It’s October, and Halloween is going to be here before we know it. Usually, Halloween necessitates the consumption of tons of excess sugar, specifically by kids. But maybe this year doesn’t have to be the same it’s always been.

This Halloween could be your chance to say goodbye to the endless candy and stock your Halloween bowl with sugar-free snacks, toys, and accessories. Here are a few ideas to inspire you:

Healthy Food

There are lots of healthier snack options out there, and these are some of our favorites:

• 100-calorie snack bags of crackers, pretzels or popcorn — they make for great snacks after walking around all night
• Small bottles of water or seltzer — they’ll be nice refreshment after all that hard work going door to door
• Cheese sticks or cowbell cheese — cheese not only saves your kids from a sugar crash, but dairy is actually great for teeth
• Hot chocolate packets — a nice treat for when kids have returned home after trick-or-treating

Toys

There are plenty of toys to keep kids busy during Halloween. Make sure they’re small enough to stick in a Halloween bag so kids won’t tire from carrying them around all night. Possible toys include:

• Vampire teeth
• Spider rings
• Bouncy balls
• Mini Play-Doh
• Slinkies
• Bubbles
• Yo-yos
• Whistles

Accessories

Accessories can be traded with other kids and will be a source of enjoyment far longer than candy. Some accessories may even be useful for school. Possible accessories include:

• Bookmarks
• Mini note pads
• Stamps
• Stickers
• Fake jewelry

After long night out trick-or-treating, your kids will have something of value to take home, something that’s not just empty calories. And the rest of the parents in your neighborhood might even thank you for looking out for their kids!