From costumes to candy to caramel apples, there is so much to love about Halloween, unless you or your child has severe allergies. It's something that can get in the way of enjoying the holiday a growing national effort is in place to make Halloween a little less scary. It's called The Teal Pumpkin Project, and the mission is to make Halloween safe and fun for people with food allergies and other medical conditions.
Sarah Moore's two-year-old Jett is one of these children. He's looking forward to trick-or-treating, but his egg, nut, and milk allergies make it impossible for him to safely partake in candy-eating.
"You don't want them not to be included in this fun activity," says Moore. For this reason, she and other parents in this situation, encourage friends and neighbors to partake in the Teal Pumpkin Project.
Placing a teal pumpkin outside your home at Halloween signifies that you have non-food treats safe for kids with allergies and health concerns. Sarah has been doing it since before she was a parent.
"We actually had other options for people in our neighborhood. We got some stuff off of oriental trading, like pencils and things like that so it's available for kids that have allergies and just want to take part in Halloween in general," says Moore, adding advice for parents of children with allergies.
"If you live in a neighborhood that has a Facebook or you know your neighbors, possibly ask them or even bring them something that they can give your child who has severe allergies just to have them included in something," she says.
Some ideas for Teal Pumpkin treats include pencils, erasers, bubbles, glow sticks, and stickers.