7 Halloween Handouts That Aren’t Food

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7 Halloween Handouts That Aren’t Food

I love Halloween! I have wonderful memories as a kid dressing up and canvassing the neighbourhood. Mom often helped us make costumes with things from the tickle trunk. In the early years I was often a princess, as a tween, a viking opera singer and my favourite, I showed up as a bearded sheriff in my college lecture. And it was an amazing feeling to unload that bag of loot onto the floor to see how much “stash” we got. 

Now that I have my own family, are not a junk food-free household, but my opinion of Halloween candy-looting has changed in recent years. My best friend’s son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 3. My neighbour’s son has celiac. We know kids with anaphylactic nut, dairy, and citrus allergies. These families work their lives around food every day. They can’t eat in certain restaurants. They are on high alert at birthday parties and family gatherings. They could tell Aunt Milly seventeen times what the restrictions are, and she still doesn’t “believe” it’s a genuine health concern.

I’m not urging anyone to skip Halloween or go sugar-free, but I am trying to shed some light on how some kids do not have the same experience. Some kids only get to keep half of their candy because that’s all that is considered safe. Some kids trade their candy in from trick-or-treating for a new toy from their parents.

For the last three years, I stopped giving out candy to create a more inclusive Halloween.  Weird, right? It can be costly to find some alternatives to traditional candy. Depending on your budget and how many kids are coming to your door, you may want to consider some non-food options, too. Here are some of my best tips:

Place a teal pumpkin in front of your house
The Teal Pumpkin Project is a growing trend that you will want to get on board with. Having a teal pumpkin is a signal to families that you have a safe, non-food option. When we first learned about it, we painted a regular pumpkin with acrylic paint. 

You can learn more about the Teal Pumpkin Project here

Glowsticks
Glowsticks are my new favourite! It came about during the pandemic. While trick-or-treating was not encouraged in our region, some families decided to go out anyway. So I cracked over a hundred glowsticks, made bracelets, and hung them on our bare bushes out front with a sign. These are economical at 8 in a pack for $1.25.  Bonus: they glow!  So not only are they super cool, but they act as an extra safety feature as kids roam around in the dark.

Stickers
What I once coveted as a kid are now my favourite item at the dollar store. You can buy sheets to cut up or books that come with pages to tear out. Stickers are another great cheap option that satisfies most kids under ten years old.

Small toys

You can get bags full of 6-10 small dinosaurs, animals, fish, army men, and other popular toys from the dollar store. You can also sometimes get glow-in-the-dark items. The photo above was taken in the Halloween aisle of the local dollar store. Hold out a bowl of toys and ask the kids which 1-2 they want! They’ll want to come back to your house for sure!

Bubbles
There are always packages of small bubbles containers available for a low price. Whether you see them in October or stock up in summer, they won’t expire quickly, and they are a favourite for all ages. These bubbles pictured were on the clearance rack of a grocery store for $0.14. I’ve even bought the packs of 24 that are traditionally sold for weddings.

Goody Bag Items
Goody bag items are a whole world of possibilities. Take a look in the party store or dollar store in the party section. There are usually bags of 4-8 small games, puzzles, whistles, toys, notepads, and other small trinkets that kids love. 

Pencils and spider rings
Pencils were my aunt’s go-to. Guess what she did for a living? She was a teacher! She always bought cool Halloween pencils and stuck a Halloween spider ring on them to give out to the neighbourhood. Adding the rings took a little prep to add to every pencil, but it was a cute presentation.

Playdoh

This one is last because it isn’t a 100% safe alternative. Children with celiac disease or pica will not be able to use this. However, it is a universal child pleaser. Some stores have started carrying bags of Halloween-sized playdoh over the last several years, and it’s an excellent price for Halloween. It is still a great non-food choice for children with other food restrictions.

I hope this list gives you some inspiration. If you want to try it out, you can give candy to most kids and have a separate container of non-food items for the kids who need it. I find I spend $30-60 a year giving to 100+ kids, whether candy or one of the options I mentioned above. Either way, having non-food items is a much more inclusive practice and helps everyone enjoy the holiday. 

One more perk: Not buying Halloween treats to give out ahead of time keeps one more temptation out of my house. I do not limit or forbid my kids from enjoying Halloween, but I know that I am more tempted by it when that sugar is in my home. If it’s not here, I know I can avoid it more easily.

Have a very happy and safe Halloween!