Teal pumpkins have become increasingly easier to find over the past few years and the “Teal Pumpkin Project” has been more widely shared. This is mostly thanks to social media and food allergy advocates, many of whom are parents.

I am one of these such allergy moms who has been happily displaying a teal pumpkin on our porch and sharing posts on FaceBook over the past several years. My oldest son, now eight, was diagnosed with a peanut allergy as a young toddler. Since then we have a learned a lot. We’ve learned not just about peanut allergies, but food allergies in general. Consequently, so have our families.

Food allergies are just one of the many reasons, albeit a big one, that Halloween can be stressful for families. Going through a bucket of candy, reading labels and taking candy away from a child is not fun. It’s always good practice to review some safety rules and check candy before they eat. However for allergy parents it can be the difference between enjoying a treat and a scary trip to the ER. Enter the “Teal Pumpkin Project”.

What is the Teal Pumpkin Project?

The Teal Pumpkin Project is an initiative aimed at creating a safe and inclusive Halloween for kids with food allergies. Anyone can participate by placing a teal pumpkin outside their house to let Trick-or-Treaters know there will be non-food treats available there during Trick-or-Treat. If you’re feeling crafty you can paint pumpkins teal. There are also lots of fake teal pumpkins widely available these days everywhere from craft stores to grocery stores to big box stores. These are great for reusing year after year. In the past there has been a teal pumpkin map so Trick-or-Treaters can see where participating house may be in their area. (Adding your house to to the map is not required though!) While there won’t be a map this year, the Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) website has great resources, FAQs, and additional ways to show your support for a safe and inclusive Halloween.

Non-Food Options

Kids love non-food options! We typically do one bowl of non-food options and one bowl of candy that *should* be nut free. I say ‘should’ because there are varying allergen warnings which require each parent/child to review what is safe for their family and particular allergy. There are many different food allergies (gluten, dairy, etc.) so non-food options are a great way to ensure all kids can grab a safe treat.

Here are some examples of some little non-food options:

• pencils
• tiny Play Doh
• plastic spider rings
• temporary tattoos
• bracelets
• mini slinkies
• glow sticks
• mini containers of slime
• stickers

Basically anything that could go in a little treat bag, but make it Halloween themed. These are a hit with non-allergy parents as well. There are many health conditions for which a child may not be able to have candy. I know families that are very thankful and appreciative for non-food options for such reasons.

The joy on kids’ faces to be Trick-or-Treating is reason enough to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project. While candy is a fun part of Halloween, it is also extremely excessive. Kids are not lacking sugar. A few non-food, non-candy, options are good for everyone!