Make Your Halloween Kiddo Candy Game Plan

October 24, 2022

Categories: Live Healthy, Nutrition, Pediatrics

The stashes of candy children bring home after Halloween trick-or-treating need not become sugary overloads. As with all foods, you determine what to offer and when they eat, but tight restrictions can backfire. We know kiddos have the skills to find hidden candy.

Game Plan

You can set opportunities for kids to learn to manage themselves around sweets. Put this game plan to work, and you’ll have happy, healthy Barbies, cowboys, fairies, Spider-Mans, witches, ghouls and goblins after Halloween and beyond.

Pregame: Serve a balanced meal before trick-or-treating.
Offense: Plan to walk your trick-or-treat route instead of driving house-to-house.
Special Teams: Let kids have as much as they want Halloween evening and even a day or two more, but within reason.
Defense: Dole out one to two pieces at a time on days you intend to offer treats in the weeks that follow.
New Contract: Ensure kids that when they learn to manage sweets on their own, they can control their loot.

Postgame Plan

Throughout the year, set your child up for success for every sugary holiday through what’s called the Division of Responsibility in Feeding, where:

Parent: Provides balanced meals and snacks on a predictable schedule
Child: Chooses which foods of those offered to eat and how much to eat

With this plan, treat foods are the exception. Offer one serving with meals if you are having treats. For snacks, offer treats containing protein, and let kids have as much as they want on occasion.

The trick is to offer candy or other sweets often enough that they don’t feel forbidden, but not so much that they replace more nutrient-dense foods. All foods can fit. Research shows if we restrict any food, we often will overindulge. With these tips, you’ll preserve the joy of Halloween and beyond.

Our registered dietitian nutritionists can help you learn more about raising healthy eaters and improving your own relationship with food. Learn more information about our personalized nutrition counseling and support or call 816.691.5267.