To Eat or Not Eat Halloween Candy? That is the Question!

A tale as old as time: Parents versus Kids with their Halloween Candy. 

As we head into the biggest candy holiday of the year, there will be the inevitable battle that every parent will face: how much candy do we allow our kids to eat after Trick-or-Treating?  And not just post Halloween, but also the coming weeks at nighttime where you know eating candy is like putting fuel into a rocket and disrupting bedtime routines.

How much candy should you allow your little ones to eat after a trick-or-treating extravaganza? Parents since the beginning of time have been battling this dilemma.

From your child’s perspective, the build up has been immense. Their costume is their new identity.  They trekked from house to house earning candy with each conquest. Along the way battling other kids on who can get to the door bell fastest. This is their Super Bowl!

Eventually legs get tired, costumes start falling apart and meltdowns start to brew. But they persist and fight through adversity for just for one more handful of candy. And as the sun sets they know Halloween is coming to an end and it is time for them to reap their rewards.

Now let’s set the scene where most of us will face the exact same scenario. You return home, kids are exhausted, Monday morning wake ups are in sight and all you want to do is wind your kids down after a long day and ease into their bedtime routine.

Your kids on the other hand have a different idea. Eat as much candy as humanly possible.  From their perspective, I get it. The just put all this effort in to get tons of candy and now as parents we are telling them they can’t have any. What’s the fun in that?  Versions of our younger-selves would be shaking their heads in disappointment and chanting “Give them candy! Give them candy!”

As time goes fast, our kids will be older before we know it. And they will face other adversities in life where we will wish we could just give them candy to solve any problems they have.

So appreciate this time, lean into the madness and let them splurge. 

And what a great opportunity to create games with the candy that they have just gotten. Personally we like hiding candy around the house and playing ‘Hot or Cold’ or ‘3 Cup Monty’ where you shuffle the cups around and they need to track/decide which cup has the the candy under it.

Life is short, Halloween only comes around once a year, let’s be the fun parents our younger selves would want us to be. And maybe we indulge in a few extra pieces as well!

Happy Halloween!  Be safe and have fun with your littles!