Parenting kids on Halloween and the subsequent days thereafter can be more frightening than the scariest ghost or ghoul you can imagine. Though scientific research suggests that sugar is not responsible for hyperactivity in children, many parents argue to the contrary. A child or children hyped up on the sugar from too much Halloween candy can be difficult to contend with. Many parents seek a way to keep their kids from consuming too much Halloween candy, and there are several methods for achieving this.
First, scan the newspapers in the weeks before Halloween. Many pediatric dentists offer to buy candy from kids, usually at about the cost of one US Dollar (USD) per pound. If your children like to have some extra spending money, they may be willing to give up some of their candy to earn a little bit of cash.
You can also institute your own Halloween candy trades. Buy some fun Halloween accessories, and offer then at a price for a certain amount of candy. For instance, you could buy a five to six dollar Halloween stuffed animal to trade for 50-100 pieces of candy. You can have a yearly auction after the trick-or-treating is over to make this a fun activity so kids feel they are gaining rather than losing.
If you’re of the school of thought that kids should be allowed to enjoy their candy, you still may want to put a daily limit on the amount each child is going to consume. Further, when a child seems hyperactive after consuming candy, you’ll probably want to limit consumption to a few hours a day. Usually, allowing kids to have one to two pieces a day is enough, generally after school instead of during school. Allow them to pick two pieces to have after a healthy snack, like vegetable sticks, fruit, a glass of milk, a yogurt, or other similar healthy items.
Limiting your trick or treating practices to a set number of homes lessens the amount of candy kids come home with. If they are out all night, they’ll bring home way more Halloween candy than they should eat. When the kids just love the act of trick-or-treating, you can eliminate some of the candy during candy inspection. Get rid of any unwrapped pieces, and any candy that looks slightly wrinkled or beat up. Even if you don’t truly suspect candy tampering, it’s fine to take out a little more than is necessary, especially when the supply of Halloween candy is overwhelming.
Additionally, keep the Halloween candy for the kids, instead of allowing them to keep it in their rooms. This way you can more easily control the flow of candy that makes it into kids’ tummies. Allowing the candy in rooms is an invitation for the child to eat too much. If it’s stored in a high cabinet, the only access to the candy is by petitioning you. Further, don’t remind kids that the candy is there. Most kids tend to eat their favorite pieces right away, and will often forget the rest after a week or two. Once the candy is truly forgotten, it can be discarded as “too old.”
