The Teal Pumpkin Project

You may have seen teal pumpkins around your neighborhood or at the store and have wondered what they mean. The Teal Pumpkin Project is a worldwide movement to help children with food allergies enjoy a fun and safe Halloween. I know that if you are a parent who doesn’t have handle food allergies on a daily basis then it may be a little confusing how to support those who do. That is why I created this post - to share how you can support those children and to bring awareness to the food allergy community.

By putting a teal pumpkin on your doorstep, it means that you are offering non-food treats. You can also offer allergy friendly treats(we do because I think it is fun for kids to be able to have a special treat on Halloween), but I would recommend keeping them in separate bowls. This simple act promotes inclusion for trick-or-treater with food allergies. It is easy to get involved and I am going to help you step by step:

Step 1: Grab a teal pumpkin for your front porch. You can find them in most stores now – I have spotted them Target, Walmart, CVS and even our local grocery store. If you can’t get to the store you can always grab one on Amazon, like this one or even this adorable garden flag.

Step 2: Add your home to the Teal Pumpkin Project Map so that families with food allergies know where to go! TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT MAP.

Step 3: Spread the word! If you have a neighborhood site, share that you will be participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project on there. Tell your family and friends about too! The more people who join in on the Teal Pumpkin Project, the better!

Step 4: Load up on some non-food and allergy friendly treats. I have a created a list of ideas to help!

I was extremely impressed with Target’s Teal Pumpkin Project section this year! It is super affordable and they have tons of options! If you have a chance, swing by there this weekend to check it out.

Non-Food Treat Ideas:

1. Small Bubbles like these from Target, you can find something similar at the Dollar Store too!

2. Spider Rings! Who doesn’t love a good Spider Ring?!

3. Halloween Pencils. I grabbed these at Target, but also found some at the DollerTree.

4. Mini Slime and Sticky Hands. My kids LOVE these!

5. Glow Sticks. I found these cute ones at Target, but you can find glow sticks anywhere!

There are SO MANY more options, but I just wanted to share a few of our favorites.

Allergy Friendly Treat Ideas:

1. Yum Earth!! We love Yum Earth products, most of their products are free from the Top 8 Allergens. We grabbed the Lollipops, Candy Corn and Gummy Bears for this year!

2. Enjoy Life! When we first started learning about allergy friendly snacks, this was the first one I was drawn to because … CHOCOLATE! They make adorable Allergy Friendly Chocolate Minis for Halloween, but you can also grab their snack bags of cookies.

3. Black Forest Snacks - both their Gummy bears & Gummy Worms are great options. You can find a large box of their individually wrapped gummy bear snack packs at Costco.

4. Some other options are Dum Dums and Smarties - We just try to stay away from these since they contain food dyes.

**Remember to always read the packaging and ingredients, as things are always changing.

I hope this post helped you in understanding the Teal Pumpkin Project and brings awareness to providing a safe and inclusive Halloween for all children. Comment below or reach out if you have any questions! Will you be participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project this year?

Laura

xoxxo