Every year when I returned from trick or treating, my brothers and I would immediately dump our loot bags and begin lining up our candy into three categories – Keep, Trade, or Give to Dad. We’d then spend the next thirty minutes bartering our treats away and tossing Snickers {why didn’t we like these!}, Butterfingers {again??}, and Almond Joy’s {duh!} to my dad. We’d end up with a pile of our favorites, and my mom would hand out mustard yellow/puke green/rust orange Tupperware bowls with matching lids for us to store our candy. {I KNOW you know the set I’m referring to!} Into the pantry it went to be allocated out in small doses over the next couple of weeks. My mom was a lifetime weight watcher member so candy wasn’t really something that was laying around our house often, so it was so exciting to me knowing I had a whole container of candy on the pantry shelf! Honestly, I think she dumped half of it the second we went to bed that night – but I’ll forgive her! As with most things in parenting…I get it now!
The past two years Maggie has come home from school with bags of Halloween candy, been given more candy by her grandparents, and procured even more through Zoo Boo, our neighborhood Halloween party, and of course – actual trick or treating. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally down with my kids having candy, and I’m really totally down with sneaking all the Kit-Kats out of their bags. But in the spirit of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and instilling this into our kids early, I’m going to push some healthy “treat” alternatives as well as some non-food choices! Maybe I’ll start with the school party. I don’t want to become that house that no one wants to go to!
I’ve also seen lots of people on social media this year sharing the Teal Pumpkin Project sponsored by FARE {Food Allergy Research & Education} — a movement helping to bring trick or treat fun to millions of children suffering from food allergies. By placing a teal pumpkin on your doorstep, you are letting trick or treaters {and their parents} know that non-food “treats” are available at your house! This isn’t something we deal with in our house, and something I hadn’t thought through until I read about the project. But I absolutely love the idea and will be sure there is a teal pumpkin on my doorstep and non-food treats available at my house!
Food Alternatives ::
Clementines
Gold Fish
Apple Slices
Individual Mandarin Orange Packs
Pirates Booty
Applesauce Squeezes
Non-Food Alternatives ::
Silly String
Glow Sticks
Toothbrushes {don’t laugh- we had a neighbor handing them out every year!}
Vampire Teeth
Spider Rings
Stickers
So let’s hear it! What are YOU passing out this year for Halloween? It’s okay…we won’t judge if you stick with the traditional sugary treats!
I always hand out halloween pencils,erasers, and halloween themed activity books. I love seeing the kids faces light up for more than just candy!
Target has a great inexpensive, non-edible treat/prize section in the Halloween aisle. Danger is you’ll find so many other cute Halloween items there!!!