Tracy Amin of Seattle also wanted to build empathy in her children when she hosted a teal-pumpkin painting party and promoted the idea in her neighborhood last year. “I want to teach him kindness and empathy and compassion for other kids,” she says. But Natalie Wilensky of Chevy Chase Village, Md., says the main reason she puts out a teal pumpkin - and thinks of children with food restrictions when she bakes a birthday cake or takes a treat to school - is to teach her unaffected son Jacob, 7, to think of others. An extra bonus: When offered non-food treats at Halloween and other occasions, kids without any such issues also might consume less sugar. So do kids with diabetes and those with gluten sensitivity and other food intolerances, says Ohlmeyer, who is a registered dietitian. We hope that it becomes a new Halloween tradition.”Īnd it’s not just kids with allergies who benefit when food-free treats are available. This year, the group is thinking bigger, Gregory says: “Our goal is to have a home on every block in America with a teal pumpkin. About 1 million people visited the group’s website to get information, and about 10,000 of them - probably a fraction of participants - put their homes on an interactive map showing teal pumpkin sites, she says. Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), a non-profit advocacy group, first promoted the idea nationwide, with the help of a viral Facebook post, says Nancy Gregory, senior director of communications. Participation is simple: You just put a teal-colored pumpkin or sign outside your door and offer trick-or-treaters glow sticks, spider rings, Halloween stickers or other non-food goodies, along with or instead of the traditional candies. So a Tennessee mom named Becky Basalone had an idea: What if Halloween could be made a little less tricky for kids with food allergies? Her idea became what is now the Teal Pumpkin Project, a nationwide effort to encourage families - whether their own kids have food restrictions or not - to offer up some non-food treats on Oct. It’s not known why, but food allergies have been on the rise in a big way (my personal theory involves the increased prevalence of synthetic additives in our food), with kids and teens being particularly vulnerable to potentially life-threatening reactions. Between 19, there was a 50% increase in food allergies. This year, please consider joining the Teal Pumpkin Project by offering non-food items to help all children in your neighborhood to participate in the holiday.According to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), approximately 15 million Americans suffer from food allergies, with one in 13 children under 18 affected. They can feel confident a fellow neighbor considers them and will have a toy or small trinket that the child can enjoy, and not another piece of unsafe candy they have to give to their sibling. These bright pumpkins are beacons of safety for children suffering from food allergies. According to FARE “Teal Pumpkin Project is raising food allergy awareness and offering the option of non-food trinkets and toys in a separate bowl makes Halloween safer and more inclusive for all trick-or-treaters.” Being creative, playing pretend, spending time with friends, a few sweet treats – who wouldn’t want their child to experience this!?Ī phenomenal movement has emerged over the past years to help food allergy children safely navigate this holiday that I want to bring to light because perhaps you haven’t noticed – The Teal Pumpkin Project. This doesn’t mean that we as parents want them to enjoy this special tradition any less though. Halloween, a night for most that is filled with joy and spooky fun, can be a landmine of dangers for a child with allergies. Holidays, especially those centered around food (which to be honest is pretty much all of them!) are challenging. Food allergy life isn’t easy, as I’ve written about in my past articles.
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