By Rachel Maier, MS

"Trick or treat?"

It's the question that's really a code word meaning one thing in Kid-speak: candy.

But for children who manage medical conditions such as cancer, celiac disease, diabetes and food allergies, for example, candy is a code word for caution.

The Curse of Candy

Candy is lots of fun (and it should be!), but it can also be incredibly stressful for millions of kids. In the United States, an estimated 5.6 million children live with severe, life-threatening food allergies¹; 283,000 children have type 1 diabetes²; one in 300 children have Celiac disease³; one in 36 children have Autism spectrum disorder⁴; and nearly 15,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer every year.⁵

Mainstream candy contains ingredients that are off limits to so many of these kids. From top allergens such as milk, soy and peanuts that could cause a severe and potentially deadly allergic reaction to refined sugars and artificial colors and flavors that exacerbate all kinds of chronic diseases, not to mention gluten that can cause severe gastrointestinal distress — candy poses a very real problem.

When it comes to Halloween, trick-or-treating is understandably difficult for these kids because they can't just take any old piece of candy willy nilly.

Teaching kids with special medical needs to look before they take a treat, or to politely refuse the candy offered to them is challenging. Helping them remember to say "No, thank you," or "Thanks anyway! Happy Halloween!" before walking away empty-handed is the worst.

Parents and caregivers are left wondering what to do to manage this conundrum: stay home and avoid the problem or go trick-or-treating and risk awkward moments? Neither is ideal, and both are difficult and disappointing.

Learning to Adjust

Two of my own kids have severe, life-threatening food allergies. When they were little, it was easier to just stay home on Halloween and pass out candy to other kids, but it got a lot harder to stay inside as they got older. They wanted to go trick-or-treating just like their friends, and I couldn't blame them. What kid wouldn't want to dress up in a silly costume, stay out late on a crisp fall evening and come home with a bucket full of loot?

But I struggled with the idea until I learned how to manage it safely.

The Teal Pumpkin was an incredible help to us as a food allergy family. It's an initiative of Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE) that "[raises] food allergy awareness and [offers] the option of non-food trinkets and toys in a separate bowl, making Halloween safer and more inclusive for all trick-or-treaters."⁶

Spotting teal pumpkins around the neighborhood gives my kids confidence to ring doorbells without the threat of a tricky situation greeting them on the other side of the door. Teal turned into a secret code for safety on Halloween, and my kids love it. I'm sure the same is true for countless other kids.

The project is especially awesome because its focus expands beyond food allergies. Not only does it raise awareness about all the reasons trick-or-treating poses a serious problem for so many kids, but it also equips people to make small, meaningful changes in their community.

Tips for Making Halloween Fun for Everyone

Maybe candy doesn't pose a problem for you or your household, but if you or a loved one lives with a chronic illness of any kind, you understand what it's like to vigilantly guard your health every single day — even on special occasions.

The same is true for millions of American kids. You can make a big difference in their lives by making small adjustments to your Halloween plans. Here are six ideas for ways you can make your home a safe and fun destination for any trick-or-treater:

1. Place teal pumpkins on the porch and put up a sign. Paint a pumpkin teal, put it on your porch and grab a free printable sign from the Teal Pumpkin Project website. These simple tools let families know up front that you've got alternative treats.
2. Pass out non-food treats. Pass out trinkets alongside or instead of candy. Kids love kazoos, crazy straws, bouncy balls, finger puppets, squishies, stamps, glow-in-the-dark slime, fidget toys, glow sticks, slap bracelets or mini puzzles. Big box stores stock these sorts of things all the time, or you can search for "Halloween party favors" on Amazon to find a fun assortment.
3. Offer healthier snacks. Pass out edible treats that most kids can freely enjoy! This can be things such as juice boxes, organic fruit snacks, mini bags of simple salted popcorn or veggie straws or even mini Made Good granola bars. Healthier, top allergen free choices are out there too: Check out Yum Earth and Enjoy Life brands.
4. Consider passing out top allergen free candy. If you want to offer candy, treats such as Ring Pops, Fun Dip, Jelly Bellies, Pixie Stix, Swedish Fish, Sour Patch Kids, Starburst and Skittles are free of the top nine allergens and are a big hit with kids. (For even more ideas, check out this allergy-friendly Halloween Candy Guide.)
5. Use separate bowls. No matter what you choose to pass out, put food in a separate bowl so it is not in contact with non-food treats. If you offer top allergen-free candy as well as candy that contains allergens, use separate bowls for that, too. (For example, if you're passing out Smarties and Snickers, put Smarties in one bowl and Snickers in a separate bowl.)
6. Let kids choose their own treat. Instead of grabbing a handful of candy and putting it into kids' trick-or-treat buckets directly, simply hold out a bowl as you greet them and tell them how many they may take. (If you're a one-piece-per child family, say "One per person please!" Or, if you like to give handfuls away, say "Help yourself to a handful!")

New Traditions Are Fun Too

I used to pass out chocolate to trick-or-treaters. Peanut butter cups and caramel chocolate bars were my own personal favorites, but once my kids were diagnosed with peanut and dairy allergies, those options were out.

I didn't like switching to fruit snacks and mini bottles of bubbles, but making Halloween safe and fun for my own kids, as well as other kids in our neighborhood, was totally worth it.

Watching their eyes light up when they see they can safely enjoy a treat just like everyone else makes a world of difference to kids who constantly feel different. It helps kids focus on the fun, not the food, and isn't that what matters the most?

Now that my kids are a little older, they love participating in FARE's Teal Pumpkin project by making sure our house is a trick-or-treating destination for any child. They think about their friends who can't have artificial colors, refined sugars or gluten, and they enjoy making our house a place where no one walks away disappointed on Halloween. They remind me to set out our teal pumpkin, post signs and make sure we've got plenty of fun options for any child who might ring our doorbell.

I still love peanut butter cups, but I learned that if I really want one, I can go ahead and buy one anytime I want to (as long as my kids aren't around). I don't have to rely on Halloween to get my hands on one.

Trick-or-treating shouldn't be hard or stressful for kids, especially the ones who have so many struggles in their little lives already thanks to chronic conditions they deal with every day anyway. Giving them the gift of a "normal," carefree childhood experience — even if it's only at my own front door — is a small gift I can easily give them.

Do you have a child with a medical condition that makes Halloween hard? What's one small thing others can do to help make Halloween a little less tricky for them?

1. FARE. Facts and Statistics. Accessed at www.foodallergy.org/resources/facts-and-statistics#:~:text=How%20Many%20People%20Have%20Food,roughly%20two%20in%20every%20classroom.
2. American Diabetes Association. Statistics About Diabetes, updated July 28, 2022. Accessed at diabetes.org/about-us/statistics/about-diabetes.
3. Wetmore, K. What to Know About Celiac Disease in Children. Cedars Sinai, Sept. 14, 2022. Accessed at www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/celiac-disease-in-children.html#:~:text=If%20left%20untreated%2C%20it%20can,children%20in%20the%20United%20States.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Data and Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tracking Pediatric and Young Adult Cancer. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/cancer/npcr/pediatric-young-adult-cancer.htm#:~:text=About%2015%2C000%20children%20and%20adolescents,year%20in%20the%20United%20States.
6. FARE. Teal Pumpkin Project. Accessed at www.foodallergy.org/our-initiatives/awareness-campaigns/living-teal/teal-pumpkin-project.