Trick or treat tips

We are starting to purchase trick-or-treat goodies, buying or making costumes and decorating houses for this spooky event. It is very easy to go overboard at Halloween with all those yummy treats out there! Keep these tips in mind to ensure your family's safety and to not get too off track this Halloween.

Tips for handling the Halloween treats:

• Know how much candy your child has collected and store it somewhere other than the child's room to help resist temptation
• Once your trick-or-treaters have returned with their goodies, allow them to have one or two pieces a day instead of a free-for-all of candy eating
• Consider buying back some of your child's candy; this gives them a sense of spending/saving and reduces the amount of sweets your child consumes
• As soon as your kids get home inspect all candy for opened packages, tears, home-made foods, holes or any foreign objects

Be a role model by eating Halloween candy in moderation yourself:

• To help avoid temptation, buy your candy at the last minute (you may get some deals this way too)
• Encourage your child to be aware of the amount of candy and snacks eaten
• You buy the Halloween treats, so purchase items that are better for you and your family

You can also hand out festive treats that are not candy:

• Try non-food items like stickers, toys, temporary tattoos, false teeth, little bottles of bubbles and small games
• Small bags of pretzels, sugar-free gum, small boxes of raisins and popcorn
• Sugar-free candy
• Small boxes of cereal

Remember, eating healthy throughout the entire year allows you to enjoy holidays like Halloween and still maintain a healthy lifestyle. Just enjoy everything in moderation and get back on track when it is over.

Source of Information: Mary L. Gavin, MD, March, Kids Health.org, 2007 & 2008