Teal Pumpkin Project Seeks To Help Kids With Food Allergies Have A Safe Halloween

With a weekend full of trick-or-treating in store for the kiddos, local pediatricians are asking caregivers to be extra careful about what allergens are put into kid’s bags. The Teal Pumpkin Project is a national campaign encouraging people to make it known when and where you are handing out allergy-free items to kids during Halloween.

The organization has made an online interactive map to show what houses near you are registered as “Teal Pumpkin Homes." These houses will have a teal pumpkin on their porch and are expected to hand out little toys or common allergy-free food options instead of the traditional candy that many kids can’t be around due to allergies.

That map can be found by Clicking Here and typing in your address and selecting a radius.

Tulsa Pediatrician Dr. Scott Cyrus says one in every 13 children has a food allergy. He said the most common allergies to watch out for during the holidays are peanuts, tree nuts, and dairy items.

The Teal Pumpkin Project’s website says this is just one way to make sure kids feel included in the Halloween fun instead of being left out.

Dr. Cyrus said it’s easy to be an all-inclusive household, even by just separating the allergen-filled treats from the safer treats in different bowls. He said gummies, fruit snacks, bouncy balls, and slinkies are all good options to have on hand.

“Think about a broader audience, think about those kids who may have a food allergy,” Cyrus said. “Sometimes putting them in individual bags and letting the child come up and just take the bag so there is nothing on the outside of the bag they may be allergic to works well.”

He said if your child does receive treats they can’t have then the caregiver can make a game out of removing those items. He said one option would be to put those treats in a bag for the “treat fairy” to come get overnight and then replace with a new bag of treats or something that child has been wanting instead. Cyrus said that is just one way to make having allergies a positive experience instead of the child feeling left out or upset.

If you want to become a Teal Pumpkin House, you can register your address by Clicking Here.

They ask that you also make sure to put a teal pumpkin on your porch so people can easily identify your home.