Six Kid Friendly Halloween Treat Alternatives for Kansas City Parents

It’s the spookiest season of the year, and that means it’s time for all the little ghosts and goblins in Kansas City to go door-to-door trick or treating! But while trick or treating is all about the costumes and the candy when you’re a kid, not every parent is comfortable handing out so many sugary treats at Halloween. After all, some of the kids who come to your door may have peanut allergies, milk allergies, allergies to eggs, soy, or wheat… the list goes on and on. Plus, as your Kansas City family dentist, we would be remiss not to mention all the damage that so much sugary candy can do to your kids’ teeth. So what’s a parent to do?

Fortunately, there are some genuinely kid-friendly treat alternatives that will keep the kids in your neighborhood smiling this Halloween, while also helping you to avoid the “trick” part of that old equation. Without further ado, here are 6 of our favorite kid-approved Halloween alternatives for KC parents, straight from your Kansas City family dentist:

1. Glow Sticks. More than just a fun and spooky alternative to candy, glow sticks actually serve a useful purpose: helping your kids to stand out in the dark on Halloween night!
2. Temporary Tattoos. These come in a variety of different permutations, including logos from some of their favorite superheroes or cartoon characters. Fun to wear, and thankfully very temporary!
3. Noisemakers. As any parent can attest, most kids love anything that makes a lot of noise. From maracas to whistles to kazoos and horns, there are a whole pile of fun noise-making instruments, perfect for trick or treating, available in multi-packs at your local Target or Walmart this Halloween season!
4. Plastic Jewelry. We can pretty much guarantee that you’ll be seeing a lot of princesses at the door this Halloween, and what princess costume couldn’t do with a little more sparkle?
5. Horror Makeup Effects. Kids love putting a fake scar on their cheek or forehead, and fake scars are certainly better than real ones! Fortunately, there are plenty of high-quality makeup effects available at the nearest Halloween store or department store from brands like Woochie that can let kids decorate themselves with whatever weird or creepy effect they can think of—and then peel it right back off again later!
6. Mini Bottles of Water. Kids may not be as excited about a bottle of water as they would be a candy bar, but when they’re out walking all over the neighborhood and eating candy all night, they’ll appreciate having something along to drink. And since neither Princess Elsa nor Captain America carries a canteen, your water bottle may just come in very handy!

Whether or not you choose to give out candy this Halloween, chances are your kids are going to come home with bags of it when they’re done trick or treating. So what’s the best thing that you can do for your Kansas City family dental health this Halloween season? We recommend doling the candy out slowly, and making sure that everyone brushes their teeth after they’ve had their treats. Some KC parents even encourage their kids to leave Halloween candy out overnight in hopes that the “Switch Witch” will exchange the sugary payload for a toy or game from their wish list. (Not a bad idea, parents!)

Need to get your kids in to see your Kansas City family dentist after all that sugary Halloween candy? Not to worry, Blacker Family Dental in Kansas City, MO is always happy to see you for everything from a simple checkup to cosmetic dentistry, dental implants, and even sleep apnea. Just give us a call at (816) 763-8400 or click here to schedule an appointment today!