Halloween has come and gone, but the candy lingers and lingers keeping the holiday alive until Christmas! While I delayed buying the candy to keep it out of the house as long as possible, this morning our house is filled with lots of unwanted candy (unwanted by me…not the kids!) Jonah said everyday leading up to Halloween, “It’s not about the costume mom, it’s all about the candy!” Oh boy! This made it very clear to me that I needed a plan to manage candy intake after Halloween! Here are 6 ways to manage candy intake after halloween.
Tip: Do a clean sweep on Halloween night
When the kids got home from trick-or-treating, I let them eat a snack or two, followed by a deep teeth scrub before bed! While they were snacking, we did a clean sweep of the candy that they came home with. First, we threw out any treats that were open or that were homemade. Then we got rid of anything that the kids disliked and then we divided them into categories: chips, candy, chocolate etc. We decided to keep all of the kids candy together, butt some kids prefer to keep their stash separate from their siblings!
Managing candy intake after halloween
1. Put some of it away
Just because your kids got tons and tons of candy last night, doesn’t mean that you need to keep it all in one place. When the kids see so much candy all in one place, they go wild, and the temptation becomes too much! So, with that being said, keep some of it out and stash the rest of it away. I don’t put it all away because I think that it is important for the kids to be able to exert control and to take only what they are allowed.
2. Set limits
Set out limits right from the beginning. Let them know what they are allowed, how much and when. When the limits aren’t clear, they don’t know what to expect. When they don’t know what to expect, they try to take advantage and eat all the candy, all the time! Limits are important here as they are everywhere else!
3. Be a role model
If you are binging on Halloween candy, the kids will likely to the same! They are sponges and if do it, we can’t expect them not to.
4. Trades anyone?
Our kids are always making trades. They trade hockey cards and toys, so why not encourage them to trade their candy for something better! Let the kids trade their candy in for their favourite dessert, a night out for ice cream, a small toy they have been wanting or even a fun activity. This is a great way to get them to focus on other fun things instead of the candy stashed in the closet (and it’s a great way to get rid of the candy)!
5. Amp up healthy snacks
For the days following Halloween, make sure to amp up your health snacks! When they get home from school, have healthy snacks ready to go so that they don’t run to the cupboard to get the candy! When they come home at the end of the day, they are h-u-n-g-r-y, so make sure that they first thing they see is a healthy snack! I am always amazed at how well this works. They don’t forget about the treats, but filling their bellies with healthy snacks before hand, typically limits the amount they eat after.
By implementing these 5 tips, the candy mania doesn’t last long (and we end up with lots and lots of leftover that never get eaten)! Shhh! Don’t tell the kids!
