HERE CANDY, THERE CANDY,

EVERYWHERE CANDY CANDY

 
It’s that time of year again – an abundance of candy is everywhere you look. From giant bags of Halloween candy in the stores to bowls of candy on teachers’ and coworkers’ desks. Halloween is right around the corner and while it is a fun and festive tradition that most kids live for, it’s not so fun for their teeth. Helping your kiddo develop healthy attitudes towards eating sweet treats is important, especially this time of year when it’s so readily available. Here are 8 tips:

1. AVOID TEMPTATION To help avoid temptation, Instead of stocking up early, buy your Halloween candy at the last minute and get rid of any leftovers.
2. FUEL UP Serve a nutritious, balanced dinner before heading out trick-or-treating.
3. POUR AND SORT When your kiddos get home, have them dump their candy out and sort through it to separate the ones they can’t live without, and ones they can. They trade with their siblings or pals and toss or donate the rest.
4. LET THEM ENJOY For kids four and older, let them eat as much as they want on Halloween night. This teaches your kiddo how to self-regulate. It also removes the “forbidden fruit” factor. If kids have free rein to enjoy their candy sometimes, and they know that they are able to have it in moderate regularity, it takes away the urgency to “get it while you can!”.  It also decreases the chances of your kids sneaking candy or over-indulging when you’re not there. And if you take charge of the candy stash and police when and how much candy can be consumed, you’re sending the message that your kids cannot be trusted with it. One night of gorging on treats will not affect them in the long run.
5. TO MANAGE OR NOT TO MANAGE In the first two years of life, little ones shouldn’t really eat candy or high sugar treats at all (with the exception of birthday cake of course). Age two to four, kids aren’t old enough to manage their candy stash on their own, so it’s best if you help them by coming up with the amount of candy that seems fair and allowing your child to decide when they are going to have it; maybe for dessert after lunch or as part of a snack in the afternoon. Kids four and up, are likely ready to manage their own stash. Giving older kids the opportunity to manage their candy stash will take some of the power away from the candy and give them the confidence to manage their treats in a healthy way.
6. SET AN EXAMPLE Be a role model by eating candy in yourself.
7. LET THEM MAKE MISTAKES Kids learn by making mistakes, and while you might cringe seeing your kids gorge on treats, ultimately it’s a great teaching moment – allowing them to learn to moderate their intake of sweets. Instead of getting upset and punishing your kids for eating too much candy, approach the situation calmly and get your child to talk about it. Ask her why she thinks she feels sick and what she might do next time to avoid that. Instead of feeling embarrassed and ashamed, this approach allows your child to learn from her mistake and think twice before doing it again.
8. LAST BUT NOT LEAST Once your child has indulged, make sure they floss and thoroughly brush their teeth – for at least two minutes.

Don’t dread Halloween because of the candy overload. Think of it as a great opportunity to teach your kids about balance, mindfulness, but most importantly, FUN!