How Much Candy??

Sorry, I have to disagree w/ Suzi's response, just because one self won't practice self control, does'nt make it fair for the kids to have to go w/o candy.
I personally don't think candy is that big of deal and WAY too many people (especially women for some reason) freak out about sugar. Sugar is not all that bad for you, if you keep it in moderation. moderation is the key to almost everything. I really don't see a big deal if a kid has 1-3 pieces of candy everyday if we have it around.

I gave my toddler some, but he still had a healthy dinner with milk to drink. I was considering letting him eat as much as he wanted until he gets sick, so: #1) its' gone, and #2) he will learn a lesson and (hopefully) not want it so much thereafter.

The quicker they eat it the quicker it will be gone. As long as my kids eat their regular meals, I let them eat all they want but they also know that this is IT for candy for the rest of the year. No more will be purchased until the new year. I think only giving them a piece or 2 a day is ridiculous. Why do parents even let their kids go trick-or-treating if they are going to do that. Truth be told, those mom's are sneaking the kids candy by the handful when the kids aren't looking. LOL. It's the only holiday where we are supposed to be able to indulge in a world of sugar!

I am letting them have it whenever they want however much they want. I am reminding them that too much candy will make them feel sick. AND BRUSHING THEIR TEETH a lot! It will be gone by tomorrow I'm sure. They haven't over done it to where they feel sick and they wont just keep eating it, they eat some then stop then later they eat some and stop... just keep their teeth clean.

I like that Halloween Fairy idea! Especially if it means I get to take the rest to work:) Growing up my mom let us keep our candy in our rooms. She never monitored it. And, within a few days, the good stuff was gone and we didn't "binge" anymore. I like the idea because it means that there is no monitoring of the candy from me and no begging everyday from my son! A few days of binging will NOT hurt him. But, me putting his candy out of reach and listening to him beg for some constantly could get him hurt. Just kidding about that. I'm a health teacher but I don't really see it as a big deal. It's a few days. He's a healthy child. We're a healthy family. Now, if we had some obesity going on, I can't say that I would feel the same way.

THE HALLOWEEN FAIRY came to visit!! She's amazing!

A friend of mine told me about her - my friend has four kids, one with severe food allergies. She had to come up with a way that all of her kids could have the candy they wanted and not feel left out. On Halloween night each child gets to pick 10 pieces of candy - whatever they want. The rest goes into their bag/bucket and sits outside their bedroom door. When they wake up, the candy is gone and replaced with a small toy! (Daddy happened to get a large donation of candy at his office!)

She said it's never anything big (when they were small it might be a new sippy cup) - I talked to my three year old about it, and he was gung ho! We sorted through his candy last night so he could pick the pieces he wanted. The rest is "gone". (In telling him about it, I reminded him that the candy would be gone as soon as he ate it, but the toy he could keep forever & ever!)

Hope this helps - maybe the Halloween Fairy will make another round tonight to check for any buckets she missed! :)

We are trying a new idea this year. We let our kids trick or treat and keep whatever they like and put the "don't like" candy in a Wal-Mart bag. Any candy in the Wal-mart bag will automatically go to our dentist's office tomorrow (he is participating in a nationwide program to buy back candy for $1/pound and will mail the candy to the soldiers). The kids may keep the money. We already have four pounds to donate and I gave the kids the option to donate more out of their "stashes" if they would like. It gives them money to add to their savings to buy Christmas presents for their siblings (We require each child to make or buy a gift for each member of the immediate family; we try to help them out by requiring them to put about $5 toward a purchase. If it goes over a little, we help them out since they each have three siblings and two parents to "buy" for. They seem excited about the prospect of getting some cash tomorrow while still having some treats to enjoy!

The only rule I have is you must eat your breakfast first. You also must eat your other meals through out the day. They can have as much as like because once it is gone it is gone. My older one likes to save his but my other two it it all day and theirs is gone with in 2 days. We only have candy in the house at the Holidays so it is a real treat for them.

no rules....other than a requirement to eat their meals. Otherwise, it's a power/control issue for both sides.

Why let your kids trick/treat if they can't enjoy their bounty? & one of the best parts of having a candy overload is the trading, swapping, & conniving that goes along with it! Kids get this overabundance...what 3 times a year: Easter, Halloween, & Christmas??....let them have fun!

On another note, I do make sure they have plenty of water & milk...no supersweet juice or soda. I also try to plan very healthy meals while the candy lasts.

I let them eat as much as the want on Halloween, reminding them that too much will cause upset stomach. Then before bed, they each pick out a few pieces and the rest goes to the Candy Fairy. They hang their bag of candy on their bedroom door, and during the night the candy fairy takes the candy and leaves money. The kids get excited about it and it gets rid of the candy, so everyone wins. (The candy fairy comes to our house after Easter too!)

I am with those who say "Let 'em eat". The sooner it's gone, the better because then it is no longer an issue. I agree with Deniece, it is ridiculous to think that one piece a day is going to cut it, and I think it becomes a control issue.

Sneak/dig out your favorite candy, and let your kids enjoy this holiday!! How often do they get to gorge themselves on candy? Let them be kids!!

Hi Carrie,

I understand your concern...I believe that balance is the key for everything, and mostly for food, meals, etc...especially sugary and salty things! We do have fun as a family in Halloween (and other festivities or holidays)and we let our kids to dress up and "trick or treat" in the the neighborhood. I get candies for the kids who will come to my house and I let my kids to have theirs. However, when they get home, and we check all the sweets they bring, we let the kids have a handful. at their choice. The rest of the candies just go to my husband's office. My oldest is not very good at eating sugary things, but the little one loves candy! so, I immediately take most of the candy and save a few pieces for him and the rest go to my husband's office.Just act quickly! and that is! One more thing, before the kids go outside, I make them have dinner or something healthy..always!!! that way they will not crave sugar easily!
Happy Halloween!
Alejandra

Here's what I've been doing - although it's not necessarily the greatest idea: each child keeps their Halloween bag in the pantry. Everyday, if they ask, they can have one piece from their bag. I never offer it. Many days go by before they even ask sometimes, and sometimes they go through a phase where they want a piece each day. The older kids (11, 10 and 7) have discovered that when they want a snack, a piece of candy doesn't fill them up. My 5 year old isn't as into the candy as the older kids. I agree with what someone else said - a piece a day isn't terrible for them.

Candy from b-day parties also ends up in the bags. Periodically I/they clean out the bags of stuff they don't want. And today, for Halloween, I actually had to empty out one child's bag of old stuff that hadn't been eaten yet. I agree - moderation is OK.

When we have it in the house I don't have any self control and will just keep eating it. So I can't be a hipocrite and hide it from the kids or tell them no. So we just don't buy much or give away what we have when the day is over. We don't celebrate Halloween and this is one of the big reasons. I let my kids dress up as a compromise and hand out some candy so they can see what the others are dressed up as. But in this neighborhood we don't have many kids and won't even get more than one or two. My 9 year old doesn't seem to even care about the holiday. She just wants the candy! UGH.

Sorry...I can't be that much help. I just think that buying tons of candy and going from house to house to ask for candy is the strangest holiday EVER. I feel exactly the same thing about Easter. Easter is supposed to be about Christs death and ressurection. How people made it about bunnies and candy just confuses me.

I'd say pig out today and send it to work with your family and friends tomorrow.

Suzi

Really good question. Last year we set a rule. The kids could have 5 pieces of candy a day. At the beginning of the day I let them pick what they want and then I put it all away. I told the kids it's up to them how/when they decide they want to eat the candy. One of them crammed all 5 pieces in their mouth within 10 minutes...the other one ate one and saved the rest for later in the day (of course, their sibbling wanted her brother's candy b/c he didn't eat it all right away - LOL). They also had the option to save it over for another day. But they would get no more/no less than 5 a day. Within a week they pretty much forgot about the rest of the candy and we just decretely got rid of it the following week w/o problems.

I found this method really worked well as it taught the kids how to "budget" their candy. No matter how much they wailed for more they knew they only got 5 pieces so they had to live with it. (BTW- size of the pieces did NOT matter).

I also will send a piece of candy in my kids lunch as another way to get rid of it...PLUS the Trick or Treat rule in our house is the kids MUST say "Happy Halloween" or "Trick or Treat" when they go up to the house and they MUST say "Thank you" when they get something...if they don't they forfeit a piece of candy...My son didn't say thank you or say it loud enough so that I scored some 15 pieces from his bag last night! Whoo HOO!!! I figure it not only teaches them manners and thoughtfulness but also pays me for having to put up with the whining over costumes and walking them around (tee hee hee). ;)

I've done this for years and it works for us....First I immediately take all of the chocolate and put it in the freezer. Out of sight.. Then I sort through and take out all of the gum, hard candy, things that my kids aren't old enough to eat...which mostly leaves suckers. I give them 1 piece and put the bowl up whre I can see it, but it's not in plain sight.

I will give me kids a couple pieces every now and then, and usually throw the rest away. I personally wouldnt let them eat it after every meal. I think its a bad habit. My kids really dont complain about it either. But Im one of those how only let me kids eat junk on special occasions, like bday parties, holidays, etc.

I kind of would like to see how everyone else responds because I have the same question :)...I was worried that he wouldn't have any candy left by the time we were done trick-or-treating because he was eating it as we were walking from house to house :)...I believe we need to listen to our instincts more...I think you'll know when he's had enough...

I let my kiddo's eat a few pieces a day maybe not everyday but they will ask or i'll offer it to them.I le tthe candy sit in their pumpkins for a few day's and then i'll put it all away in a canister or cookie jar.I however seperate the candy all chocoalte,suckers gum etc all go into seperate cookijars that way when they ask for something nio digging just get what they want and that's it.

My girls are 2 and 4. I keep all their Halloween candy in a big tub (the kind from Sams that formerly held animal crackers) at the bottom of my pantry so it's not in sight all the time. They get to pick one piece a day - usually they pick in the morning, and they can either eat it after lunch or after dinner. Sometimes, we skip a day if we're busy, and after awhile, they forget about it and I only pull out the tub once in awhile. The tub usually lasts till next Halloween (b/c it gets added to around Valentines and Easter).

We usually let him have a piece or 2 after each meal for about a week (not after breakfast after today) and then the candy gets hid and every once and awhile he gets a piece (my husband eats a bunch) then we just toss the rest and start the process over again at Easter!