to offer only 'non-sweet' treats this halloween?

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my son has sensory issues, he doesnt eat sweets, won't even touch them, and dd, well.. dd eats more than i'd like at halloween. DS wants to get involved, but he won't even hold the bowl out if there's sweets in it!

i was considering, this year, offering up something different, sticker sheets, or halloween themed crayons...etc, just some little odds and ends from the pocket money bit of the toy shop, the crap you get in birthday party good bags basically.

good idea or not? would you, as a parent, complain if a house you went TorTing at offered non-sweets to your child to pick from instead of the usual chocolate and lolly pops?

I think you're good to even open the door to trick or treaters.

Ooh, I might try the idea of the bracelets - I get loads of trick or treaters and as we are on quite a tight budget, Halloween costs me a fortune. Last year we ran out and had to turn loads of kids away :(

It's better than the people that give out chick tracts.

I would not complain about my child getting less candy on Halloween. As a kid I came home with pillowcases full of candy. They'll find other houses for their sugar fix.

Yes, I thought you were going to say carrot sticks or some other non-sweet food, stickers etc sound like a great idea. I've got a DS with sensory issues who likes very few sweets too. Glow sticks is a good idea, we always put a few on the DCs for road safety when trick or treating. We bought a tube of about 100 very cheaply on Amazon a couple of years ago.

I suppose the only thing is what to do with the leftover non edible stuff - sweets are easy to get rid of but if it rains we hardly get any trick or treaters so we could be left with a load of rubbers, stickers etc, could always keep them for party bags though.

I did glow stick bracelets last year, 100 for £5 on eBay. They went down really well

Last year in DM there was a woman who frightened trick-or-treaters by handing out raw kidneys...

Monster Munch is a fantastic idea! I bloody love Monster Munch... I usually get some glowsticks in, might get some packs of loom bands too this year.

I make pumpkin muffins out of the middle of the pumpkin (carrot cake recipe) - it's the only way it ever gets used up. Nobody's ever complained...

As long as you don't hand out toothbrushes accompanied by a solemn tract warning of the dangers of sugar (as a particularly joyless acquaintance of mine once did), YANBU. Stickers or pencils or whatever will probably be hugely popular.

I think it's a lovely idea. I might buy in some party bag style bits this year instead of sweets or chocolates, you've inspired me!

The only thing that I would worry about is if DD is missing out and feels it's because of her DB. If she loves sweets Halloween it's sort of 'her' holiday IYSWIM. I'm doing two bowls, one is pumpkin rubbers, stretchy rats and mini pots of slime and one is a bowl of sweets.

i might ask a good friend if dd can go proper trick or treating with them this year, and get ds to help me hand out the goodies.

will see how it goes, dd is only 5 and i'm not sure i'm ready to let her go out TorTing yet.

I think it's a brilliant idea, just like having a party bag they will have sweets and some things to play with.

Nobody ever comes to our door...

a few years ago I had some plastic bones I wasn't using to decorate so I put them in the plastic cauldron with the sweets... EVERY kid who I offered the cauldron to wanted a bone, I had loads of sweets left over but no bones.

This year, the cauldron is full of plastic tat (skeletons, eyeballs, bats, skull rings...) and I have some sweets on stand-by in case anyone wants them. I expect to be eating the sweets myself.

Good idea . Round here we get teens at the door dressed up. Think they might be less impressed with plastic tat!!

Good idea . Round here we get teens at the door dressed up. Think they might be less impressed with plastic tat!!

for 2 years running we have offered apples and oranges in with the sweets and you would be amazed at the number of kids who take those instead of sweets. I ran out of fruit before sweets.

Love the monster munch idea too!!

Happy Halloweening ......

Not read the entire thread, but halloween when I was a child in Ireland, was Apples and nuts, no sweets at all.

Brilliant idea OP.
Both of mine have an ASD and both are limited by sensory issues and fear of the unknown.
We went 'guising' last year for the first time. I found DS's plastic pumpkin bucket the other day and most of the sweets were untouched!
My two would love some plastic tat!