Halloween may evoke images of jack-o-lanterns, ghosts and ghouls, but there’s only one thing most children have on their minds when it comes to the spookiest holiday of the year: Candy.
Children love putting on costumes and trick-or-treating, but parents of diabetic children might be wary of allowing their kids to participate because of the mountain of candy they will inevitably collect. After all, while too much candy could create problems for any child, the dangers are much more immediate and urgent for children with diabetes.
But under a parent’s watchful eye, diabetic children should be allowed to take part in the fun of Halloween festivities, said Ivy Sheehan, a registered dietitian at the St. Elizabeth Regional Diabetes Center.
“A child with diabetes doesn’t have to be excluded from trick or treat just because they are getting candy,” Sheehan said. “With Halloween and any other event that involves sweets, candies, and carbohydrates, the key to maintaining good blood sugar control with children with diabetes is to match the carbohydrates amounts to insulin doses.”
Though the immediate worry about candy consumption might be sugar content, it’s really the total carbohydrate content that creates the insulin need. Parents should not assume that sugar-free candies will be any better for their kids than other sweets.
Trick-or-treating can create another potentially dangerous problem for diabetic children: It’s a physical activity, which can cause low blood sugar levels. It’s important to watch for symptoms of low blood sugar while out trick-or-treating, including shakiness, sweating or fatigue.
Upon returning home from trick-or-treating, parents should help their kids sort their candy, dividing it up into small amounts organized by carbohydrate content. This will help prevent children from over-consuming sweets and ensure that they can plan their insulin doses.
“Parents can monitor their children’s candies and treats by going through their baskets and dividing up which treats are for school, after school, or just for a snack by organizing them in carbohydrate amounts,” Sheehan said. “For example, all the fun-size Baby Ruth bars are 25 grams carbohydrates, while the Smarties are all 30 grams carbohydrates.”
Of course, having a house full of candy might just prove to be too much temptation for some parents to tolerate. Sheehan suggests offering to buy their children’s candy from them in exchange for gift cards, or having the kids work on a craft project that incorporates the candy and then giving the finished product away as a gift.
“All children with diabetes should be able to participate with Halloween trick-or-treating,” Sheehan said. “It is a fun event for everyone, and just because a child has diabetes doesn’t mean they have to skip out on the fun of getting sweet treats.”
