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6 trick-or-treat tactics for kids with candy

Posted on Oct 7th 2008 3:00PM by Jacki Donaldson

Filed Under: Healthy Kids, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

I have two little boys. One loves candy. The other can take it or leave it -- I hope he leans toward leaving it as he grows up. Come trick-or-treat time, I know I'll have a problem on my hands. The problem: A 7-year-old boy who knows no limits and is pretty sure he can survive on sugar alone. Good thing I know better and can intervene once he totes home his orange pumpkin bucket on October 31. Here's how I plan to manage the madness as I come crashing down on Joey's candy craze.

I'll fill Joey's belly with a healthy meal before he even heads out the door in his pirate costume. This way, he'll be less inclined to eat candy on the trick-or-treat trail.
I'll allow Joey to have a small number of treats when he returns home from the festivities.
I'll have Joey rummage through his loot, separating his favorites from his non-favorites -- these go to the trash.
I'll keep the candy in a safe place, up high and out of reach, and I'll be the gatekeeper for all future consumption.
I'll limit consumption after the big night -- maybe one piece in his school lunch and one after dinner.
I'll make sure Joey eats healthy most of the time and I'll keep him active too. Hopefully one day, he'll realize these two life approaches -- and not a diet full of sugar -- are what will help him survive.

Any candy tricks up your sleeve?

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6 Comment

Tags: candy, halloween, halloween-08, kids, trick-or-treat

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

... 10-07-2008 @ 3:42PM

I just read in another blog that research shows that locking candy away just makes kids crave it even more later. In the experiment, they put peach bars on a plate and peach bars in a jar that the kids can't touch until 10 minutes later, and the bars in the jar ended up being consumed three times as much even though the kids rated the bars to be only "OK" to begin with. They apparently also determined that the kids are more likely to binge on the limited treats at their friends' place, at school, and later in life. Slowly doling out candy at home may mean a child has problems with candy addiction as soon as he leaves the house.

Trick-or-treating is a horrible custom to begin with. It gets kids involved with acquiring the treats, and it makes it fun to acquire the treats, so the kids build up positive and happy associations with candy. For all we know, maybe very few people actually like the taste of candy. Maybe we only think we like it because we've built up all these positive emotions over it from years of trick-or-treating and being awarded candy when we're good and having candy forbidden or restricted during other times.

Unfortunately, I don't see any good solution to Halloween. Whether parents give children free reign, remove the candy later, remove the candy when they get it, don't let them go in the first place, or whatever, it's a damned-if-you-do and damned-if-you-don't situation. Lose, lose, lose, lose, and more lose. It has been built into the culture, and I don't see any good way out. With cultural attitudes about Halloween, no wonder so many people are obese. There is just no good way to bring up a healthy, well-adjusted child in this culture.

Heather 10-07-2008 @ 4:23PM

I do not forbid sweets in my house. We do NOT eat them much, dessert is something we RARELY ever have. I love to take the kids trick-or-treating and I love to see the kids all dressed up.

I would give healthy options- but that we all know is complete waste of time.

We go and and they eat that crap for the next year. One piece after dinner. That is all. I'm sure some of it's past its expiration by the next year- but oh well. We throw out what's left on the next Halloween and start that vicious cycle all over again.

I do not have to lock it up. They just know they can have a piece after they have eaten all their dinner.

It's actually fun to watch our son. He takes forever choosing the right piece of candy.

anastasia 10-07-2008 @ 7:18PM

jacki, you make me sad, very sad.

fit_me 10-07-2008 @ 10:18PM

We let them gorge themselves until it's gone. They're going to eat it at some point anyway, may as well get it over with!!

jessica 10-08-2008 @ 10:53AM

I've got to agree with anastasia.

My mom pulled this sort of business all the time. Not only would she not let us eat our candy, SHE would eat it, and so when we wanted a piece and she FINALLY let us have A piece, the piece we'd been wanting was gone.

I don't see it turning out well at all. Why not let them gorge themselves on their hard earned candy, barter it with friends, whatever, until they realize "oh crap, eating a ton of sugar makes me feel horrid?".

I spent a good few years eating any and everything (like ... has mentioned) because my mom wouldn't let me have it, even in moderation, at least to decide "wow, sugar sugar sugar is awful, let's not do that". By the time I'd realized that I didn't like too much sweet/whathave you, I'd put on a good 60 or so lbs, barring those I got from puberty.

When I have kids, I'm going to push moderation, but if they want to eat nothing but chocolate for three days, whatever. They'll figure it out, and should be able to run-jump-hop-skip it off, if it's that big of a worry.

Though if your child is small enough, that approach might work, just for the "out of sight" idea. What a nice surprise, to have a piece of candy in lunch.

andrea 10-10-2008 @ 5:24AM

At no other time is it appropriate to encourage your children to visit strangers' houses. It simply isn't a good idea, and it is a very unhealthy tradition. They are more than likely already having a Halloween party at school where they get plenty of candy and the opportunity to dress up, so my solution is don't take them trick-or-treating. Then you avoid encouraging stranger interaction and you don't have the problem of a huge pile of candy to deal with (I'm sorry but I would have a problem throwing that much food away- even candy).
My parents let me go about 2 years out of my childhood and said no the rest of the time, so I experienced both sides, and honestly not going wasn't a big deal. We lived far enough in the country that no one ever came to our house though, so if you live in a neighborhood where you'll have kids at your house maybe go to a movie or something. It honestly didn't scar me for life and I will not feel the least bit bad about not allowing my children to go.