Candy, though being associated with Halloween for centuries, has also long been associated with health issues such as spikes in sugar levels, weight gain and contributing to such things as diabetes and decay of our teeth. However, there are other Halloween treat ideas that you to hand out to your trick-or-treaters.  We can all make sure our kids enjoy this Halloween by giving them treats that won’t harm or affect their health.

After having numerous conversations with kids in my family, their friends and their classroom buddies I have come up with a list of treats the kids would enjoy just as much, if not more, than Halloween candy.

Healthy Snacks:

Raisins or other dried fruit packets

Bags of homemade trail mix

Mixed nuts that can also be mixed with raisins or dried cranberries

Apples can be decorated with small scary spiders that you can attach to the stem

Bananas and oranges can be decorated with painted Halloween faces

Other Great Treats:

Kids love stick-on stickers and temporary tattoos

Wax teeth and mustaches have been a hit on Halloween for as long as I can remember

Small wind-up toys that jump and move in many different ways – many adults have collected these since they were children

Boxes of Crayons

Spooky tops for their pencils and spooky shaped erasers

Sidewalk Chalk – great for Hop Scotch and for drawing pictures on the sidewalk or driveway

Freaky plastic rings shaped like spiders and other creatures will go nicely as accessories to their costumes.  A cat ring would be a great addition to the Pink Barbie Cat Costume for girls.

Many of your local party stores will have Halloween party favor bags. Some of them have miniature harmonicas and other fun toys in them.  I take these bags and use the contents individually for the trick-or-treaters. Kids love Halloween whether they get lots of candy or other fun and playful treats in their bag.

With the thousands of children that can’t eat candy due to health issues such as diabetes or food allergies, it’s important to have alternatives to Halloween candy so they can also enjoy the holiday.

I plan to give out candy, both regular and sugar-free, but I also plan to have many other treats for the children that prefer them or just can’t eat the candy.  Why should they be left out when there are so many easy ways to include them in the Halloween Spirit?

The Child Bratz Cat Costume is at the top of the list for Halloween 2009

Happy Halloween!