Halloween Tips and Tricks
Lots to cover here so I am breaking it up into parenting and food 😉
If you are just looking for the CANDY links…scroll down!
PARENTING
Trick or Treating should be focused on the act of collecting and playing make believe rather than the types of candy and when you are going to eat them. The act of collecting and dressing up are exciting components for young kids!
Be mindful when trick or treating with little ones to go earlier and have flashlights so it is not scary as that may set you up for a sleepless night. Remember, don't feel the need or pressure to go trick or treating - you can simply have people over to celebrate in a child-appropriate manner.🧚
One of the things I like to do is bake before going out so when you get home they can trade their candy for some delicious baked goods. Also, you get quality time spent with your kids baking. You may say "We are going to bake xyz beforehand and after we get home from trick or treating the xyz will have cooled down enough to eat!" Or you can implement the candy fairy with younger kids where they hide their candy under their pillow and they get a toy in exchange. Search halloween on my website for the post and language to use.
FOOD
My philosophy is if they are going to eat foods that don’t help you grow, I would rather them have better options which would include a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie (check out Pamela Salzman) or a vegan gluten cupcake (check out @yvonnesvegankitchen), etc. But again, this is what works for my family and my kids love baked goods.
A lot of people are asking for my picks for candy. Here are some of the brands:
🎃Yum Earth Sour Littles
🎃Yum Earth Giggles
🎃 Yum Earth licorice
🎃 Dip Ems (*Fun Dip Alternative)
🎃 @unreal.snacks Unreal dark chocolate peanut gems
🎃 @nellysorganicsbars chocolate bars
🎃 @organiccandyfactory vegan gummies
🎃 @koochikoo lolipops
🎃 Yum Earth Lolipops
🎃 Justin’s peanut carmel bars (like snickers)
🎃 @gosupernatural sprinkles (love these to put on top of cupcakes)
You can hand out friendship bracelets, @tater_tats tattoos, bubbles, erasers, seed packets etc.
When trick or treating, one approach is to bring an identical bag of candy that is dye-free and/or allergen friendly. *if you see a teal pumpkin outside someone's house that means they have allergen-free options. #tealpumpkinproject You can either swap your child's bag or run up to the door in advance of your kids and ask them to swap their candy for your approved candy of choice (You may or may not see a very pregnant fairy running around doing this!)🧚
The last option is something that is more suitable for school age children and I like to refer to it as the Candy Fairy. Prior to going out, explain to your little one that the fairies need the candy to build their houses so if you put the candy under a pillow... they will replace it with a toy that will last you much longer than candy.🧚
For children who are older and understand the concept of donating... you can donate the candy to the American Troops who help keep us safe.🧚
🎃🎃🎃
At the end of this remember that it is only one night. My motto is always 80/20.
FACE PAINT:
Also sold at The Wooden Wagon .
The face paint listed above is certified non-toxic, free of nanoparticles, heavy metals, parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, and petroleum-based dyes.
MASKS:
Most Halloween masks, despite being hard to breathe in, can also be very scary. This is why I like cloth or fabric masks. Kids can also be involved in the mask making process by using paper to create their own Halloween masks. You can also look online for some mask printables and use those as a template. Just add holes to the corner of the masks and string some yarn through.
Shop Merci Milo has a variety of masks.
COSTUMES: Here are my favorite non-toxic shops to purchase non-toxic costumes. I love supporting and buying costumes from moms on Etsy and have found them to be better made! Check out etsy.
I look for PVC free, flame retardant free and no PFAS derivatives as most costumes contain these materials.
Sarah’s Silks to create costumes out of their scarves and capes. The animal print can be paired with brown leggings and a brown top to create an animal costume. These can also be purchased on my Amazon store here.
Etsy (mermaid dress). You can always search Etsy for crochet or handmade Halloween costumes. While it may be more expensive, these are costumes that you can reuse and put in your child’s dress up section that they can use during the rest of the year..
I also love being able to purchase and support these small businesses.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS:
