shinyhappypeople Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Do you let your kids binge on the candy and just be done with it? Do you ration it? How much? Do you do something else entirely? Does it depend on age? How old are your kids? Rethinking my candy policy for my 9 and 7 yo DDs. I'd love to hear how other families handle this issue. Thanks :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missouri Okie Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I don't go trick-or-treating with them, but once they get home, they are only allowed to keep 10 pieces of candy each and the rest goes to work with dad (after I skim off the Reese's for myself :)) . My kids are 5 and 8 this year. They've been okay with this in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 We tried several years ago doing unlimited on the day after and then taking it away after that so it could be the daily dessert until it was gone. Unfortunately, one of my ds ate until he threw up. Great, I thought at first. He's learned his lesson. And then he tried to eat more. Oh, no lesson learned. We do a day of eating way too much, but somewhat moderated on the day after Halloween. Then the rest goes into a bin and is the desserts. So similar, but not a total binge now. My kids are 8. I know a huge number of people where the kids eat 1-2 pieces of candy and then the parents throw the rest away. Or have the "candy fairy" come and replace it with a book or something.:001_rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I once saw this joke where parents video taped their kids reaction after telling them "We ate all of your candy and it's gone." Where did I see that? it was MEAN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 We eat it as fast as we can and get it gone. I snipe a LOT of their candy and they get irritated with me. Then it's gone and I don't have to think about it for another year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleIzumi Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Rationing per day, plus taking a parent tax out first. And whenever we feel like it. :lol: Oh, I'm glad mine are littles and don't mind that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 (edited) We haven't done the trick-or-treating thing in years. Not since they were babies and we could use their cute costumes as a way to get candy for ourselv....wait. Um. Ahem. Yes, well we do Halloween a little differently. The kiddos LOVE horror movies, so we usually set up a marathon of old horror flicks and invite a few friends over. We put out candy and popcorn and hot apple cider and all cuddle up on the couches to watch movies. They'd much rather hang out at home (where it's warm!) and have their favorite candy all to themselves. ETA: Since the kids get to pick out their own candy, they don't have to divide anything up or have it rationed out. I understand this approach won't work with some kids, but it might be worth it to suggest it. Sort of a "private party". Edited October 24, 2012 by inoubliable Comcast ate half of my reply. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 DD eats a bit the first day, we put some aside for treat bags for her birthday party (unless we have a child coming who has to be strictly peanut-free-I'm not going to risk giving a child candy that was in a trick or treat bag with nuts because I've had a melted reeses cup all over everything before), and DH and I eat some of the chocolate-and then the rest goes to work with DH. He's working from home mostly this year, though, so I'm thinking we'll take advantage of the local pediatric dentist's "Cash for Candy" deal. I'm fortunate in that DD really isn't into sweet stuff much. She likes the "getting" much more than the "having" or "Eating". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Overall, I try to monitor how much they eat -- make sure they know how much is reasonable. Between Valentine's Day, Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, they have candy to last almost the year long. I don't limit how much they are allowed to keep from trick-or-treating. That was just so much fun for me. Ben still had chocolate from last Halloween, and I like it, so he gave it all to me, and I bought him some fruity stuff I don't like. I'm pretty slack about stuff like this. I'm okay with them having daily dessert, and they sometimes choose candy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakereese Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 The night of ToT they can pick 3 or 4 things to eat. DH and I swipe our favorites. For the next few days I let them pick one or two pieces a day, and then Daddy will take a big bowl to work. (Incidentally, that is how we get rid of a lot of things...:lol: ) I feel like they get SO much candy before Halloween is even here. At almost every activity, someone brings candy and by the time the 31st is here we are all just over it. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 we have done "the candy fairy" for a few years now...and now our kids look more forward to the candy fairy than they do eating the candy. The candy fairy let's them choice 10 pieces of candy for keeps and the rest is left on the table...and she exchanges the candy for a small toy, card game...one year it was slippers...that sort of thing. I think they can handle 10 pieces of candy...they are allowed one peice per day. It works well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 We go to two malls every year for ToT. After each mall, we allow them a few on the way home. The rest goes into a ziplock bag for each kid to be slowly consumed over weeks. My boys are now 6 and 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 DS is very sensitive to sugar, so candy is pretty limited around here. I would say that the evening of Halloween, they have maybe 2-3 pieces? They don't put up a fuss about it. Any other day, we would limit it to 1 piece - that would be on a day of really good behavior, and not every day. My daughter doesn't have the same reaction that he does, but we keep it fair across the board. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasia Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I once saw this joke where parents video taped their kids reaction after telling them "We ate all of your candy and it's gone." Where did I see that? it was MEAN! Jimmy Kimmel! I'm a horrible person, but I thought a couple of the oldest kids were entertaining. :blush: I don't limit Halloween candy, but my kids don't go overboard. They're pretty picky and end up throwing more than half of it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I let them eat whatever they want on Halloween. Then we go home and count the pieces and give them the option of selling some to us (10 pieces/$1.00.). Whatever they don't want to sell gets hidden for later at Mom's discretion. We started doing this after our older DD was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes to give her a fun option instead of eating all that candy. Turns our she's the kind of kid that can let candy sit in her drawer until Christmas and totally forget about it. DS, however, is a BIG kid, and this also gives him an alternative to eating it all without feeling like he's getting gyped. I just want it out of my house ASAP or I might end up eating it all! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabrizia Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I pull out what I want and DH wants. Then I let them go at it. Around day 2 or 3, they end up making candy soup which destroys about 70 percent of it and I throw it all away. It works for me, at least until they stop making candy soup, then around day 3 I am going to just take it and hide it for candy Math and Reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang!Zoom! Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 After the last three years of dental care, sorry Charlie, enjoy a few and the rest magically disappears in to the great candy bucket in the sky . Love, Mom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I don't limit. One dc vomited almost every Halloween for a few years, but his candy was gone--nothing to argue about. One dc hoarded candy. She would never finish it. Her candy was usually thrown away after a month. Youngest dc only got interested in trick or treat last year ( he's 11 with disabilities). He doesn't go to many houses so not much candy to be concerned about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 My kids aren't big into candy, usually my oldest just picks out the mini plain hershey bars and my dd picks out the one or two vanilla tootsie rolls. My youngest takes the gummies and then we load up the rest to take to the dentist because she buys it back for $1 a pound. It just happens to work out that their dental cleanings are always on Nov 1st the day the buy back program starts. Then our dentist sends all the collected candy to the troops overseas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto3innc Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 They eat 2 or 3 that night. They get paid for as much as they want to give me (last year was $1 per 7 pieces--each ended up with $5-$7 last year). Then they can have 1 piece a day til it's gone. If something looks totally gross and they don't turn it in...it disappears. It's worked well the last few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 I once saw this joke where parents video taped their kids reaction after telling them "We ate all of your candy and it's gone." Where did I see that? it was MEAN! It was on Jimmy Kimmel. That's one of the reasons I can't stand him. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 My kids are 6 and 10. We let them pig out when they get it (and I convince them to share with their mom!) and then they finish it within a few days. I thought I was a bad mom and should follow my friends who ration it. Then, last year, I read that dentists think it's better to just let them kids have it and be done.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 They keep it and eat it as they want for several days. Normally they give mom & dad a few pieces that night then hide their container (from dad :lol: ) After a few days gets dumped in the candy dish to share. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 It was on Jimmy Kimmel. That's one of the reasons I can't stand him. :tongue_smilie: Who is that? See I don't even remember where I saw it. Is he a talk show guy or something? What a jerk! And shame on those parents. Some of the kids cried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Upward Journey Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 When my kids have lots of candy I let them eat it all in one fell swoop. One time I deviated from this plan and the whining and asking all.the.time. if they could have some drove me nuts!!!! I'd rather they make themselves sick and have it over with, than prolong the pain :tongue_smilie:for both of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Our policy: All tootsie rolls go directly to Mom Most Butterfinger candy goes directly to Mom Nothing else is important:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Each kid gets 5 pieces that night, all of the hard candy goes to Operation Christmas Child, and everything else goes in the freezer and gets eaten slowly u til it is gone. We will not mention to the kids how much mom and dad sneak after the kids go to bed. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Occasionally Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 DS6 has peanut and walnut allergies, and that means that the vast majority of the things he receives for ToT aren't safe for him. We tried the Candy Fairy idea once and it was okay, but it seems to work if I give them each a couple pieces that night, sort through to take out offenders after they're in bed, then let them at it for the next day or so. Since most is gone due to the allergies, the rest isn't overwhelming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 The Halloween Fairy visits us. :D The girls pick out their favorite candy and then put out the rest for the HF. She brings them a moderately priced toy in return. Then DH and I scarf the good stuff. :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Our's is a three-part policy, although I didn't realize it until just now :). 1) It's pretty much a candy free-for-all immediately after trick or treating is done. 2) The following week is a piece or two a day after lunch or for afternoon snack. 3) The first or second weekend after trick or treating we dump all the remaining candy on the kitchen table & tell the boys they have 30 mins to eat all they want. At the end of the 30 minutes anything leftover goes in the trash. I get no complaints with this policy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Rationing. It lasts until Christmas candy comes in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 My dds could eat all they wanted...for one day. Then it was all tossed. No candy until next year. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixjen Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 DS gets to eat a few pieces on Halloween, then picks out 10 pieces to keep. The rest he puts in his bucket outside his door and the Great Pumpkin (ala Charlie Brown) comes and takes the candy away leaving a toy or several smaller gifts behind. The toy/gift cannot be junky. It has to be reasonably nice or educational because the last thing I need is more crappy dollar store stuff in the house. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 He would eat a bunch that night, then after that would need to ask before eating a piece. That way I made sure it was not right before a meal, not overly excessive. Then as he got older I relaxed control and just kept it in the cabinet. He could come get a piece, but not take the whole bag and munch. Now he just keeps it in his room. Honestly though, we generally still have a bunch left at Easter and have to throw it away. And then the Easter Candy lasts for months too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reign Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Halloween in my oldest birthday! Not many people hand out candy here but we are in the suburbs. So lots of walking but not a huge amount of candy. Unless the old ladies start handing out fistfuls which happened one Halloween it rained. Anyways... The grandparents come over we dump the candy in a pile and everyone shares. So that's 3kids and 4adults eating candy while oldest opens presents. I am going to try to save some hard candy for gingerbread houses. The girls are very picky though and taste then throw a lot away. Only one of them will eat peanut butter. None of them like nuts. Suckers are boring and will probably get put in a bag for later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetbasil Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Whenever we acquire a large amount of candy I let them have a few pieces, rationed out one or two at a time, over a couple weeks. However, we set the majority aside and freeze it for our annual gingerbread houses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 1 piece a day, it will last all year....my parent's neighborhood is greay for trick or treating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I don't care what they do with it. One of mine has often made the candy last until Easter, one eats it rather quickly. We don't have allergies, and as long as they eat protein with the sugar, it's fine. We are also very lucky in that my 4 kids share 3 cavities, only one which needed a filling. The rest were 'sanded' --or whatever it is they do I could Google, but don't feel like doing. I don't think candy is healthy, mind you. It's not. But I gave up the Halloween worry ghost a long time ago. At any rate, they didn't/don't get tons of candy. (WDW notwithstanding. That Halloween gig was crazy.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 My kids got to keep all their candy. A week or two later, I'd throw the remnants away. No one ever noticed. My mom did that with us, so I did it with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSOchristie Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 We will let them eat whatever they want the night of Halloween. After they go to sleep, dh and I will eat all the good stuff, and I toss the rest. It seems like a never ending candy flow from Halloween to New Years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I take out all gum first; gum is not allowed in my house at all. We don't get a lot of candy, just enough to make the walking and costume prep worth it. (There's a small town near us that is just the perfect size for the kids, and the people generally get into the costumes and decorations, so it's fun.) I let them eat the candy however they want. I kind of figure that in terms of teeth and blood sugar, it's better to have it all gone in a couple of days, rather than spread it out (and possibly argue about it). So I know that they'll be on sugar highs for a couple of days (and I'll push protein during those days), and then either the candy will be gone, or they'll self-moderate, but after a while, at least things will be back to normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 (edited) Our policy: All tootsie rolls go directly to Mom Most Butterfinger candy goes directly to Mom Nothing else is important:lol: I looove BFs. None of the kids do. I (mostly) don't eat candy anymore because I do low carb. :( I drool over that candy, and especially the caramels. My dd still has most of her Halloween candy from WDW. It's on top of her bureau. I can't go in there without feeling deprived. :auto: Edited October 25, 2012 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HappyCrazyMama Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 We all eat a few Halloween night, then it all goes into a bowl and a piece or two is had by all after lunch and dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 We all eat a bunch Halloween night and donate the rest to a local dentist. My dds get candy every Friday night though for our family movie night so it's not a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Do you let your kids binge on the candy and just be done with it? Do you ration it? How much? Do you do something else entirely? Does it depend on age? How old are your kids? Rethinking my candy policy for my 9 and 7 yo DDs. I'd love to hear how other families handle this issue. Thanks :bigear: Halloween is one of the few nights per year that you can have all the candy you want. It's kind of self-regulating-- eating too much is such an unpleasant feeling it isn't a mistake they will make very many times :). Most kids are actually reasonably self-regulating. I let them have at it for about 24 hours, then we ration it, and they're pretty okay with that. I have one kiddo with a massive sweet tooth, and another who is pretty indifferent to candy and sugar in general. He usually gives his candy to his brother after a day or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airforcefamily Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 They 'earned' it in the form of trick or treating so it's theirs to eat, save, share, etc. as they wish. Some years they get bored going door to door and don't get as much. Other years they get more than they can eat in months and ask to donate the leftovers with our other food donations. I'm not comfortable taking away something they did the leg work to get. They go all out that night but are fairly responsible with it after that. One of the kids is prone to getting cavities but she knows how uncomfortable it is to have them fixed and limits her consumption of sticky candy to one night then gives it to the other kids or sets it aside to donate and just eats the chocolate and non sticky sugar candies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I let mine keep their candy in their loot bag (Usually a pillow case) for a few days. They can eat as much as they want when ever they want. If I see them eating it too close to meal time, I'll tell them to wait until after we've eaten 'real food' to have more. After a few days, I'll ask them to put it in the 'Candy Drawer' so we can use the pillow cases again. It never fails, once it goes in the candy drawer, no one ever touches it and I end up throwing almost all of it away to make space for the Christmas candy. Lather, rinse, repeat at Easter time. I think for my kids, since it's not 'off limits' they will ask for a piece if they really want it, but there's no reason to binge or horde because it's not forbidden fruit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Mine keep it and eat it. No regulation. This year, however, dd has braces (her brothers didn't). She is limited with what she can eat. Her orthodontist will buy back candy for $5 a pound. He gives the kids $2 and donates $3 to the local shelter. I'm sure she'll accumulate at least a pound of candy she can't eat. :D (We need a braces smilie...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trinchick Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Mine keep it and eat it. No regulation. This year, however, dd has braces (her brothers didn't). She is limited with what she can eat. Her orthodontist will buy back candy for $5 a pound. He gives the kids $2 and donates $3 to the local shelter. I'm sure she'll accumulate at least a pound of candy she can't eat. :D (We need a braces smilie...) Same here. DD can have whatever she wants whenever, which is generally the rule in our house about all foods. She has more self control than I do when it comes to sweets. Our dentist recommends eating as much as you want for three days. Then he will buy the remainder (not sure of the amount); I think he sends them in care packages to troops overseas. I think that the thought process is that having a little candy a day over a long time is actually worse for your teeth since it produces the acid over a longer period. (I'm no scientist, so don't hold me to it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlebug42 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 The girls will be able to eat a little after trick or treat. Dh and I will pull out the stuff that they don't like/can't have and either keep it for ourselves or pitch it. Then, we tend to hang onto it for desserts. They don't tend to go overboard and honestly, we still have candy left from trick or treat last year. I will pitch that before Tuesday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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