Toddlers and Halloween candy

[Anonymous]

This is the first year its been an issue for us so I was wondering what you do with your little ones’ Halloween candy? We went to a festival on Wed. this week and Seth got a load of candy and although I have only been giving him very little amounts (mostly lollipops and a few m&m’s because he keeps asking for it!), he did get a hold of a little candy bar and we have had two bad reflux nights since then. I have about managed to get rid of all of the stuff he got this week (and no I did not eat it all, threw some of it out when he wasn’t looking) but I know he is going to get another load next week at daycare and then when he goes trick or treating.

[hellbennt]

I monitor/police/censor what is allowed- I let jonah go trick or treating & when he isn’t looking I weed out what I don’t want him to have…

last year I let him carry his little holder (an elmo head) & I brought along a plastic grocery bag- as we were walking, etc, I’d somehow manage to take out items I didnt want him to have- did the same when we got home and then did a final pick through after he was in bed…

he was 3 last year- this year should be harder, but I can still do it while he’s in bed, lol

[Anonymous]

I guess this is where Kaelyn’s allergies actually come in handy. She knows that she can’t have any until we check it. Once we get rid of all of the candy that has wheat, milk, or apples there usually isn’t enough to worry much about. I actually have to give “safe” treats to our neighbors ahead of time so I know that she’ll definitely get something that she can eat.

I think Laura’s suggestion is a great idea!

[Anonymous]

You might be able to do what Laura suggested since Seth is still easily distractable at this age 🙂 Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We also went through it with a very fast comb through when Sarah dumped it on the floor before devouring a few items last year. Then we went through it- tossing some, eating more– while she was asleep. We figured that there was so much in that bag that there was no way she’d ever notice. She got up the next morning, and immediately asked for her candy bag. Then she looked inside and said “There were 12 boxes of smarties, not 6”!…. We were shocked. I told her that mummy and daddy wanted some candy too and we shared with her. She was not happy.

This year, we figure that she’ll never let it out of her sight!… sooo, here’s the plan:

First, we’re not going to go to as many houses so the volume will be less.

Then we’re going to let them each have 3-4 pieces of candy when we get home, just for the fun of it, and then 2 pieces each day until the end of the week. Anything that’s left after that, we’re going to tell them that we’re giving away to “the children who couldn’t get candy on Halloween”… aka my colleagues without children!

We’ll see how it flies…

[hellbennt]

LOL Lori! I know what you mean! Jonah is super observant!!!

We’ll see….

[Anonymous]

Lori and Laura! Too funny!

Griffin never even asked about his candy last year, we ended up having some trick or treaters after he went to bed and we gave half of his candy away! I hadn’t bought any candy and didn’t expect to be home when anyone came around, so it worked out well….. For me anyway! I think DH ate most of it and we just gave him a piece here and there.

But this year he’s almost 4…… May be different.

[Anonymous]

Totally off topic, well not really, but my almost 2yr old “step” nephew is refusing to do Halloween this year. He says that all costumes are “yucky” and when my mom tried to give him a “dress up” outfit he said… “no, no no, yucky, me don’t want any”, I guess he isn’t going trick or treating either… I think this is too funny as it is so not typical!!

[Anonymous]

LOL, guys! We actually live adjacent to a VERY spirited street on Halloween. They go all out… last year they somehow projected the video “Thriller” onto someone’s garage door, they have ghosts/skeletons and all kinds of things popping out of the ground, hanging from trees, or levitating into the air. There’s sound effects and lights, it’s pretty unreal. We live directly behind them, but ours is a busier street, so we only get maybe 5-10 kids all night. This street is packed. It’s pretty neat. I do wonder how Hailey will react though, as we saw a life-size cackling witch at Costco last weekend and she went ballistic!!!!

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone. We are only going to go to a couple of neighbors to trick or treat (mostly so they can see him dressed up!). He has just as much fun helping me answer the door. Kim, I think that is a great idea that you give your neighbors treats for Kaelyn. I am mostly worried about the loot he will get at daycare on top of the cupcakes and everything else they will have at the party! I am going to their party tomorrow so maybe I can go through it and weed out some of the stuff before he brings it home.

Lori, that is so funny about Sarah. She is a smart girl!

I hate to be the spoil sport mom but I wish the daycare would have asked parents to bring in little favors or stickers instead of candy to give out. I actually brought in little bags of teddy grahams……

Cooper’s mom, that is strange about your nephew. Maybe something scared him?

[Anonymous]

Dylan is now refusing to wear the costume he HAD to have. It is Curious George and SOOOOOOO cute. Not sure what is going on there, but like it or not, he is wearing it for the parade tomorrow and then trick or treating tomorrow night. We don’t usually get any trick or treaters, but we are going one street over (the street I grew up on) and it is a real neighborhood and lots of kids so should be fun. About the candy, well, David and I eat most of it, so not a big issue. Dylan is also such a picky eater still, that he doesn’t like much of it anyway. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky! He does like Kit Kat’s though, but he calls them “Kitty cats” so it is really cute!

Enjoy trick or treating, everyone!!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Lori, my DH would LOVE your neighborhood! We live in a townhouse, but have a plastic skeleton tied to the tree out front and rubber rats circling our door. He’s got big plans for future Halloweens too. He wouldn’t let me get Dagney a “cute” costume, because he thinks all costumes should be scarey at Halloween, so we got her this little devil–which is cute anyway–but I’m not sure it’s going to fit her now! We tried it on 2 weeks ago and it just fit, so hopefully she hasn’t hit any growth spurts, otherwise, I’ll have to turn her into something cute!

[Anonymous]

Aiden is afraid of wearing his costume this year too. He is 27 months now. He says the costume is “terrible”. It is pretty funny. We have been trying ot convince him that it is only pajamas but we will see.

I was wondering what is safe candy for milk allergic children? Could someone please let me know!

Thanks!

mbutler19752007-10-30 11:43:23

[Anonymous]

Owen wouldn’t wear his costume last year and he was almost two also. We bought him the best chicken costume from old navy and he downright would SCREAM when we tried to put it on him. He ended up agreeing to wear a Michael Jordan shorts/shirt set that we put over a turtleneck and sweatpants for his school party and for trick or treating.

This year though is a whole other story. He’s Elmo and wants to put the costume on every day. He keeps talking about trick or treating, and candy, and today is his party at school so he wore the costume there. Two kids showed up not wearing theirs and he said “mommy – why they not wearing their costumes?” – so it’s the exact opposite of last year. I think that for some reason some things just weird kids out for reasons that we will never understand – at least that’s what I’ve decided with Owen anyway!!!

ljhar10132007-10-30 11:05:30

[Anonymous]

Alexis is not much of a candy eater thank goodness, but she likes to open every single piece of candy! My friends twins who were 2 last year love candy and this is what they did and it seemed to work for them. She let them go trick or treating, she kept a few suckers and a bag of M&Ms in her pocket and let them have some candy during trick or treating. So when they got home was not interested in having any candy right away. So she took their buckets away while daddy gave them their bath and switched out the candy with fruit snacks, teddy grahams, goldfish crackers, left a few suckers, and bags of M&Ms, she gave them stickers and little Halloween toys that she had bought. They were so overjoyed, but they were younger so they really did not know the difference. This year she is going to try a trading process, she again bought little toys and she is going to have them go shopping: So many pieces of candy for such and such, since they are learning how to count. She’s going to have the toys layed out on the kitchen table and so they “buy” them with what is in their candy buckets. We’ll she how this goes this year, but I thought it was a very creative idea.

Alexis’s mom2007-10-30 11:11:13

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