How to Handle the Halloween Sugar Rush

It’s one of the best/worst time of the year for parents—Halloween! We get to see our kids in the most adorable, fun, spooky costumes and spend a night exploring our neighbourhood. But we also have to find ways to manage the bags (or if your kids are anything like me, the pillowcases) full of candy they haul home at the end of the night.

Like it or not, your house is going to be FULL of sugar by 9:00 pm on October 31st. And while lots of parents (and teachers!) would rather we skip the candy craze altogether, there are ways to let kids enjoy Halloween, keep it fun and avoid the dreaded sugar rush (and crash). So we polled the experts (moms and dads like you) for tips on how to ensure your kids have a great Halloween while keeping their sugar intake to a minimum.

Hold off on buying candy

I am guilty of this—I get myself prepared for Halloween by hitting up the candy aisle a week or a few days before Halloween. And I inevitably end up back at that same aisle to restock after eating the majority of my first Halloween candy haul. Instead, buy your candy one or two days before Halloween and avoid buying your kids’ favourites. This way you won’t have the family running on a sugar high before Halloween even starts. Tip: Put the candy out of sight until the trick-or-treaters come a-knocking.

Keep the sweets at bay

Don’t start the week of Halloween on a sugar high. Instead stock up on fruit, vegetables, dairy, and lower sugar treats to have on hand, like IÖGO nanö drinkable yogurt, for after-school snacks. The new and improved IÖGO nanö has 40% less sugar – with only 5 grams of sugar per serving, the majority of that comes from natural sources like fruit puree and milk. It’s made with real fruits, has no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, gelatine free, and made with vitamin D fortified milk. Plus, it is a source of calcium. For a limited time IÖGO nanö is available in a delicious new cherry flavour.

Start on the right foot

Kids are so keen to get out and start their trick-or-treating patrol as soon as possible. The rule in my house was that we had to wait until the sunset before we started knocking on doors. But at this time of year, the sun sets around 6:00 pm, also known as dinner time. It might seem like an easy solution to have a late dinner. Instead, make sure your kids head out for trick-or-treating with a full stomach. Prepare a veggie-loaded dinner and you can help curb some of the between-house-snacking that’s bound to happen.

Keep it moving

Leave the wagon at home. Skip the chauffeured trick-or-treating tour and instead get your kids walking from house to house. Help them burn off the sugar and get some extra exercise in on the night of. If you live in a more rural area, try to get your kids to walk between houses whenever it is safe and possible to do so.

Have a candy plan

The best way to keep an eye on their sugar consumption is to have a candy plan going into the evening. We like this plan, but you can design one that best suits your family.

Halloween Night: Eat what you like

The next day: Three pieces in the lunchbox, three pieces after dinner

2-6 days post Halloween: Two pieces in the lunchbox, two pieces after dinner

One week after Halloween: The candy bowl magically disappears in a manner that does not raise any suspicion with the kids (i.e. Mom and Dad have likely nibbled enough over the course of the week to cause the treats to disappear, or it’s been packaged up and put away).

Pick out their favourites

Once the night is over and the kids are sorting through their treats, ask them to pick out their favourites. Maybe you choose a certain number of treats they can pick out and the rest go into a “family” treat stash. This way you can control how much candy they’re eating each day while also allowing them to enjoy their favourites.

This post is brought to you by IÖGO nanö but the opinions are our own. Be sure this product is right for you and your family.