Love it or hate it, Halloween is just around the corner!
For the families I support who have kiddos with complex picky eating, with and without developmental conditions, Halloween can be tough to navigate with all of the treats (especially the ones with spooky ingredients like artificial colors/dyes and flavors, high fructose corn syrup, GMO ingredients...I could go on).
Let me be clear, I don't think there's one "right way" for parents to handle Halloween with their kids. It really depends on your child and family!
If you want to let your kid have as much candy as they want until it runs out, if you let them choose a small amount to keep, if you help them ration out how much they can have with meals for the week after Halloween, or if you choose not to let them partake in the conventional treats at all… whatever your family handles Halloween, I'm not here to judge you or tell you what to do.
For many of the kids that I work with, who are extra-sensitive to "spooky ingredients" and on a gut-healing journey, parents often opt to not make an exception of allowing them to have popular conventional candies during Halloween... which is totally fine! There are sooo many other ways to make Halloween fun for kids (costumes, decorations, crafts, pumpkin carving/decorating, themed activities, etc.)
Here are a few resources and thoughts I wanted to share with you for some inspiration on how to make this Halloween a little healthier, no matter what your approach to Halloween might be!
Healthier Halloween Ideas:
The Switch Witch
Have you heard of the Switch Witch? There are different ways to go about the Switch Witch (there are books and physical dolls, like Elf on the Shelf, that you can buy and get really into it but it's not totally necessary)... basically, here's the gist:
She's a very sweet witch who loves candy and/or she needs it to "fuel her broom" ;) Every year on Halloween (when kids go to bed or when they're in the shower that night or when they're just not paying attention, whatever you decide) kids leave their candy from trick-or-treating out for her (in their room, in the yard by a tree, in the living room, etc.)... where she then switches it for a toy and/or healthier Halloween treats!
I love the idea of parents creating a little basket of some "better option" treats and candies with maybe some small Halloween themed non-candy/food items or toys like pencils, coloring books + new crayons, puzzles, etc. Nothing major, just enough for your kid(s) to be excited about.
Some parents help their child sort out some candy to keep and then some candy to give to the Switch Witch, while others whose children are on a special diet or healing journey may need to default to giving all the candy to the Switch Witch. You make the rules and decide what's best for your child!
If you're not into a "witch" or think the idea might be too creepy for your kid, some parents call her the Candy Fairy or The Great Pumpkin, etc.
Healthier Candy Options
Whether it's for a candy trade or because you want to give some healthier options to the trick-or-treaters coming to your door, here are some healthier candy swaps to check out by a brand called Yum Earth.
Below are links to purchase on Amazon but you may be able to find these at your local health foods store as well. (Please note these are Amazon affiliate links where I may earn a small commission from your purchase, at no extra cost to you).
The ones I'm sharing below are all certified organic and gluten + dairy free! There are many healthier candy alternatives out there these days, I'm just sharing a handful here... If your child has a certain favorite candy, chances are, there's a healthier alternative out there!
And last but certainly not least, here are some options for healthier homemade treats...
50+ PALEO HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN TREATS
One of my all-time favorite recipe developers is Michelle Hoover, NTP of Unbound Wellness. She's a fellow Nutritional Therapy Practitioner who specializes in paleo and Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) recipes. I'm not saying you should follow these diets or put your kid on them, but what I love about her recipes is they're free of the top food irritants and triggers that many of my clients are trying to avoid while working to help support their child's gut health. Because these recipes are paleo, you can expect them to be gluten, dairy, corn, soy, and refined sugar free (among other things... "spooky ingredient" free!).
She has candy dupes, gummies, no-bake treats, baked treats, and more! No matter what your approach to Halloween candy is, I highly recommend checking these recipes out!
Images by Unbound Wellness
Regardless of how you choose to do Halloween in your household…
I hope that you've found some inspiration from the thoughts and resources I've shared here. I'm wishing you and your family a very happy and safe upcoming Halloween!
