to accommodate allergies?! Oh, we didn’t? Let’s not just forgive ourselves and say “oh well, I got something that the majority of kids can enjoy” — after all “it would be nice” to include everyone! And you want to be “nice”… don’t you?
shortperson says
we do it, and it’s not that hard. my husband ordered halloween toys for allergy kids or anyone that has enough candy.
i ordered a teal pumpkin from target. but if you dont want to do it — dont do it.
Anonymous says
I hate small toys like this. I hate them in party favor bags, Happy Meals, and anywhere else they show up. A friend called them “pre trash” and that basically sums it up for me. These things delight a kid for approximately 6 minutes, at some point after which I will step on them and hurt my foot, and then they’ll float in the Pacific garbage patch for the next thousand years.
That said, there’s something for everyone, and I’m sure allergy sufferers and their parents appreciate them.
Kate says
Really, the last thing we want to do is put more pressure on moms/parents! As for me, I only bought our candy yesterday, and I still haven’t carved our pumpkins, which means that will probably be “pumpkin,” singular. I’m dropping off my son at an activity after school today and then running home to do some carving while he’s there — sigh. I added the “Hey, no judgment if not!” to the post because I, for one, did not buy allergy-friendly treats this year, even thought it would have been a nice thing to do. I bought two bags of random assorted candy bars, mostly chocolate. We just do what we can!
Buble says
I get that the article was well-intentioned, and I appreciate your response. But the very existence of an article that says “Here’s how to meet X Expectation!” sets up that expectation, even if the text contains a parenthetical disclaimer of “(It’s totally fine if you don’t meet X Expectation!)”
Would Corporette ever publish an article titled “Here are 5 ways to become a size 2 by Christmas!” and think it’s ok because the text says (“If you choose not to pursue being a size 2, hey, no judgment!”) Of course not, and the reason why is obvious.
Not trying to pile on, just trying to better convey my concerns/reaction.
Anonymous says
I always buy a variety of candy, usually mix in some non-food items, and let the kids choose, but I will never ever display a teal pumpkin. I figure that reasonable parents will just let their kids take whatever they can safely have from my normal offering. A teal pumpkin would just attract the crazy obnoxious allergy parents from my child’s school, who would then reject everything in the allergy-friendly bowl because it wasn’t good enough (those lollipops had better be organic!) or because another child might have looked at a Reese’s peanut butter cup before reaching into the allergy-friendly bowl.
Buble says
Your comment also got my lawyer-risk-management-antennae pinging — is there a risk of liability if you put out a teal pumpkin and it turns out that, oops, your candy wasn’t actually allergy friendly for a particular kid? I mean, it’s obviously extremely unlikely to be an issue, but why take a chance?
Anonymous says
It means non-food treats are available. No foods are allergy friendly for every child as there are common allergies but you can be allergic to basically anything.
Anon says
But what if the mere fact that I touched Reese’s and the teal pumpkin would be problematic? Obviously, we lawyers are ridiculous, but I am not up for signaling that my teal pumpkin is “safe” when I don’t understand the details of who it needs to be safe for.
Anon says
Yeah, I’m with you. This strikes me as the definition of Pinterest Mom. The whole teal pumpkin thing literally originated on Pinterest.
Anonymous says
As the parent of allergic children , I think this isn’t necessary. We don’t do the teal pumpkin thing ourselves. My kids are taught to say thank you at the door and they know I will swap out treats they can’t have for other treats at home. There are a ton of mostly allergy free common options like chips, maynard candies like swedish berries and fuzzy peaches, skittles, twizzlers etc – so it’s not that much more work to grab the candy instead of the oh henry bars at the grocery store, but again that’s a nice thing not a necessary thing.
The most helpful thing would be if people are not rude if a kid says no thank you to something. Sometimes, my 4 year old is wary of accepting things he knows contain peanuts even though I’ve told him it won’t hurt him unless he eats it.
That said, I keep a stash of dollar store pencils and tattoos with the halloween decorations. Mostly culled from birthday party loot bag stuff that my kids weren’t interested in. I toss them in the candy bowl with the other stuff in case kids want a non-candy treat. E.g Halloween is a PITA for diabetic kids so I know the non-candy option is appreciated. I struggled with what to do with the dollar store stickers/tattoos/pencils etc and I find this is a good solution instead of tossing them in the garbage.
Buble says
Sounds like you have a really reasonable view on things. The way you handle it seems like the most sensible. I mean are there really any families that are ONLY going to go to homes with a teal pumpkin outside? When in reality that’s probably going to be 1 in 10 houses at best?
Also FWIW I’m pretty sure the candy I bought is allergy friendly? Gobstoppers and Smartees (cheapest option at CVS woohoo).
Anonymous says
I think it’s more about letting the kid know that the house will have something they can have instead of having to say thank you yet again for a treat you desparately wish you could try but know you can’t eat.
My youngest is peanut allergic which isn’t a big deal but my oldest is dairy allergic. She’s a good sport about it but it’s kind of depressing to go to house after house of saying thank you for things your friends are excited to get but you know you can’t eat. As a kid I loved sorting through my bag when I got home to see what I got and I’m sad for her that it mostly involves a giant pile of stuff she can’t have that I swap out for the same old alternatives she has every year.
Gobstoppers are great because they are peanut and dairy free (not sure about gluten). Smarties are peanut free.
shortperson says
my niece is severely allergic to most foods and feels very left out. she’s already left out of many normal childhood experiences. her family definitely looks for teal pumpkins, and they also plant some toys with neighbors for trick or treating. i think it’s nice for kids to feel included and its really not that hard. but we dont judge the non teal pumpkin houses
Anonymous says
agree — the teal pumpkin is about inclusivity and being gracious to everyone.
Buble says
My point exactly. So if you don’t have a teal pumpkin, you’re not being “gracious” now. Add that to my list of things I wasn’t aware I needed to feel guilty about!
Anonymous says
So people should’t do nice things or talk about doing nice thinigs because you might feel guilty about not doing the thing? That’s a really strange reaction.
Not all kids can have traditional halloween candy, it’s not a big deal to have a few non-candy options on hand. No one is judging you if you don’t do it. There’s no reason to feel guilt about not doing it. If you feel guilty about this, that’s a you issue that you need to look at and nothing to do with the fact that people have tried to accommodate other needs.
Anonymous says
Anon for this because it would out me IRL. My mother was very into healthy eating. On Halloween we had to sort through our candy and choose a limited number of pieces to keep, then throw out the rest. We were allowed to eat one piece per day until Thanksgiving. I always liked getting granola bars (somehow these were “healthy”) and non-food items because they didn’t count against my candy quota and I got to keep them all. My mother also used to give out cute stickers instead of candy, which I loved.
My first Halloween as an adult living in a place where kids actually trick-or-treated, I was so excited. I decided mine would be the “good house” that gave out non-food treats, so I bought a bunch of little Halloween-themed doodads at Target. When I opened the door and offered the treats, nearly every single kid asked “Where’s the candy?” The next morning, I found a bunch of the toys discarded discarded in my lawn and a bag of dog p00p on my doorstep. Every year since, I’ve only given out candy.
Anon says
omg! I can understand the kids discarding toys on your lawn (still rude, but pretty typical) but the dog poop thing is beyond. About half our block doesn’t even participate in Halloween so the idea of putting dog poop on the doorstep of someone who does participate but not in the “right” way is just crazy to me.
anonymous says
As an allergy parent – I really ask everyone to take a step back and think of what it feels like to have a kid who is around things that are harmless to most but that can easily kill him. We do have a teal pumpkin and always purchase non food treats (like stickers etc.) and I hold zero grudge against those who don’t have teal pumpkins or who buy snickers bars. Not everyone has the bandwidth and I get it. But have a little sensitivity about what is at stake for kids with allergies. Being sympathetic, even is not accompanied by any action, doesn’t cost you anything or take any time. Halloween is such a dangerous holiday for my kid (and for others with allergies) and while his safety is my responsibility – having a community that cares a little about compassion goes a long way.
Anon says
you are being very nice. i do not have a kid with allergies, but if someone has the bandwidth to purchase candy, I am not sure what kind of extra bandwidth is involved with purchasing a non-perishable teal pumpkin from target that costs less than $6 that can be reused every year along with some stickers. or if you do not want to get a teal pumpkin, just purchase some non-edible stuff like stickers. i’m sure we all order things from amazon or target or stop by a cvs from time to time.
Anon says
As a parent who does not have a kid with allergies, I appreciate this response. I am compassionate. I also don’t have a teal pumpkin. How does it work for kids with the truly life-threatening allergies to anything that has touched nuts? If I hand out a bunch of Reese’s then touch the teal pumpkin, am I putting your child at risk? I don’t have a full understanding of the health issues of each child who comes to my door. I would never, ever judge a kid for refusing specific candy or asking for a specific candy (or being an older trick or treater or a non-neuro-typical trick or treater), but beyond my compassion, I just don’t want to take responsibility for insuring that anything I hand out is safe for any particular kid. If I knew my neighbor had an allergy and understood the parameters of it, I’d behave differently, but I am not going to put out a teal pumpkin signaling to anonymous trick or treaters that my candy/treats are “safe,” when I cannot guarantee that they are.
Anonymous says
Hi everyone. I’m the anonymous at 1:52PM above. At the end of the day, the parent with the child is responsible for determining what is safe for their kid (and some of that is based on the level of allergy). So for some kids, taking a dum dum from the same bowl as a snickers is OK and for some it isn’t. Food allergy parents are used to screening every single thing that our kids eat. We are not relying on a teal pumpkin for that. All a teal pumpkin means is support and/or allergy awareness – with a possibility that the house has non food items for kids. That is all. It makes my kid feel nice and included when he sees it.
Please trust me that food allergy parents are not relying on a teal pumpkin for safety. Food is a scary and deadly thing for us every single day. And there are lots of us. 1 in 13 children (roughly two in every classroom) have food allergies and about 40 percent of children with food allergies are allergic to more than one food.
My point is to please try and just have compassion for kids who have a lifelong life threatening condition. There is currently no FDA approved treatment for this. So please just put yourselves in our shoes and know that we appreciate whatever steps you can take.
Anon says
Terrible for the environment, but always a big hit are glow sticks/bracelets. If you buy in bulk, they’re cheaper than candy and the kids will wear them right away, making the kiddos more visible in the dark. (I buy candy, too, and let them take both if they want.).
Anon says
This. My mom always handed out glow necklaces instead of candy when we were kids. Since she has a sweet tooth, I suspect it’s because she didn’t want the extra candy sitting around in the house. She didn’t beat out the people who handed out full-size candy bars, but she was up near the top of favorite houses.
Atlien says
+1 you can get glow bracelets at the dollar spot at target for very cheap. Great for tiny kids who can’t/won’t eat all their candy and good overall for pedestrian safety. Also, no temptation for me to eat the leftovers, they’ll last uncracked until next year. I also have candy! I have a high-traffic house so I am stocked up so I won’t run out… I love seeing the kiddos and hate having to turn off the light too early. This year I have a few of the spider rings from the spiderweb packages that will go in the bowl and thanks to the above thread I’m realizing I have a bunch of USA-themed temporary tattoos leftover from an Olympics party.
RR says
There’s also a blue pumpkin now to signal that the carrier is not neuro-typical, which is problematic because (a) it’s really close to teal, so people are going to be confused, (b) why do kids owe us their diagnosis when they trick or treat, and (c) is it really that hard to expect people to not be jerks to kids trick or treating? I can’t fathom being rude to a trick or treater, even if they seemed “rude” to me. They are children.
Anonymous says
We do not have a teal pumpkin. My husband bought the Halloween treats this year, and got a mixed bag of chocolate candy, mixed tootsie rolls, and single-serving pretzel packs. I think that covers most allergy bases, and though I probably would have grabbed something non-edible (glow sticks are also my choice, our neighborhood does not have sidewalks, and I make my own kids wear glow stuff) to throw in there… when my husband does something helpful like take care of Halloween logistics, the last thing I”m going to do is say, “what? no non-food treats for allergic kids?”
Anonymous says
My kids don’t have allergies but I actually appreciated this post. It was trying to be helpful. Lots of people have extra little things laying around. And you don’t have to have stickers or tattoos or Dum Dums for every kid. Just have a few things available/in sight.
Obviously, I don’t do a actual teal pumpkin but think it’s really minor to have some extra stuff on hand. Growing up, people who ran out of candy gave out change. You could do that. My older kid loves coins!