A No-Candy Halloween! Fact or Fiction?
Fact! It is possible to avoid candy this Halloween. October is the month for pumpkins, ghouls, and ghosts. It is also a time for sugary sweets that promote tooth decay and cavities. Does that scare you more than the ghosts and goblins? If so, read on to find some interesting alternatives to having the children in your life consume all of their candy this year.
- Candy Bank – a candy bank is a unique idea where you treat a child’s Halloween candy in a similar way that you would money in a bank. As the “customer”, your child is able to make a candy “withdrawal”, but they have to come to you first. They can make a request for what they would like, but you determine the kind and amount of candy they are allowed to have. This is a great way to minimize the amount of sugary sweets they consume in one sitting.
- Candy Fairy – the Candy Fairy is a mythical creature who comes and collects your child’s candy and, in its place, leaves a special non-food item that the child wants. The benefit is that you are eliminating all of the sugary Halloween treats and deciding what you feel would be an appropriate item to be left for your child.
- Donate to the Troops or a Charitable Organization – After Halloween is a popular time when many organizations supporting our troops, homeless, etc. are collecting leftover Halloween candy. This is another great opportunity to reduce the amount of sugary sweets that children are consuming. The benefit here is that you are removing the candy from your home and helping those in need. We call that a win-win!
- Candy Trade-In – A bit like the Candy Fairy, the candy trade-in works in a similar way. With your guidance, a child can decide on something they would like in exchange for trading in their candy. Maybe it is a small toy, a favorite meal, a later bedtime. You can take the exchanged candy and do what you please, like donate it to an organization as mentioned previously.
If you want to have a healthier Halloween, choose one of these methods and give it a try. Your loved one’s teeth will thank you. We hope that you have a safe and fun Halloween. Just a friendly reminder to check with our office to see if you are in need of a routine cleaning. Looking forward to seeing you in our Terre Haute office soon!
