We LOVE getting into the seasons and holidays. We choose fall-themed books, we make fall-themed food, and we live in fall-appropriate attire (even if it IS 90* in Texas still). As a mama to two food-allergic babies, Halloween can be a very frustrating night full of noes instead of yeses. Not just frustrating, but truly scary for us, too. After all, my kids are getting to the age where they don’t NEED us to open the candy for them. If we spend a little too much time talking to the neighbor instead of watching them, they could get something that could easily send us to the hospital for far more than just a tummy ache from too much candy. Most parents worry about the rumors of candy that’s been tampered with; we worry about ALL candy, whether it’s been opened or not. Thankfully, food allergies are becoming more talked about, which means there’s more awareness and way more options for us to keep the evening fun and safe for everyone. By putting a teal pumpkin in front of your home, you’re signaling to all of us that you have non-food Halloween treats for food allergy kids and we know, without a doubt, that it’ll be safe for our babies to come trick-or-treat at your house (and save us the “no, you REALLY can’t have it” fight with a 2 year old). It just takes one simple act: offer non-food Halloween treats, such as glow sticks or small toys, as an alternative to candy, and you can make Halloween fun for all kids!
As much as I LOVE my teal pumpkins that I set out, it’s become a trendy color which means it doesn’t always mean “we have non-food Halloween treats” anymore. My fix for that? A super cute yard flag that literally tells people we have them! I found this one on etsy and Tammy was sweet enough to send it to me so I could make sure it’s quality enough to recommend. Y’all, this one is SO cute and 100% going to get used year after year at our house!
I’ve come up with a list of non-food Halloween treats that Amazon will have on your doorstep in two days or less. These are relatively inexpensive and you won’t even have to leave your home to go hunt some down, but most importantly, they’ll mean that a night that’s meant to be full of fun really WILL be for all the kiddos in your neighborhood.
Teal Pumpkin Non-Food Halloween Treats for Food Allergy Kids
One note before we get to the list: Play-doh is NOT on here. Why? It’s made with wheat and can often make a kiddo who is allergic to wheat or gluten sick. The idea is to keep non-food Halloween treats safe for ALL kids, no matter what their food allergy!
100 Glow Stick Bracelets— How fun is it to get to glow while you’re running around from house to house? These went faster at our house than the candy did last year!- Halloween Mega 156 Pack— Halloween-themed rubber duckies, glitter tattoos, erasers, pencils, and stickers means there’s something for everyone!
- 48 piece Toy Assortment— A variety of paddle ball games, whistles, eyebrows/mustaches, Halloween slinkies, and more!
- 20 Hot Wheels Cars— A little more expensive, but something that will give those kids at your door a reason to squeal in delight (and something Mom won’t regret giving out to all her neighbors’ kids).
- 72 Halloween Bouncy Balls— My kids will play with these for HOURS. I’d love for them to come home with a few so that I can quit having to move the couch to find it!
- 24 Halloween Glow-in-the-Dark Rubber Duckies— For less than $0.50 a piece, these are adorable and will be loved for a long time to come! Plus, a dark bath time would bring out the best in these spooky little ducks.
- 18 Flashing Rings— These come in different shapes and sizes, with flashing LED lights inside to make Halloween night brighter for any child!
- 24 Halloween Self-Inking Stamps— My kids LOVE digging out stamps to play with on a rainy day. Getting some fun seasonal ones to add to our collection would be a great treat for them!
- 50 Halloween Toy Pack— Vampire teeth, witches’ fingers, rings, spiders, and more! Everything you remember from your childhood class Halloween party, for your kids!
- 25 Snap Bracelets— Let’s bring these back, y’all! I remember LOVING to get these, even before non-food Halloween treats were a thing!
This is such a good reminder. We haven’t given out treats at our house for the past several years because our church has trunk or treat. BUT this year, our church is gathering Sunday night instead of Halloween night so this is incredibly helpful! Thank you!
This is a great list! We have a couple kids in the neighborhood with food allergies, and they would love some of this stuff.
Cait, this is great! As grandmother to a child with food allergies and wife to a celiac, I completely understand food allergies and cross contamination. I love this list and if we ever had Halloween visitors at our house, I would give these things out. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!