Incorporating Tube Feeding Fun into Halloween

For this Halloween season, let’s include our tube feeding friends in the fun! There are many ways to incorporate this part of your life into the celebration along with tips on how to participate in regular festivities.

Pumpkin Crafts Featuring Tube Feeding

Carving pumpkins is one of the best parts of Halloween. This year why not include your condition? There are many ways to accomplish this goal.

  • Carve a normal face on your pumpkin, but instead of carving a triangle nose give it two nostrils and place an NG tube inside.
  • Carve, scrape or paint a character such as Elmo and stick a G tube into the pumpkin where the character’s stomach is. You could also carve, scrape or paint a heart and still insert the G tube in the pumpkin.
  • Carve out words like, “We heart tubies.”
  • Carve a normal face on your pumpkin. Then place it on top of a larger pumpkin so that the bottom looks like the body. Finally, insert a G tube into the bottom pumpkin.

Trick-or-treating

There are a few things you can do ahead of time to help make this holiday less stressful and more enjoyable for your child.

  • Educate your local community about the Teal Pumpkin Project that encourages people to hand out non-food treats.
  • Hand out non-food treats with flyers to inform your community of this inclusive way to participate.
  • Visit your neighbor’s house early and give them non-food treats for your child.
  • Buy your own non-food treats to let your child trade them for the candy they received.

Fun Halloween Costumes

Having a costume is the most important part of Halloween for a child. Companies are now making adaptive costumes to allow everyone the opportunity to participate!

  • These are costumes specifically made for kids with G tubes. A flap opens in the midsection for tube access and has a self-stick fabric closure. 

Don’t let tube feeding take away your involvement in the holidays. Think positively and make it create more ways for you to celebrate. You can use these tips and tricks and even put your own twist on them to think of more creative ways to celebrate Halloween and have fun while incorporating your tube feeding.

To start shopping for costumes, visit https://www.target.com/c/adaptive-halloween-costumes/-/N-66yhm or https://www.shopdisney.com/halloween-shop/costumes/kids-costumes/. To learn more about the Teal Pumpkin Project visit https://www.foodallergy.org/our-initiatives/awareness-campaigns/living-teal/teal-pumpkin-project#.VpfFe8ArInQ

*Disclaimer: Any health and wellness content presented is for general informational purposes only. Such content is not intended to replace or serve as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.