Avoid sugar overload & food allergies with these fun alternatives to Halloween candy!
I love Halloween candy. Don't get me wrong, I have a major sweet tooth. But there is just so much of it that even I get candy overload this time of year. And between trick or treating, Halloween parties, and playdates my boys are at serious risk of sugar overload too. So this year we are trying to reduce our sugar consumption by celebrating with fun alternatives to Halloween candy. We've found some really cool goodies that won't give you a tummy ache or a sugar crash!
I received items featured in this post for free from Oriental Trading in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for details.
Food Allergies & Halloween
It's not just a concern about sugar that has inspired us to find alternatives to Halloween candy this year. One of my boys was recently diagnosed with a milk allergy, and while we are extremely fortunate that his allergy is mild, many families are faced with a minefield when it comes to Halloween and allergies. Kids with severe food allergies may not be able to trick or treat at all for fear of coming into contact with a food that could cause dire consequences.
With all of this in mind, this year we are supporting the Teal Pumpkin Project by putting a teal colored pumpkin on our porch to let trick or treaters know that our house is giving out toys and goodies instead of food. It's a little way that we can help support other families and keep Halloween safer for everyone.
Click here to learn more about the Teal Pumpkin project (they have some super cute printables too!)
Non Food Alternatives to Halloween Candy
So what are we giving out if we're not buying candy? The boys have been helping me test out some super fun goodies from our friends at Oriental Trading and I've put together a list of their favorites (in no particular order). These are all kid tested and promise to be a hit in any trick or treat or Halloween goody bag!
Halloween Pencils - "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charle Brown" is one of our Halloween traditions so my kids LOVED these Peanuts Halloween pencils featuring Snoopy & the gang. Or find a wide variety of other Halloween pencils (from monsters to pumpkins to ghosts!) here.
Monster Tattoos - Kids love tattoos and these funny monster tattoos are cute and silly enough for even the littlest trick or treater.
Halloween Bookmarks - we are big readers so bookmarks get a lot of use in my house! This fun assortment features a mummy, witch, Frankenstein and Dracula characters - perfect for all your spooky stories!
Coloring Books & Crayons - Coloring supplies are always a hit, and these adorable coloring books and boxes of crayons make an awesome addition to your Halloween goody bag or trick or treat bucket.
My boys love little toys of all kinds (if yours do too, be sure to check out my favorite toy storage ideas for managing all those little things) and these have been a lot of fun:
Jack O'Lantern Bubbles - It's still warm enough outside to get out and blow some bubbles, and these mini Jack O'Lantern bubble bottles are too cute!
Halloween Finger Puppets - My boys love these cute little finger puppets - super fun for singing along with our favorite Halloween songs or telling spooky stories.
Halloween Rubber Duckies - These are a huge hit here - these rubber ducks come dressed as a witch, ghost, mummy, Frankenstein, vampire, and pumpkin. My boys love them for bath time or just for fun!
Bendable Monster Toys - Anything monster is popular here and these bendable monster toys are silly creatures that you can shape in all sorts of ways!
Finally, we're adding in our own Halloween Fun Coupons to our Halloween goody stash this year. These coupons are part of our Printable Halloween Planner and make awesome alternatives to candy! You can print and give out as many as you'd like, making them a really affordable option. Give out an entire book or one coupon at a time - it's up to you! With fun options like "a spooky story time" or a "trip to the pumpkin patch" these coupons inspire family bonding time as well as Halloween fun.
Get them as part of our Halloween Planner and you'll also get calendars, planning pages, and checklists for everything including your Halloween costumes, parties, decorations and more.
Halloween Treat Bags
Now that you have all these goodies, you need to make sure you have the perfect trick or treat bag to put them in! Try the fun DIY Halloween Treat Bags we made last year, or check out these fun choices!