Fidgets Instead of Sweets for Trick-or-Treating

Why some families look for a non-food treat

For most children Halloween is about the sweets, and that's fine. For some it isn't. A child with a nut or milk allergy may come home with a bag they can barely touch. A child with type 1 diabetes has to count every sweet. Some families keep halal, kosher or vegan, and plenty of parents would just like the haul to be a bit smaller.

That's why the idea of a non-food bowl caught on. The US food-allergy charity FARE runs the Teal Pumpkin Project, which asks households to put non-food treats in a separate bowl and a teal pumpkin by the door so families know they're welcome. You'll see a few teal pumpkins on UK doorsteps now too.

A fidget suits that bowl well. It doesn't melt, it doesn't go off, and it gets played with long after the wrappers are in the bin.

Are fidgets better than sweets?

Not better, just different, and it helps to be honest about where each one wins.

Sweets win on cost. A big tub of fun-size bars works out at pennies per child. Even our smallest fidgets cost a lot more than that, so if you get a hundred knocks on the door, a fidget for everyone isn't realistic.

Fidgets win on lasting. A fidget is still in a coat pocket in December. It works for children who can't eat the sweets, and it's a treat parents don't have to ration.

So most people who do this keep both bowls. Sweets for the crowd, and a small stash of fidgets for the children who need them, or for the ones you know: neighbours' kids, nieces and nephews, your own little monsters at the end of the night.

How to offer fidgets at the door

1. Use two bowls. Keep the fidgets separate from the sweets so nothing gets mixed up with food, and so a parent can steer their child to the right one.
2. Put a small sign out. "Sweets or a fidget, your choice" saves a lot of explaining. A teal pumpkin does the same job if you have one.
3. Offer, don't swap. Let children pick. Some will take a fidget as well as a sweet, and that's fine if your stash allows it.
4. Check the age. Our toys aren't suitable for children under 36 months because they contain small parts. Toddlers trick-or-treat too, so give the toddlers in a group a sweet or a sticker instead.

How many will you need?

Think about who actually knocks on your door. On a busy estate you might see dozens of groups. On a quiet road it could be ten. Most households only need a handful of fidgets for the non-food bowl, because most children will still go for the sweets.

Multipacks and trios bring the cost down per toy, and a small mixed pack is easy to split between a few doorstep bowls or party bags. If you're running a school disco, a club night or a Halloween party rather than a doorstep, it's worth reading our guide to party bag fillers that aren't sweets.

Which fidgets work best as a treat

The best trick-or-treat fidgets are small, simple and fun straight out of the bowl. Look for:

• Something that fits a small hand. Pocket-sized fidgets are easiest for children to carry home with a bag of treats.
• Something that needs no explaining. A clicker, a flexi animal or a little spinner makes sense the second it's picked up.
• Bright colours. Orange, purple and black feel properly Halloween, and children notice.

Every toy we make is 3D-printed by us in Kent, in small batches, from PLA, a plant-based polymer. Each one carries the UKCA mark and is made to the UK toy safety standard, BS EN 71. The small ones below are the ones we'd pick for a Halloween bowl.