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20 Halloween Candy Alternatives for Sensitive Kids

For some, Halloween is the one time a year they get to binge on candy, but for others, Halloween means dressing up then feeling left out of the trick-or-treat experience. An increasing number of kids have peanut or other allergies, and most candies either contain nuts or are made in a facility that also has nuts or items containing nuts. But Halloween doesn’t have to be about candy, you can make trick-or-treating safe for kids with allergies in your neighborhood by offering both candy and non-food items, or simply only handing out non-food items. Yes, candy is cheap, but there are a ton of non-food items you can get fairly inexpensive as well. Here are 20 Halloween candy alternatives for a safe Halloween (in no particular order)!

pumpkins

Halloween Candy Alternatives

Some great Halloween candy alternatives include:

  • craft gift bags
  • bracelets
  • mini toy cars
  • pencils
  • stickers
  • temporary tattoos
  • erasers
  • bounce balls
  • mini notepads
  • whistles
  • glow sticks
  • toy rings
  • coins
  • bookmarks
  • mini water bottles
  • bubbles necklaces
  • mini activity books
  • novelty gifts
  • individually wrapped wet ones
  • baseball cards
  • flower seeds

As you can see from the list, it is pretty simple to come up with ideas to give away this Halloween for trick or treaters other than candy! Here is a bit more on these Halloween candy alternatives:

1. Craft Bags: Get a stack of paper bags for a $1, a big pack of crayons for $2, and a giant bag of poms and pipe cleaners for a few dollars each then put a few of each item in each bag and close with a Halloween sticker. Make a craft from the items ad write directions on the bag if you choose, or simply just write “Craft Bag.”

2. Bracelets: Like most things from Oriental Trading Company, you can buy these in bulk, and cheap! Since shipping can take some time, search the Clearance sections of party stores or Target’s party favor section. These make for some super cute Halloween candy alternatives!

3. Mini Toy Cars: These can easily be bought in bulk and are fairly inexpensive.

4. Pencils: Yes, not everyone likes pencils, but they’re useful and pretty cool if you get nice ones.

5. Stickers: It’s super inexpensive to get a large amount of stickers. Buy a few with different themes, or just get kiddie Halloween stickers.

6. Temporary Tattoos: Like stickers, these can easily be purchased in bulk for little money and are well-received by most kids. Be sure to get a general theme for the tattoos. If you choose a specific theme or character you’ll have to get another so kids can choose. These are a kid favorite Halloween candy alternative!

7. Erasers: That’s right, fun little erasers.

8. Bounce Balls: These tiny little balls are a hit with kids and come in large packs.

9. Mini Notepads: Little kids love to impersonate the adults in their life — this includes using mini notepads to write messages and hand them to people or post them all around the house. Kids dig notepads!

10. Whistles: Not only do kids enjoy whistles (but maybe add an apology note to them for the parents), but these are handy for kids walking around on Halloween in case they encounter danger.

11. Glow Sticks/Bracelets: Again, can be bought in bulk and these are helpful to trick or treaters trying to find their way (or each other) at night. But, I will add this disclaimer: Glow sticks are extremely dangerous if not used properly, and so should only be given to children accompanied by adult supervision or old enough to understand proper safe use.

12. Toy Rings: These are a throwback Halloween handout. Spider rings have been a part of Halloween for decades, and continue to be a fun candy alternative. You can change it up with other types of toy rings, too.

13. Coins: Quarters, dimes or even pennies are fun for kids to get and put in their piggy banks at home. Even after handing out your cash, it can still cost you less than a bag of candy (and you’re contributing to something they’ve been saving for).

14. Bookmarks: Not only are bookmarks handy, but they’re visually appealing and you can order in bulk or make them at home!

15. Mini Water Bottles: Though you ingest it, water isn’t a food, and it doesn’t contain nuts — making it one of the most awesome items to pass out on Halloween. Walking around on the quest for goodies is tiring, and kids get thirsty. Decorate your mini water bottles with stickers or wrap them in Halloween paper to make them festive. Talk about and easy and useful Halloween candy alternative!

16. Bubbles: We all love bubbles, especially mini bubbles.

17. Necklaces: Get spooky Halloween necklaces and the kids will think it’s fun.

18. Mini Activity Books: Stores sometimes have these super mini coloring packs (the size of a business card) that come with a book, crayons, and stickers in big Halloween candy style bags.

19. Novelty Gifts: From goofy goggles to finger puppets, these gifts are fun trick-or-treat items.

20. Individually Wrapped Wet Ones: So, Wet Ones (and other brands) have single-use wet wipes that kill bacteria. Though not an all-time fave for kids, this is one item that could come in handy while out trick-or-treating. Mini tissue packs are great, too (noses start to run when it’s cold out).

BONUS IDEAS

21. Baseball Cards: You can either hand out little packs or open up big packs and give each child a few cards.

22. Plant/Flower Seed Packets: Help the planet, and give families something to do together.

Looking for more Halloween inspiration?

Check out these posts:

7 Halloween Activities For the Non Trick-or-Treater

8 Clever Family Halloween Costumes You’ll Want to Try This Year

Toddler-Friendly Eerie Halloween Porch Decorations

What are you giving out this Halloween? Tag @savvyeveryday in your Instagram pictures or comment below!

halloween candy alternatives ideas

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