If you are a parent with kids with food allergies, Halloween can be a scary time. Fortunately, the Teal Pumpkin Project, a worldwide effort awareness of food allergies offers fun options that do not put the health of trick-or-treaters at risk.
Those delicious Snickers bars, M&Ms, Reese’s Cups, and Twix bars may contain, dairy, eggs, soy, gluten, or other components can produce symptoms ranging from discomfort to anaphylactic shock. When kids are offered these candies, they may not have the understanding or discipline to refuse them or simply carry them home for others to eat.
The Teal Pumpkin Project
The Teal Pumpkin Project encourages those who provide Halloween treats for kids to mark their property with a teal pumpkin which indicates that they offering non-food treats as well as candy. Started in 2014, the Teal Pumpkin Project recognizes that 1 in 13 children the US have food allergies. Having available alternatives to candy allows all kids to participate in an enjoy the holiday. Those who participating in the project would place a teal pumpkin on their porch to designate they have safe treats and may even have another teal bucket to hold the goodies.
Suggested non-candy treats include:
1. Halloween Stickers
2. Halloween Stampers
3. Halloween Tattoos
4. Vampire Fangs
5. Halloween Pencils
6. Pumpkin Slinky
7. Glow in the Dark Bouncy Balls
8. Halloween Straws
9. Spider Rings
10. Halloween Bracelets
11. Glow Sticks
12. Halloween Erasers
13. Play-Doh
14. Halloween Figures
15. Witch Fingers
16. Bubbles
17. Halloween Finger Puppets
18. Spider Web Glasses
19. Creepy Crawly Bugs
20. Glow in the Dark Skeletons
Available at dollar stores or in bulk at online sores such as Oriental Traders for not much more than Halloween candy, the idea is that you would offer non-food items for kids with allergies along with your regular stock of candy for other trick or treaters.
The Teal Pumpkin movement goes beyond offering alternative candies for kids. Products such as Necco Wafers and Albanese Gummi Bears are gluten and fat free, while Pumpkin Pops are also peanut-free. Unfortunately, when groups of children come to the door, they may have diverse allergies that bars them from eating even supposed allergy-free candies. Offering non-food treats circumvents the problem while allowing everyone to enjoy the day.
Candy Treats for All
A good plan for the holiday is to participate in trick or treating by ordering delicious assortments such as the Mars Crisp Crunchy Lovers Mix, Hershey’s Factory Favorites, or Nestle Assorted Miniatures for the kids without food allergies, while offering Teal Pumpkin treats to the others. ,
You can also hold a party or participate in a community one where you can offer a variety of non-allergic treats. Parents involved in the planning are likely to have better handle on what their kids can eat. You might include Taffy Town Halloween Pumpkin Pie Taffy, Dubble Bubble Home Run Baseball Gum, Jelly Belly Halloween Fun Pack,. or a Skittles and Starburst Assortment. Each candy indicates if it is gluten free, nut free, or otherwise free of substances likely to provoke allergies.
Help kids in your neighborhood enjoy a safe Halloween.
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