What do we do with all this Halloween candy?
Happy Halloween! It’s time for spooky decorations, silly costumes, and a little Hocus Pocus. Trick-or-treating makes fun memories and, even more exciting for kids, the huge haul of candy! It’s a great time to celebrate fall and enjoy some treats. We’ll list a few tips below for having a great Halloween and the days following, with the goal of avoiding cavities from all that sugar.
1. Kids are super excited about their stash when they return home – consider allowing them an increased portion to enjoy that evening and satisfy their excitement. It’s a holiday after all! Allowing them that treat right away can help reduce emotional desire for more sugar later.
2. While trick-or-treating, remember that candies like chocolates (Hershey kisses, Hershey bars, M&Ms, Mr. Goodbar, Reese’s, etc.) and powdery-textured ones (Nerds, Smarties, Fun Dip) stick to the teeth less and can cause fewer cavities. Encourage children to select these types of candies instead of sticky or hard candy like caramels, Tootsie Rolls, Starburst, Skittles, lollipops, Jolly Ranchers, and the like. If they prefer sticky candies, these can be eaten the night of trick-or-treating and/or saved for special times after Halloween.
3. Consider allowing kids to have one or two pieces of their Halloween candy as their dessert immediately after dinner each night, and making that the limit on candy. Keeping the candy right after dinner means it won’t count as an extra sugar exposure for the day, and it lets kids continue to enjoy the excitement while keeping them from wanting to snack on it all day.
4. Soon after trick-or-treating, encourage kids to get rid of the candies they don’t like; this removes the temptation for them to want it later as the second-tier candy!
5. Consider having kids choose a certain amount of candy to keep, and dispose of the rest.
6. Avoid sticky or hard candies if your child’s teeth have crowns – these can pull the crown off or loosen them, potentially causing an infection by allowing bacteria to access the tooth underneath the crown.
Halloween is a special time that we can all enjoy! Lovingly sticking to the boundaries your family chooses can help it be enjoyed more healthily. As always, if you notice any changes to your child’s teeth, including any new stains, dark areas, or holes, call your pediatric dentist for a check-up.
Happy haunting!