Halloween Tip – How Much is Too Much Candy for My Child to Eat?

Think back to one of our other tips – we suggested you make sure your child enjoys a very nice meal shortly before going out trick-or-treating. This, alone, will help somewhat to calm your child’s appetite when s/he returns from the great event. That does not mean, however, that your child will just hand you the bag of goodies, when returning home. You can be certain your child will want to dig into that bag just like every other child wants to do.

As parents, we know that most candy tastes great. Other than this, however, candy is not a very good choice in food. Dentists will tell you it contributes to tooth decay. We can be assured, by reading the wrapper, each piece of candy is full of calories. It offers very little nutritional value. And, some parents will argue that it causes hyperactivity. So, what to do, what to do, what to do?

We suggest you have a plan, set guidelines – and stick to it. Discuss it with your child before s/he goes out the door. Remind your child of the plan when s/he returns with the goodies bag.

One plan many parents adopt, because it is easy to follow, is to sit with your child before s/he leaves the house, and discuss and agree upon the number of candies your child can have when returning. When your child returns you should first empty the bag, spread out the goodies, and check each item for tampering (if a wrapper is torn or loose or if there is a small pinhole, go no further, dispose of this particular piece of candy).

After you and your child have checked the goodies s/he may choose the number of candies that was decided earlier. If you agreed on five pieces then your child will select that number. If you agreed on ten, whatever the number, your child will select that number of candies. Once selected the bag of candies will be put away.

You can, of course, revise this plan to meet your needs. You might plan for your child to have candy for three days and then the remaining candy is donated to some organization. Or, you might have some gifts your child really wants, such as a book, and you charge your child x pieces of candy in order to buy the book. Whatever you choose make certain you stick to your plan. We ask you to choose CarvingForKids as a place you regularly visit for your Halloween ideas.