Food allergies are on the rise and the number of children unable to participate in trick-or-treating activities is overwhelming. You can help include all children in the Halloween tradition by placing a teal pumpkin outside of your house, signifying that you have non-food items to pass out. We do both traditional treats and non-candy treats and let the kids choose which they want.
Non-food treats include small toys, bubbles, whistles, rings, crayons,bookmarks, pencils, stickers, etc. You can find inexpensive items on Amazon, at Oriental Trading or in local stores like Target, Walmart and the Dollar Store. For more ideas check out my article with over 100 non-treat items.
Here are some steps to help you get ready to do Non-candy treats and let your neighborhood know about what the Teal Pumpkin Project is about.
Get your Non-food treats for trick-or-treaters
Place a teal pumpkin in front of your home of someplace visible (or put up a sign with the teal pumpkin in view)
Add your home to the Teal Pumpkin Project map
Spread the word with friends family neighbors your school with anyone you can!
Find Printables including dot to dot, coloring, mask here, to show you support the Teal Pumpkin Project.
By placing a teal pumpkin outside of your house you are enabling a child with allergies (and his/her parents!) to experience the fun of trick or treating without the stress. Find more information HERE.
Some common allergies are:
| Milk | Egg | Peanut |
| Tree nuts | Soy | Wheat |
| Fish | Shell Fish | Sesame |
Small list of additional allergens including meat, spice etc
More info about the Teak Pumpkin Project and ways to help support FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) visit the following link.
https://www.foodallergy.org/education-awareness/teal-pumpkin-project
Halloween safety tips for kids with food allergies
FARE also recommends families managing food allergies keep the following safety tips in mind:
- Enforce a “no eating while trick-or-treating” rule, so that you have time to review all food labels.
- Avoid candy and treats that do not have an ingredient label.
- Always have an epinephrine auto-injector available, if prescribed.
- Keep in mind that the mini-size, fun-size, or bite-size version of candy may contain different ingredients than their full-size counterparts. Make no assumptions, and read all labels carefully.
- Keep the emphasis on the fun, rather than the candy.
- Remember that a candy that has been safe for your child in the past may now have different ingredients. Read the label every time!
How to participate
It’s not too late to participate! With a few simple steps, anyone can join the Teal Pumpkin Project:
- Provide non-food treats for trick-or-treaters
- Paint a pumpkin teal or buy a teal pumpkin at your local craft store or pharmacy or print a free sign from www.tealpumpkinproject.org
- Place your teal pumpkin or sign in front of your home to indicate non-food treats are available.
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