Has anyone sean the teal pumpkin pledge

[bsblady01]

Not taking the pledge because we keep the lights off and don't give out any candy. I can't stand Halloween.

do your kids go out and get candy that night

 

[worm761]

I buy what we like to eat. I don't get many trick or treaters so I end up with a ton left over. I also buy pencils or toy rings or something. I remember loving them as a kid.

 

[arminnie]

I've either lived in a condo or apartment for most of the past 25 years so haven't had many if any trick or treaters. We are now in a house in a real neighborhood. I think we are going to give out Mardi Gras beads as our other home is one the parade route in New Orleans and we always end up with bags and bags of the beads and throws. We take them to Disney and kids of all ages seem to love them.

 

[wilkeliza]

Small toys=choking hazard!!!

We usually buy the variety pack of candy-some plain chocolate, some with peanut butter, there might be Smarties or lollipops, I can't remember....

Halloween always seems to have something to get upset over. When I was a kid, it was my mom scouring my candy for razor blades. Now its allergies.

The problem with that is most of those are processed in a facility that handles nuts. That means people allergy to nuts probably will just toss it. All of this goes to show that you could have 15 different selections and still not satisfy everyone.

 

[Ceila]

I feel like this idea stemmed from parents who feel that their kid "deserves" to be able to eat everything they get from trick-or-treating, just like their peers. Sorry, but I just don't buy into that.

Honestly, there are too many allergies and concerns out there to think that anyone could truly provide a "safe" treat to every kid. Kids have allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, red food dye, etc. Kids who have braces can't have certain types of candy, and kids with diabetes can't gorge on their take when they get home. Small toys are choking hazards for little kids. The list goes on and on.

How about parents just take responsibility for helping their kid sort through what they CAN have, toss or donate the rest (lots of groups collect extra Halloween candy for the troops), and help their kid realize that you can't always have everything, but you can still have some really great stuff.

 

[cabanafrau]

Last year was our first year not passing out treats. It felt strange, but with the way our street is situated and the makeup of our neighbors being almost exclusively seniors who either don't put their lights on at all or who do so for 20 min at most, kids would skip our street for the most part anyway.

 

[Disney Dynamite]

We live in a small neighborhood, and almost all of our few trick or treaters are our neighbors' children. I usually buy the candy that we (or my co-workers) will eat if any is left. Truthfully, I don't feel that I'm equipped to determine what is "safe" for a child with allergies. I just offer what we have and expect the parents to determine what is actually appropriate for their children.

 

[sugahjunior]

the hard candy is safe. buy a bag of suckers/ or other hard candy. chips and goldfish are also a big hit with the kids

Hard candy is a choking hazard for younger children and goldfish are not gluten-free. So those certainly don't work for all kids.

 

[Aladora]

Maybe Smarties. They are gluten-free, vegan, don't have nuts or chocolate.

I was briefly confused until I remembered that Smarties in the USA are different than Smarties in Canada (or the UK for that matter)!

Canadian Smarties: Chocolate covered in candy.

American Smarties: Small candy discs.

 

[LJSquishy]

I haven't heard of it but I think it's great! I enjoy handing out goodies for Halloween and certain non-candy items like stickers, temporary tattoos, erasers, pencils, etc are all inexpensive. Typically I hand out both candy and a glow bracelet to kids so incorporating more "toys" and less candy isn't a weird idea to me...at least to give the kids a choice.

 

[scoutie]

As a parent of someone with a food allergy, it kind of bugs me. I just wish people would leave it alone because it bugs some non-allergy people to have to feel like they are catering

I feel like that too. My ten year old has a peanut allergy (if he eats one, he can go into anaphylactic shock...but he doesn't react to the peanut proteins in the air). I always feel bad when the teacher sends the "peanut aware" classroom note out, because my son knows to not eat things with peanuts in it, and it's really a non issue if another kid brings a peanut snack. He doesn't like to sit at the peanut free table either, and up until this year, the school made him do that too. When he goes trick or treating, he gives my husband the Reese's peanut butter cups or trades candy with a friend. No need for anybody to feel they need to go out of their way for my kid.