Tricks for Treats: How to Handle Halloween Candy – Serenity Kids

Tricks for Treats: How to Handle Halloween Candy

Estimated time to read 5 minutes

Halloween was always my favorite holiday because I’m a total sugar addict. Pillowcases full of candy, mountains of brightly-colored plastic wrappers, the crinkly sound of swimming my hands around in the sea of sugar… Fond memories!

I remember my parents trying to moderate the amount of candy I could eat each day. They tried to hide the pillowcase with candy on the top shelf of our linen closet. I must have been around 5 years old. I would wait until they weren’t looking and climb to the top of the closet, bring the bag down, scarf down a few pieces, and then... PUT IT BACK.

Because I was no dummy.

I knew if they found out I knew where the stash was, they would get rid of it. Suckers!

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Now that I’m a parent of a 2-year-old

I’m getting nervous about her first trick-or-treating holiday and wondering what to do about the impending sugar avalanche. Being a recovering sugar addict, I’m fully aware of the dangers of added sugars, which can hurt our health over time.

All parents want to protect their kids, but no one wants to be the parent who spoils the fun. Fortunately, the thrilling parts of Halloween ARE possible without all the excess sugar — and without struggles between parents and kids over candy allowances.

There’s no “right” way to set boundaries around candy, and every parent will make a different decision about what works best or feels right for the family. We haven’t had huge conversations around candy with Della. She hasn’t had any other than some tiny pieces of dark chocolate. Joe and I are learning, along with all parents, and we’re trying some new strategies this Halloween.

How to Talk About Candy with Your Kids

One thing we’ve learned is that strict limitations don’t always empower our kids to make the best choices. Exposure to candy also arrives quicker than you might think, especially if a child goes to school or has friends who eat sweets more regularly.

Intentionally approaching the topic gives parents the opportunity to provide tools their kids might not get elsewhere. Successful conversations center around three key ideas:

How to Curb Candy Intake

This Halloween, we’ll try a moderation approach with Della by asking her to choose her ten favorite pieces of candy and give the rest away.

That said, many parents use these strategies to give their kids structured ways to navigate the bags of candy they bring home:

What to Give Instead of High-Sugar Candy

As part of positive modeling, parents can distribute candy alternatives to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night. Here are some of our tried-and-true low-sugar candy selections:

And here are some non-food items:

Let us know in the comments which of these strategies you use or might try! Share your ideas, too. We’re always looking for new ways to help our kids make healthier decisions.