Halloween is over - how to survive candy fallout

by Bev Sklar (Subscribe to Bev Sklar's posts)
Nov 1st 2008 4:00PM

Categories: Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements

After the Halloween bomb detonates, it's the candy fallout that kills your nutritional goals. Unless you consider these ideas from SimpleMom.

The Payoff: Pay your kids a quarter for every five pieces they relinquish, then go toy shopping. This idea doesn't sit right with me. I wouldn't want my kids to associate neighborhood trick-or-treating and treat moderation with cash payouts.

The Gorge: Let 'em eat all they want on Halloween, after that one piece a day. This was my mom's philosophy, except for the one piece a day part. No kidding, we took our plastic pumpkins to bed with us -- yuck.

Crafty: Save small pieces to decorate the ginger bread house. Cute.

Philanthropy: Donate the candy to a children's shelter. Nice.

Homemade Blizzard Night: Save it for a cool ice cream blizzard later. But this won't put a dent in a serious pile of candy, make that a neighborhood block party Blizzard Night instead.

Dentist Buy-Back: 150 dentists nationwide are buying kids' candy back for $1/pound. Dr. Pain then ships it to soldiers in Iraq. Best idea yet, especially if you donate the money back to cover shipping.

Typically I secretly raid my kids' haul, and my husband takes it to work to feed the co-worker candy jar vultures. But this becomes less of an option as kids get older and start counting their loot. How do you find shelter from candy fallout?

Source

Comments (3)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

... 11-01-2008 @ 5:03PM

I think the practice of trick-or-treating needs to go away. It's creepy and scary. Many neighborhoods are no longer safe enough, with cars speeding down the street and many factors (population density getting higher, reclusive families, language barriers, people moving in and out frequently) making it difficult to know all the neighbors. Furthermore, going around to beg for candy is just sketchy and unhealthy.

Instead, have Halloween parties. Get a bunch of families together, dress up, have festive foods, and just celebrate together. Two obvious advantages are (a) the kids are going to be in a safe environment, and (b) you don't have to deal with large piles of unhealthy candy on November 1st.

AussieFoodShop 11-01-2008 @ 7:38PM

I think if done in safety it's still ok. I mean parents in groups can go with the children. There are not so many traditions or any left, they need to last and be cultivated. http://www.AussieFoodShop.com