Help Your Kids Have a Healthy Halloween! (2022)

As kids we loved Halloween, dressing up in our favorite costumes and going door to door collecting as much candy as we could. However, now that we are adults, we want our kids to make healthier choices for Halloween. So, how can you get your kids to have a healthy Halloween and not miss out on sweet treats? Here are some great ways to help your kids avoid eating too much candy.

Picking the Right Candy

Yes, there are some candies that are better off for teeth than others because of their consistency. Candy that is hard, stick or sour are usually the candies you want your kids to avoid, especially if they are wearing braces. When the candy is hard, sticky, or sour it can cause damage to the teeth or the brackets of kids wearing braces. It’s best to avoid these types of candies so that your kids don’t get tooth decay or cavities but if they should have these candies then make sure that they properly clean their teeth.

Candy Buy-Back Programs

This is probably the best way for your kids to avoid eating too much candy or any candy at all. Many dentists and orthodontists offer a reward to kids who bring in the candy they collected just to help kids avoid eating too much candy. Your kid might not like the thought of not having candy but they’ll thank you later when they find out they avoided getting cavities! Contact your kid’s dentist or orthodontist to find out if they are doing the candy buy-back program for their patients.

Time for Sweet Treats

Your kid might get a lot of candy from Halloween but that doesn’t mean they need to finish all their candy over a period of months. Have a week or two in which you allow your kids to enjoy their candy limiting them to so many pieces each day. Once your kids have enjoyed their sweet treats for the day, make sure that they clean their mouths by brushing and rinsing their teeth.

Pick Healthy Treats

Yes, we all love sweets but as you know some are great for us such as fruits and certain veggies that have natural sugar in them and then there are unhealthy sweets like candy and chocolate that have no health benefits at all. So how do you get your kids to eat their fruits and veggies instead of candy? You can try creating fun art from fruits and vegetables, such as Pumpkin oranges, Banana ghosts, and Veggie Skeletons, so your kids will enjoy looking at them and eating them. Having your kids pick healthy treats rather than candy and chocolate are perfect because it will keep them feeling healthy and will also protect their teeth.

Oral Hygiene

The most essential factor in keeping teeth healthy and clean during Halloween is to make sure that your kids are cleaning their teeth. Practicing good oral hygiene is essential year-round, especially during holidays that involve eating lots of sweets such as Halloween. During the month of October leading up to the end – Halloween, kids will probably eat the most amount of candy so it’s extremely important that they brush, floss, and rinse twice daily. Also, if you want to be on the safe side and make sure that your kids don’t get any cavities, you can schedule them to visit their dentist for a dental cleaning.