Make Halloween Safe For Children and Teeth With Halloween Stickers

My wife and I cringe at the thought of Halloween. We don't despise crazy costumes and tromping through the neighborhood in the dark. We are anticipating the darkness that will befall us in the near future. What we call the detox, the candy detox that is.

We love pilfering the tootsie rolls and peanut butter cups form our unsuspecting children's bags, but for every piece of candy we steal, our little angels have consumed five times more. To avoid the ultimate sugar crash, and make our dentist proud, we have come up with some treat ideas that are healthier and more creative than just buying a bag of candy to distribute to the little neighborhood goblins..

Some healthier suggestions might include:

Individual packs of pretzels


Individual packs of raisins


Popcorn balls (store bought and packaged is best)


Individual sliced apple packs


Carrot and dip packs


Bars ( granola, Odwalla, etc.)


Sugar Free Gum

Sometimes, because the kids do get so many sugary treats, they might really enjoy something they don't eat. There are lots of stores selling the big party bags full of little Halloween toys. These bags include rings, whistles, glow sticks, fake bugs, fake bats, etc. Sometimes it doesn't even matter if it is a Halloween theme.

Baseball or Pokemon cards might be a hit. Stickers and tattoos are great . Sometimes just shopping in the dollar store can be inspirational. Packets of pumpkin seeds to grow next year would be fun and educational. So would art supplies. There are a lot of ideas out there. It just takes a little thought.

We have also devised a strategy for the days and weeks ahead to help alleviate the sugar psychosis. When the kids come home from trick or treating, we make sure to check their bags and take out questionable items like fruit or loose candy that looks like it has been tampered with. Let the kids know that they are allowed a designated number of treats that night, and then put the rest away.

In the following days , limit the number of pieces of candy, and use that as a dessert after dinner. For the big finale, and this is a little drastic, but works remarkably well, we prepare for the "Great Pumpkin Visit".

Yes you heard me. After about a week, when the candy and treats have lost some of their appeal, the kids take the rest of it, put it in bags, and put it out on our porch. Over night , the "Great Pumpkin" makes a visit, and in place of the bags of candy, he leaves small toys, games, puzzles or other goodies. Thanks to the "Great Pumpkin", and with some forethought , we have eased out of the sugar season, hopefully with all mental capacities still intact.