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Trick-or-treating is a beloved tradition for many, but for some, it can be one of the most dangerous and stressful pastimes of the year. Children with food allergies often find themselves navigating a minefield of potential triggers, so their parents and guardians must stay on high alert. Instead of enjoying the night for its silly costumes and magical glow, Halloween can quickly turn into a night of anxiety.
The Teal Pumpkin Project promotes food allergy awareness while bringing the fun back to Halloween for all involved.
What is the Teal Pumpkin Project and what does Teal Pumpkin mean?
It’s estimated that one in 13 children currently have food allergies, with even more living with intolerances and other food-triggered conditions. The Teal Pumpkin Project was started by a mom, Becky Basalone, to create a safe alternative for these kids (and to offer a little peace of mind for the adults watching them) by encouraging houses to offer allergy-free alternatives on Halloween. The project also helps raise awareness for food allergies, therefore opening more doors (literally) for allergy-sensitive trick-or-treaters.
Participating is easy—just put a teal pumpkin decoration in a prominent place to signal that your house is a safe one to visit for all trick-or-treaters. This can be as simple as painting a real pumpkin teal or printing out one of the project’s free signs. If you want to go with something a little flashier (or something that involves no effort on your part), consider some of the options below.
How to support an allergy-free Halloween
About now you’re probably wondering, if you’re not handing out Halloween candy to all the kids who come, what are you handing out instead? No one wants to be the house handing out duds, but luckily, there are lots of great treat options that are every bit as much fun as candy when candy isn’t an option.
Though there’s a robust list on the Teal Pumpkin Project website, some of our favorite candy alternatives include glow sticks, stickers, and toys. When in doubt, follow your heart and ask yourself, “If I was a kid, would I be excited or disappointed to get this?”
These toys may be small, but they’re a cool alternative to candy and support those trying to have an allergy-free Halloween.
Participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project doesn’t mean you can’t hand out candy to other trick-or-treaters. It just means there is an allergy-safe option available as well. If you plan to offer both, be sure to keep any food allergens in a separate bowl from your allergen-free items.
If you’re eager to find other ways to make your house more accessible to all trick-or-treaters, here are some other factors to consider:
- Hand out candy from a flat, stair-free area such as the end of a driveway or your garage if there are stairs leading up to your front door.
- Ensure all pathways are well-lit, wide, and clear of any obstacles.
- Avoid strobe lights, smoke machines, and loud noises.
- Don’t draw attention to any trick-or-treaters that seem older than you expect.
Teal Pumpkin products for houses
1. Carvable faux teal pumpkin
Upgrade up your outdoor décor by placing some teal jack-o'-lanterns around your yard.
Half the fun of having pumpkins as Halloween décor is carving them into silly faces and pictures. While you can certainly buy a real pumpkin and paint it teal to accomplish this, it adds work to an already messy process.
If you prefer to keep things simple and do the creative part without scooping out any slime or seeds, this carvable foam pumpkin from Target is a great way to signal your house is safe while also upholding your favorite tradition.
Get into the holiday spirit by carving up a classic, yet faux, Halloween staple.
2. Teal Pumpkin door signs
Welcome newcomers on Halloween night with a friendly and informative door banner.
Make your door stand out with these cute signs that spell out exactly what teal pumpkins mean and why families with allergies can feel safe stopping by. Since your porch light will be on anyway, these signs should be easily seen from the street. While they’re minimal effort to put up, they’ll give your entryway a put-together look that’s welcoming for all.
These vertical banners make it easy for trick-or-treaters to identify allergy safety zones.
3. Pre-packed treat boxes
These handheld cardboard goodie boxes store allergy-free treats in a safe place.
If you plan to hand out candy but still want to have allergy-friendly options available, pre-packed treat boxes are a great alternative. They let you put in your allergy-friendly items without risking contact with potential allergens from touching food items like candy. Plus, when you see a kid come up who is sporting teal (or whose parents indicate allergies), you can smoothly hand these out just like any other treats.
These specialized allergy goodie boxes are the perfect way to keep your treats contaminant-free.
4. Fun popcorn bucket twist
Trinkets, stickers, and other non-food items are a perfect fit for this popcorn holder.
Some parents feel better being able to see what’s in an allergy-safe container before their kiddo has a hold of it, so these mini popcorn buckets are a great alternative to the boxes and bags available.
They’re sized to fit one water bottle or fun items like glow sticks, stickers, and more. They also give you the option to have different varieties of treats in each box, letting a kid select their favorite the same way they typically would with a candy bowl.
Although they appear to be made for popcorn, these themed boxes can hold stickers, glow sticks, trinkets, and more.
5. Fairy lights to brighten things up
Make your home memorable to trick-or-treaters with a set of teal fairy lights.
Halloween tends to be pretty dark, which is one of the fun parts for kids venturing out into the night. This can make spotting teal pumpkin decorations difficult even with porch lights on. One way to make your house easier to spot is by adding some teal pumpkin fairy lights to signal brightly that your home is a safe place to stop.
These festive string lights are another subtle way to help adults and kids alike easily recognize allergy-free areas.
6. Garden sign for quick explanation
This Teal Pumpkin garden flag can be planted and removed from your lawn when necessary.
Though the Teal Pumpkin Project has grown in popularity in recent years, it’s still not universally known by everyone. A teal pumpkin without explanation might be a great way to be subtle, but it also might not be enough to signal all trick-or-treaters who need to know.
This sign combines a cute design with a clear explanation of what the teal pumpkin actually means. Put it near the street (with enough light to read) to make sure no one misses your house because of allergen worries.
Adding this garden flag to your front yard provides a simple explanation to trick-or-treaters and requires minimal effort.
Teal Pumpkin products for kids
No kid likes being singled out, especially for their allergies. If you want to create the most natural Trick-or-Treat process possible, there are a few ways to make sure your neighbors know to keep an eye out for children with allergy sensitivities.
7. Light-up Teal Pumpkin bucket
Illuminate inclusive goodies in this felt bucket.
This fun bucket from Six Senses Media is a great way to give your favorite trick-or-treater a unique treat-gathering bucket while also signaling the need to avoid certain foods. The bucket is well sized and easy to hold for most kids, and because it lights up, neighbors are sure to spot the color even on the darkest of Halloween nights.
This treat bucket has teal LED lights that bring your jack-o’-lantern’s smiling face to life.
8. Pre-planned treat bags
Disposable goodie bags are ideal for a Halloween party or a school classroom. The teal coloring means everything inside should be allergy safe.
Sometimes candy is really what a kid wants most on Halloween, but, with especially dangerous or unusual allergies, it can be a struggle to find much that they can actually eat at the end of the night. If you know your little one looks forward to the candy most, it might be worth pre-planning your Trick-or-Treat route and dropping off bags of candy you know are safe for your child. If you ask neighbors to hand the bag out to your child when they arrive, most will be happy to do so. Just be sure to indicate which child should get the bag if you’re coming with a larger group of kids.
In keeping with themed Teal Pumpkin paper goods, these printed bags are lightweight and durable.
9. Teal Pumpkin light-up necklace
This necklace signals allergy concerns to adults and looks cool enough to be appreciated by kids.
Halloween is often all about the costume for the excited trick-or-treater, so convincing them to wear a large sign, button, or shirt to signal any allergies might be a struggle. However, these clever light-up necklaces are a great way to add a subtle but easily spotted alert to neighbors that your kid is someone who needs allergy-safe treats.
Beef up your Teal Pumpkin collection with a fun light-up necklace that can be repurposed for years to come.
10. Trick-or-treat glow torch
Instead of a traditional flashlight, try a festive glow torch instead.
Giving your kid a light-up device on Halloween is sure to be a hit regardless, but this particular flashlight offers the extra benefit of subtly signaling your neighbors that your kid needs to avoid allergens.
It’s available in single packs or sets of three, so you can choose based on the number of kids with food allergies in your Trick-or-Treat party. Everyone is sure to have fun waving the light around, and the bright spot of teal is an easy sign to spot for those on the lookout for allergy-free trick-or-treaters.
This glowing flashlight can prove useful during Halloween night for extra visibility around the neighborhood.
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