Teal Pumpkin Non Candy Halloween Treats

Every wonder the teal pumpkin meaning? It has to do with letting kids with allergies know that you’re a safe place for them to come trick-or-treat and you have a non-candy Halloween treat. For all those ready to help make Halloween more fun for kids with allergies and medical conditions, here are 50+ non candy Halloween treats to pass out with your teal pumpkin!

I’m so excited to share today’s post with you. It’s literally been a year in the making! I was so hyped up about non-candy Halloween treats after an experience we had last Halloween with the Teal Pumpkin Project that I came into the house and started listing a few ideas. Let me tell you why sharing a non-candy Halloween treat found such a place in my heart!

Teal Pumpkin Meaning

I know the teal pumpkin project concept has been around for a few years. If you’ve never heard of it, and you’re wondering the teal pumpkin meaning, let me share the basics. It’s essentially painting or buying a teal pumpkin and setting it out to let kids with allergies know you have an alternative item they can request. I loved the idea, the teal pumpkin meaning is just plain cool. Yay for more inclusion for kids with allergies and medical conditions!

I just got busy and never painted or purchased a teal pumpkin, but still wanted to participate.

The Teal Pumpkin Project

I’m fortunate to only have one allergy in my life, and my husband and my boys (so far) don’t have any. We’re a lucky family! But I have a niece who is diagnosed with celiac disease, she can’t have gluten in any form. I have another who is allergic to milk. She spent her toddler years dividing candy with chocolate from the kinds she could eat. I can still hear her little voice ask “Is this the L-llergic kind?” It was darling, and a little sad to see her get rid of over half her stash. We had one more on Jacob’s side allergic to peanuts, and that makes Halloween tricky too.

Let’s not forget kids with diabetes. What a sad holiday for those poor kiddos! This is why the Teal Pumpkin Project has won such a place in my heart!

One fateful day at Costco last October I noticed a markdown on some small puzzle tins. It was a pack of 20, and it was going for about $8.00 at the time. It hit me, this would be a really great item to give to trick-or-treaters with allergies. Yes, it was a little more than we’d normally spend on candy, but I figured for the first handful of toddlers it might be a good thing to have on hand.

We made a sign saying if you have allergies let us know, we have an alternative treat. This year, I plan to purchase a teal pumpkin to display. But even with the sign, I knew we’d cover our bases and I wasn’t sure what to expect. You know what, even living in a destination trick-or-treat area that gets about a thousand kids, we only had a handful ask.

Non-Food Halloween Treats

There was one little girl that won over our hearts and made us vow to always have non-candy Halloween treats on hand. She asked Jacob for an alternate and he pulled a small basket with a few puzzle options. She lit right up! This little girl chose a Disney princess puzzle and beamed with joy. She was so excited that she was actually going to get to enjoy one item. Her parents were thrilled too!

It was so cute, and we remarked that if we make one kid’s Halloween, it’s worth it! With allergies more and more abundant, it’s just smart to keep a handful of these items on hand. They vary in price, but all are under a dollar, and all are fun items kids are sure to love.

So this Halloween as you buy candy, please consider those kids with allergies and medical conditions who love trick-or-treating, and will light up knowing there’s at least one fun thing for them to enjoy after the festivities too!