Halloween Tips for Trick or Treating

Here are a few simple suggestions to help you get through Halloween night and the other 364 days that follow.

Have a plan
Make a plan after asking for your children’s input. Feed your children a nutritious dinner so that they will have all the energy they will need to for a successful Trick or Treat night.

Set limits in advance
Having an end goal of how many doors you will knock on and what hour they will return home will help you avoid the “just one more” or “but we have not gone to…” meltdown that persists all the way home.

Agree on a candy consumption limit
Agree on how much candy your children are allowed to eat on Trick or Treat night and each day thereafter.

Provide healthy snacks
Keep healthy between-meal snacks in view and accessible such as a bowl full of juicy red apples, bananas, or seasonal fruit rather than a center piece of Skittles^®, M&M’s^®, and Tootsie Rolls^®. Keep the candy out of sight.

Teach and model moderation
Teach and model moderation. All foods can fit, if we are reasonable about the amount and frequency.

Do not attach emotions to candy
Try not to use candy to reward, bribe, punish, or convey love. By attaching emotions to certain foods, you may inadvertently set the stage for disordered eating in the future, including undereating, anorexia, and overeating, obesity.

Begin some new family rituals
Do not make the holiday all about the candy. Make it a time to begin new family rituals.

Get moving

The weather starts to grow cold, and you naturally want to slow down, conserve heat, and eat hearty meals. Make sure you choose after-school activities that make both you and your child move.

Keep it safe

Above all, have a safe and fun Halloween!