Paint without the poison

Halloween is one of kid’s favorite holidays. Transforming them selves. Leaving the house after dark.  Entering neighbor’s spooky yards. And of course, to Mom’s detriment… the sugar rush.

But should we stop to consider if this is all safe? We talk about street safety, but there are other elements we need to consider while they morph into gooey goblins.

The three biggest Halloween poisons are face paint, hair products and unfortunately… yes…candy. There are ways to enjoy the experience of Halloween WITHOUT risking our kid’s health.

We wouldn’t think that children’s products would be laden with poison, but unfortunately they are. Please be aware that most makeup contains high levels of mercury, nickel, chromium, cobalt, lead, and pigment. Hair products contain butane and thirem… a pesticide! These are far from safe for our little ghosts and goblins and should not be approved.  So this is where you come in.

Just don’t use them.

There are plenty of alternatives out there. It just takes a little bit of extra effort, but well worth it.  See some suggested websites below for making your own safe make-up.

And now… the candy…

It is not easy limiting your child’s candy stash. Especially when they worked so hard to acquire it. But I would suggest researching the effects of sugar on children. Unfortunately, Halloween is not the only occasion where our kids are exposed to excess amounts of what some people refer to as, “kid’s cocaine”. It sounds harsh, but it’s about time we look into alternatives. You can bake your child’s birthday treats with dates and honey, but Halloween is tricky.

Consider inventing a “Halloween Witch”. Have your child choose a small bowl of their favorite treats, and leave the rest out over night. In the morning this “Witch” has traded the treats for a present! Art supplies, lego… etc.

It’s worth a try. They might love it!

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http://www.archive.sierraclub.ca/en/media/release/halloween-make-no-treat-childrens-health

Dressuptime. 

Painting with food is safe and fun! Mommy Potamus wrote a great blog on

Homemade Face Paint tutorial

http://www.mommypotamus.com/how-to-make-homemade-face-paint-thats-safe-enough-to-ea/

http://www.thesmartmama.com/non-toxic-homemade-halloween-makeup/

edible goop (for scars, warts etc)  from fake blood to fairy glitter.

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/Halloween/makeup.htm

http://life.gaiam.com/article/how-safe-food-coloring  Food colouring