My kids were savagely mocking of the neighbor who gave out the little raisin boxes. Halloween is not the time to make a stand against candy or proselytize your food views. Giving a drink is an excellent idea because they probably are thirsty. My favorite vegans give wax lips, but that's a rather pricey option if you have too many treat-ees.

Growing up, my parents were very strict about candy and junk food on a daily basis. However, when holidays rolled around, they knew it was not the time to be stingy. They still wisely limited our candy intake, but remember that this onus falls on the parents of the trick-or-treaters -- not on you.

Even back in the 80's, my parents took away any treats that weren't sealed shut -- this included all homemade or home-assembled treats that didn't come from a neighbor we knew and trusted.

Sadly, the kids won't appreciate your concern for health, and the mindful parents may just throw away your efforts. I'd really advise coming to terms with giving away some junk food one day a year, enjoy the adorable costumes, and leave it to the parents to monitor the candy intake.

@Kate(NC): the only people worse than raisin people were the ones who gave away pennies and religious pamphlets.

I knew a woman who gave out little bottles of holy water. No joke!

What about fruit leather? Trader Joe's has a bunch of different kinds, and while not as cheap as your typical Halloween handout, they're not too expensive. And they're individually wrapped so cautious parents don't have to worry so much.

@ sjbreeze - great idea! I have been thinking along the same lines as the poster (but also agree that kids just want candy).

I was also noticing that there are little bags of organic chips now? Not truly 'healthy' mind you, but still better than the regular ones...

I agree with the other posters -- Halloween is not the day to make a stand against junk food. As a kid, we made fun of the people who gave out raisins or even pretzels.

One friend I know gives away snack sized packets of microwave popcorn, unpopped. She says the kids love it and the parents do too. If you bought a big bulk box it wouldn't be too pricey.

@Emily G., us too. The religious pamphlet people were the worst, though.

If you're that worried about handing out junk, don't hand anything out at all. Kids won't appreciate your efforts, after all. I'd suggest maybe giving out little bags of Jordon almonds or chocolate covered raisins as they have some redeaming qualities, but if it's not sealed, most parents throw it away (despite, interestingly enough, no children ever being poisoned by trick-or-treat candy)

99 cent stores and party supply places also have cool, non-edible treats to give out.....erasers, pencils, crayons, squishy balls, silly putty, etc. I DO agree though....let the kids have some candy on Halloween and let the parents regulate it. My parents were super healthy as well (especially my mom) but even they would let me eat candy on Halloween, per tradition. ;)

If kids weren't constantly subject to treats as they seem to be these days then Halloween could be the treat-fest it is meant to be. I will NEVER stop giving out candy on Halloween. My own memories of it are far too dear, plus having to make the candy last until Christmas!

I really like the fruit leather suggestion. Along those lines, perhaps granola bars - like the kashi ones with chocolate that are still not too bad. Might get expensive, though.

I would assume that if the kids are trick or treating, then their parents don't mind them eating candy. I'd forego the healthy snacks. I'd also think twice about bulk or homemade treats, not for fear of poisoning, but because they don't come with an ingredient list.

I'm not anti-candy on Halloween, but the fruit leather suggestion is a good one for little kids. That stuff is highly coveted by the pre-school set. As is the yogurt in tubes. I don't generally let my daughter have it because it's very sweet (verging on junk food--no, it IS junk food, high-calcium junk food), but she's been lobbying for it for Halloween. Older kids? I don't think they'd go for it.

When I was a kid, we had strict instructions to not accept ANYTHING that wasn't wrapped/sealed. Where I'm from, the anti-junk crowd gave out apples (sometimes caramel or candy apples) and I was always bummed that we couldn't have a caramel apple from a stranger. We had one neighbor, Ted, who made homemade sugar cookies with elaborate royal icing jack o' lantern faces. Those we could have. They looked great. They didn't taste good.

I've been musing on this more and have remembered a few non-candy options that we still got excited about:

Juicy Juice boxes
Capri Suns
$1 gift certificates to McDonald's
Bouncy balls
Kazoos
Temporary tattoos

Why don't we just let kids be kids? 364 days a year are for eating healthy, balanced diets (ostensibly). Let Halloween be for eating way to much candy and getting a sick stomach.

Kazoos would really add fun to the walk. Great idea.
Just wanted to add the savage mocking of the raisins was for in private, afterward. A polite thank-you was required however disappointing the offering.

I don't think these would be considered "healthy," but they are organic and definitely less sugary than most fruit snacks. Annie's Organics makes some really yummy gummy treats for halloween. Normally, those fruit snacks are ridiculously expensive (like $5 for a box of five packets) but during Halloween, they sell boxes of 50 packets for the same price. Not that I really want to admit it, but I try to buy a box for myself around this time of year :) Here's the website so that you can check ingredients and nutrition info:
http://www.annies.com/fruit_snacks

Anything not individually wrapped will probably get tossed. You really don't want dozens of kids rooting around in anything that's not wrapped up. There are organic / more natural / slightly healthier snack foods but those will set you back a lot more, particularly if you have a lot of visitors.

I'd suggest something like Jolly Ranchers or another type of hard candy. Yeah, they're pure sugar and coloring, but they're small yet long-lasting. They may have also been my favorite back when I was a very, very junk-food deprived child. No, seriously, my parents were the worst. We spent all night trick or treating, then got to pick our 6-10 favorite candies to keep and the rest got tossed out. In the garbage. On Halloween night.

If you have kids, please don't give anything too healthy. I grew up in The Raisin House and it was terribly upsetting. :) I like the temporary tattoos idea. Or Fair Trade chocolate - not necessarily healthy, but you'll be doing some good.

i grew up in the house that gave away apples. if you want to keep kids away, that's the ticket.

I'll pretty much be echoing some other comments, but I volunteered at Boo at the Zoo this year at the National Zoo in Washington DC, and was stationed in the Great Ape House giving out rolls of FruitaBu Smooshed Fruit Twirls (like Fruit by the Foot, but organic). The kids and parents loved them, and I occasionally called it 'Gorilla Food' because Gorillas are vegeterians. I don't know if you could find coupons online to help with the cost, but they were a hit in the Ape House!

I would just be careful not to give out "statement" food - something the kids won't eat, that gets thrown away, and ends up just being wasteful.

They now make chocolate covered craisins in individual funsize packs for halloween. Also, funsize bags of peanut m&m's. A balance between good for you - peanuts and dried cranberries, and chocolate. Don't give away chocolate covered raisins though. A raisin is a raisin regardless.

I'm with Emily Ho. I grew up in the pencils and notepads house. I was ostracized for weeks by kids making fun of my dorky parents.

I'll third the granola bar / fun size bags of pretzels / yogurt ideas, and throw in a suggestion for string cheese. I'm pretty sure kids still love string cheese.

But is someone from Kashi out there? Hey Kashi! Start making halloween themed packs of mini granola bars! I'd hand them out!

Tangledgray - that is horrible! omg after that I would be like "ok well I'm just not going!"

I'm with most of the other posters here... I say, feed your kids healthy throughout the year, don't let them eat all their Halloween candy at once, but geez, let the kids have some fun!

Holidays are "special" days by definition, and that's how I'd encourage my kids to think about treats -- they're for special days, not an everyday thing.

Ooh, please don't give out $1 gift certificates to McDonalds! Anything you can get there for that price (except coffee, maybe?) is probably worse than a candy bar, not to mention that I doubt a lot parents are going to be happy about being pestered to take the kids there to use it/spend more money/buy more unhealthy food.

Halloween is about TREATS, not mini bags of baby carrots. I take my nephews out and trust me - anything that even looks healthy gets tossed out and wasted by them. Save the "kids should eat healthy" message for the other 364 days of the year and give out candy. When I was growing up, the houses that gave out pencils or raisins or pretzels were the ones that got egged or TP'd later that night. :)

Chocolate covered nuts or fruit would work. Maybe sugar-free chewing gum (or a xylitol-based one). But honestly, you don't want to be known as the weirdos who don't give out regular candy. Sweets aren't entirely bad for you. Over-consumption of them is and how much your Halloween visitors indulge is up to their parents to decide.

Whatever you do, avoid giving mini toothbrush and toothpaste kits (the dentist in my neighborhood did this 'til he wised up to the fact that kids started avoiding his house; then he went with sugar-free gum) and cheap little plastic toys which will end up broken or in the garbage.

Sorry, but Halloween is one day a year, and for most kids (er, and a few not-quite-kids-anymore...) it is mostly about getting candy. Well, scares and candy anyway. I'd have been pissed to get anything else.

I know it probably isn't as healthy as you are hoping--but I am giving away microwave popcorn this year. they had a big box of individually wrapped halloween bags of popcorn at sam's club. it didn't end up costing that much more than candy.

last year I gave away goldfish crackers--the trick or treaters were really excited to get something slightly different than candy, but they liked getting something that was still a treat and still recognizable.

what about mini bags of animal crackers? there fun, taste good, and more healthy. Fruit snacks could be a good option as well!

@Icg- those mini goldfish bags are great!

Welch's Fruit Snacks!

Super healthy gummy candies with Vitamins C, A, & E.

They're fat free too and come in these cute little pouches.

I grew up in a strict SDA house so I never really understood Halloween since I wasn't allowed to participate (it being the devil's holiday, um, yeah). I'm not SDA anymore but am big into health and I also started wondering what I would give kids this Halloween. Seems like you can't escape the candy so I'm just going to give in. I figure, if their parents are already feeding them horribly and they're just a part of the growing obesity rates amongst kids, what is one healthy snack from me really going to do to turn that around? They'll probably just throw it away and I would've wasted money and food. So candy it is.

Yogurt weirds me out cause you don't know when that will be put in the frigde.

We always went by our dentist's house (cause he lived close) and he gave toothbrushes and sugar-free gum. Sugar-free gum is basically as delish as regular gum, so the 8-year old kid in me approves that one.

Please no bottled water- what are you teaching the kids then?! Their parents should be prepared with a reusable water bottle!

Welsh's Fruit Snacks are quite yummy, hard candies are a good call, real chocolate has sugar but is good for you in small doses (it's not your fault that they are also downing Resse's.)

But really, I learned moderation from Halloween. I'd get to eat just one or two pieces a day and Halloween and Christmas stocking candy were the few times I had a bunch of candy ever growing up. Try to come up with a decent option you won't feel guilty over, but remember- it's the parents job to teach their children about eating healthy.

Your house is going to get egged (do kids still do that?). Just turn off the lights and they won't ring your bell. I'm the good candy lady, I wrap them in little bags so each child gets four or five apiece). Mom and dad can take care of the rest. Halloween is just as great as Christmas to some kids; don't ruin it:-)

I can't believe nobody has mentioned flat out cash! I remember getting quarters and even sometimes dollar bills!!! I loved getting cash. Then I could put it in my piggy bank.

My church's denominatin (Disciples of Christ) is doing something cool this year, called "Reverse Trick or Treating," where the kids will hand the adults that open their doors on Halloween night a square of fair trade dark chocolate along with information about the social and environmental issues of the cocoa industry. How cool is that!? I love it.

I've given away tattoos, that goes over well, but stickers are loved, especially by little girls, I once had a three year old knock on my door three times looking for more stickers. I give away individual wrapped chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, they do better than i thought they would. I also have little toys, the type you get from a party supply store for goody bags. The kids are usually happy for a change of pace, and toys are usually their first choice, (even in earlier years when i tried giving away oreos, chips or pepsi). The great part is I can hang onto the leftovers til next year.

I agree with those who say Halloween is not the time to concern yourself with controlling junk food. Parents are the ones in charge of such things. They should ration the candy and treats their kids receive or not take their kids to too many houses so that they don't have an ocean of candy at the end of the night.

If you don't agree with passing out sugary treats, then you can simply choose not to participate.

I'm with the other posters - give little fun toy-type treats instead; Target usually has a ton of that stuff. Goldfish crackers are great - I put them in my kid's lunch box as treat. The fruit leather and juice gummies are good as well.

Here's a funny aside - my kids came back from trick or treating all complaining about one particular house. It seems that the resident used the holiday to get rid of all his little bits of junk. Old mints from the bank, unopened chopsticks from a nearby restaurant, a dull used pen, etc. were found in their bags and their friends. They were not amused, but I thought it was sort of funny - they just didn't like getting tricked...

If you don't give candy, you will be made fun of and not liked. Period. I'm sorry, but it would be like expecting to get a Christmas toy and someone hands you a pencil instead (or something equally not toy-like) Halloween= candy, at least to kids, so don't try and put your desire for not giving them candy on them. If you don't want to give candy, turn off the light on your porch and call it a night. Or give a toy like others have said. It won't be liked, but it will at least be appreciated.

When I was small I remember a man gave out temporary tattoos, a small bag of halloween chips and a can of root beer (he worked for Barqs Root Beer) and all of us loved it. Different things can be great but it still has to be fun.

NO HOMEMADE THINGS. Period. Like everyone else seems to agree, parents go through treats at the end of the night and I don't care how sweet you seemed or how good your intentions were, that homemade snack or glove of popcorn is going in the trash. No questions asked.

Again, let kids be kids. They look forward to this all year. Give them candy.