keep the stress out of halloween for kids with food allergies and type 1 diabetes with the teal pumpkin project

Before having a child with life-threatening food allergies, I didn’t give much thought to what I handed out for Halloween. I just bought a few giant bags at Target and tried avoid Kit Kats so I didn’t eat all of the leftovers. Seriously, what is it about Kit Kats? But now I have a son who must carry an epi-pen everywhere he goes in case he comes into contact with dairy, egg, peanuts or tree nuts. And, on Halloween, those are things that are pretty difficult to avoid.

Thankfully, my son knows what he can and can’t eat and he is so good about making sure everything he eats is safe. As long as he comes home with one safe treat at the end of the night, he’s happy. But when there is a house with a teal pumpkin, he knows that there is a special “treat” just for him. A non-food treat that he will definitely be able to enjoy.

The Teal Pumpkin Project was launched by Food Allergy Research and Education last year and has caught on quickly. The teal pumpkin on your porch tells kids with food allergies and Type 1 Diabetes that your house has non-food treats just for them. It’s so easy (and inexpensive) to have non-food treats on hand for trick-or-treaters. Our house always has one candy bowl and one non-food bowl. Other houses choose to have only non-food items to keep things easy.  Side note:  How adorable is this Nora Fleming bowl with the eyeball mini? Love it!

Here are a few examples of non-food treats that we are handing out this year: glow bracelets, stickers, tattoos, Halloween crayons, Halloween pencils, small Matchbox-style cars and small containers of bubbles. You’ll be surprised at how many kids (with and without food allergies) will be excited about a different Halloween treat. And, just look at how cute these teal pumpkins are that I spied around my neighborhood!

Are any of you participating in the teal pumpkin project? If so, what do you like to give your trick-or-treaters?