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5 Creative Candy-Gorging Alternatives for Your Kids This Halloween


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Halloween is a fun time for many. We watch our kids get all dressed up with excitement building for trick or treating, gatherings with friends, and school events. For those who are trying to be health conscious, Halloween can also stir up some dissonant feelings. How to enjoy the fun and festivities with all those treats and candy? Sometimes it feels like it has to be all or nothing when it comes to gorging on sugar. Either we let our kids have whatever, or we avoid the whole scene and opt out of the treats. Here are 5 alternatives that have helped some families navigate the Halloween scene while keeping sugar to a minimum.

1. Candy Fairy or the Switch Witch (works for younger kids). In this scenario, your children still trick or treat and/or go to parties. In the end your child picks out 3-5 pieces of candy to enjoy and the rest are to be put in the window or under the pillow that night. The “Candy Fairy” arrives to take the candy to make her beautiful rainbows (or in the case of the Switch Witch, she takes the candy to eat at her home on the other side of the moon). In each of these scenarios the Fairy or Witch leaves a surprise treasure (toy) in exchange for the candy. Children are usually delighted by a surprise gift.

2. Exchange candy for an outing to get a quality treat (works for all ages). In this scenario you talk to your child about the joy of having treats. Instead of eating all the candy with ingredients that are challenging for their body to handle, you offer to take them to a local bakery or restaurant for a wonderful treat made with high quality ingredients. This turns into a fun date time with mom or dad as well.

3. Exchange candy for money (older kids). This has worked for some families where the child is saving up for something special. In exchange for the Halloween candy, the parents give a specific amount of money that was mutually agreed upon before the festivities began.

4. Turn in your candy to support our troops (all ages). Some feel conflicted about this option because the sugary treats are still being consumed. The thought, though, is that it is given to adults who can use more self-control and who may not have access to treats as frequently as kids do.

5. Go out of town for a mini-family vacation. This is the escape route to avoid the Halloween scene and still have some fall fun.

Do you have additional ideas? What has worked for your family when it comes to Halloween treats? Please share below. I’d love to hear what you have to say!

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