We’re a few short days from Halloween, which means your house will soon be (if it’s not already) filled with sweets.
Did you know, on average, a child consumes 3.4 pounds of candy on Halloween? That’s roughly 7,000 calories and 3 cups of sugar! And for those who make the argument that they are also walking to trick-or-treat, so it’s not a big deal – children would have to walk 180 miles to burn off all of those calories.
What seemed like a harmless bag of candy is now an arch enemy of moms and dads everywhere, so we asked local parents if they had a game plan for combating the sugar rush.
Here are a few of their tips:
- Hide it – If the kids don’t know where it is, they can’t binge on several pieces at once.
- Eat it – Hey, it gets it out of the house. Help your kids practice getting your favorites, so that if you have to eat it, you can at least enjoy it.
- Tell them “no” – If your child is begging, sometimes you have to put your foot down.
- Tell them the Great Pumpkin needs his share – Thanks to the Charlie Brown classic, you and your kids can set out candy for the Great Pumpkin to enjoy. Bonus: It can be a lesson on sharing.
- Sell it – Some local dentists will buy the candy back to help prevent cavities and tooth decay, and then send it to troops overseas. You can then spend the money on something better!
- Ration it – Make sure kids only get one or two pieces a day until it is gone. Use it as a reward for good behavior or a treat after dinner.
We think these are awesome ideas! If you’re looking for other creative ways to get rid of the candy, here are a couple other ideas:
- Cook it – Using one of these 27 recipes from Babble.com, you can create brownies, cookies, snack mix or cake. Admittedly, most of these recipes probably do not have any less sugar nor are they good for people watching their caloric intake, but they will help turn the candy into something your whole family can enjoy, rather than one child.
- Donate it – Besides the dentist buyback program, Operation: Gratitude, there are other nonprofit organizations that will gladly accept the candy you do not want.
- Give it to the Sugar Goblin – Similar to the Elf on the Shelf, this little creature comes the week before Halloween night to play pranks and collect candy. Find the book and more information here.
- Do a science experiment – This book of candy experiments will disguise learning as fun.
Do you have other tips we missed? Let us know on Facebook!
