True story: One Halloween, when I was in the third grade or so, my mom decided that she would not pass candy out that year. Because we lived in a neighborhood with only a handful of trick-or-treaters, most of the neighbors gave us full-size candy bars, or poured handful upon handful of candy into our pillowcases. The same was true for us. Any trick-or-treater taking the time to hike up our driveway would be richly rewarded.
Until this one particular year, when my mom says, “I’m not giving out candy this year,” and proceeds to make cute little baggies with stickers and crayons and toothbrushes to pass out.
Imagine my horrow when a classmate (who also happened to be one of the two trick-or-treaters in our neighborhood besides myself and my siblings) made fun of me in front of the class for passing out toothbrushes on Halloween (the horror, right?!).
I swore, then and there, that I would always pass out THE BEST candy to trick-or-treaters when I was an adult.
Ha.
HahahahahHAHAHAHAHAHA. HA.
Toothbrushes for Halloween is genius! My mom was basically a Pinterest mom back in 1986 (and also probably the reason I didn’t have any cavities until I was in my 20s – read on to learn about how I plan on the same fate for the teeth of my children!).
Now I totally get it. And while I think ALL THE CANDY on Halloween is still super fun, I also understand the other side of it (cavities! sugar highs! parental candy thievery that leads to diet derailment!).
This post was sponsored by hello, and I received product so I could try everything out. All opinions are my own. Be sure to grab your own Halloween Treat Bag Printables below to make your own candy-free Halloween goody bags!
So, in honor of my mom and her “Toothbrushes for Trick-or-Treaters” (which I’m sure is equal to finding a box of raisins in your trick-or-treat bag, boooo…), I put together a candy-free treat for trick-or-treaters that I think is adorable (get the download and see everything I used to make these at the bottom of the post).
This doesn’t mean I won’t let my kids have candy on Halloween. I will. Mostly because I want some, too. But my Halloween goals are definitely different as an adult than they were as a child.
As a kid, my goal was to eat all the candy.
As an adult, my goal is to steal my candy favorites from the kids without them knowing about it, get all of the candy out of the house within a few days, and keep the kids from overdosing on sugar or getting any cavities in the meantime.
The kids already like to brush. They’re superfans of their hello kids bubble gum toothpaste, which tastes great and is fun to use (something about this cheerful pink tube makes everyone happy!). hello products are vegan, cruelty-free, and contain no artifical sweeteners or flavors. They’re naturally friendly!
They are also free from dyes, preservatives, triclosan and microbeads (I am slowly cutting out products with dyes and preservatives wherever I can…and products that go into my kids’ mouths is a good place to start!).
We’ll eat candy this Halloween. That’s not up for debate. But the kids will also be putting in some time brushing those pearly whites so we can stay cavity-neutral after The Great Candy Binge of 2016 (rush to brush after the sugar rush!).
And instead of sending junk food to the class parties this year, I’ll be sending these fang-tastic goodie bags.
Here’s what you need to make your own trick-or-treat bags:
- Fangs (I found mine at Walmart, which is also where you can find hello products!)
- Treat bags (these are also from Walmart…you’ll find them in the cake decorating section, which is often near the crafts)
- Ribbon (I used black and orange)
- Printable tags
You can download your printable fang-tastic labels below:
And in case you’re wondering…my mom redeemed herself the next year by handing out King-Size Snickers.
So cute and I adore the tags!
Thank you!! <3
THese are SO cute! Love! I pinned for later and stumbled, going to use these for Lila’s treat bags this year!
Thank you Kristen!! <3
Wow awesome idea!
Thanks Whitney!
Love the brights colors. I’m bringing back my Monday link party @ DIY Home Sweet Home (first one will be Oct. 16th) and I would love for you to stop by and link up your halloween treat bag printables or any new projects your working on! http://diyhshp.blogspot.com