Nine Halloween Treats for Allergic Kids

1. Stickers

Popular with younger boys and girls of all ages, you can find stickers to go with Halloween themes, popular television or movie characters, or virtually anything else. One great, easy-to-overlook source of stickers is the scrapbook section of art supply stores.

2. Pens and Pencils

3. Plastic Jewelry

Among the most economical Halloween favors you can buy are rings in the shape of spiders, bats, or pumpkins. They come in large packages and are easy options both for trick-or-treaters and for classroom parties.

4. Practical Joke Gear

Whoopie cushions, fake blood, slime, and the like are cheap, gross, and surefire hits with school-age kids. They're a little more expensive than some items on this list, but may be excellent contingency items to keep on hand if your main trick-or-treat items are candy, or if you're hosting a small birthday party around Halloween.

5. Activity/Coloring Books

These sorts of gifts are ideal for parties, or for other situations where you can predict the age of the children receiving them (for example, when you know the kids in your neighborhood relatively well). Small seasonal activity books are often available at drugstores and can be great deals.

6. Art Supplies

Small boxes of crayons or chalk, individual packages of modeling clay, small sets of watercolors, or kid-sized paintbrushes are examples of art supplies that please kids of many ages. Art supplies that are also sold as school supplies are best purchased at the end of summer, but you can find inexpensive buys year-round at arts and crafts stores, dollar stores, or discount stores.

7. Jewelry and Accessories

Much more of a favorite among girls, of course, but definitely an option if you're offering a variety of treats for Halloween night or for an all-girls' party. Sparkly nail polish, bracelets, bejeweled hairpins, and barrettes are inexpensive but kid-pleasing options.

8. Small Puzzles

Look at drugstores or discount stores to make these viable cost-effective options. Holiday puzzles are a great choice for preschoolers and up.

9. Toys

Think about the sorts of toys kids are likely to receive at the dentist's office when considering toys to give out as trick-or-treating gifts. Dollar stores, discount stores, grocery stores, and mass market stores all have options. Some good options may include small toy cars, bath toys, doll clothing, and small stuffed animals or figurines of dinosaurs or other perennial kid favorites.