It’s Halloween, and you know what that means – kids returning home with a big pillowcase or otherwise giant bag of scavenged treats.
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After your little pillagers walk through the door, you probably temporarily confiscate their sugary plunder to check for tricks and unsafe candy. Consider this, loading up on candy is, in its own way, unsafe. I’m not advocating taking any candy away. Walking for a mile or so in an itchy costume is hard work and they have earned those goodies. But try portioning it out for them. Put 5 or so treats into a sandwich baggie and dole them out once a day. It’s great since it makes Halloween last a little longer (always a good thing), avoids the sugar crash (and the resulting tantrums), and the tummy aches (because cleaning up throw up is definitely on the bottom of my todo list).
You can even bring the little ones in on it. Have them help you pick what treats go in which bags. My kids love stuffing things, so they get a kick out of counting then sorting the candy into little bags.
While this works especially well with young children, older kids might not be so enthused. This is where you have to decide what you want to teach as a parent. Portion control issues is one of the leading causes of obesity. I believe it’s important to start early, teaching the right size meals and treats for their little bodies. So I suggest for older kids, talking to them what you’re doing and why, then having them help decide how many candies go in each baggie.
So have a Happy Halloween from Finished being Fat. And remember, no snitching treats in between trick or treaters ringing the bell. (ok, maybe just 1 per hour. But that’s it and only if you jog in place while you’re chewing)