No matter what you think about the holiday, Halloween has definitely made its mark on the Australian calendar in recent years. There’s something very fun about dressing up, walking around the neighbourhood to spot spooky decorations and, of course, taking part in Trick or Treat-ing.
While kids might get a fright out of an animatronic skeleton (some of them are truly terrifying TBH) for parents the big fear is often about how to manage the inevitable stash of Halloween lollies. It’s a question we hear a lot in the Mealtimes Membership as the end of October approaches.
What’s so spooky about Halloween treats?
It can be A LOT of lollies all at once – maybe the most amount they’ve ever been exposed to at once. And that big bucket of sweets can come with even more noise for us grown ups on how to deal with it.
First up is the general concern about the impact of eating a lot of sugar at once, aka the sugar high. This was debunked in the 90s, but it’s become an urban myth in the decades since. Research says that actually it’s the environment where sugar is consumed, such as all the excitement of dressing up and running around the neighbourhood, that causes this heightened activity, not the sugar itself. Hard to believe, but true!
Then there’s the worry that giving kids a bucket of lollies will cause them to eat too much. This often comes from fears about our own eating, if we ever feel out of control around food, and ends up with grown ups trying to control how many lollies kids eat on Halloween night, instead of letting them figure out what their body is telling them.
Which brings us to ideas like the ‘Switch Witch’, where kids leave out their bucket of lollies for a “witch” to swap over for a toy on Halloween night. Sounds cute in theory, but long term it can actually make lollies feel ‘forbidden’ or something special – which is the last thing we’re trying to achieve.
So how should we handle Halloween lollies?
Before we get into how to handle Halloween lollies, I want to acknowledge that the feelings that come up around holidays like Halloween (and Easter and Christmas) are totally valid. It’s okay to ask how many lollies you should let your kids eat, or wonder if there’s a right way to manage special events. Asking the question means that you care about what lessons you’re teaching your kids about food and their body.
Why? Because we help them much more in the long term by supporting them to learn to listen to their bodies than we do by restricting how much they eat.
When kids learn that lollies and chocolate are just food, they can eat them without becoming obsessed with them. By allowing free access to Halloween lollies, they can eat enough to be satisfied and move on to something else once they’re done.
Now to be clear, it’s ok to pick out lollies that might be unsafe to eat, like if they’re not packaged or are a potential choking risk for younger kiddos. But what we don’t want is lollies to be seen as a highly magical food, so the point is to let it happen without fanfare.
Below are some practical tips on how to manage lollies on Halloween (and the days following) for toddlers and bigger kids. If, after reading this, you still have questions, or you just want support in managing all sorts of tricky mealtimes challenges, then this is where my Mealtimes Membership comes in.
How to manage Halloween for toddlers
Expert-led feeding guidance that grows with your child
One membership, three dedicated stages tailored to your child. Start where you need, switch when you want.
(4 - 15 months)
Starting solids
Introducing allergens
Finger food and puree recipes
(1 - 4 Years)
Fussy Eating
Toddler-tested snacks and meals
Confidence through the chaos
(5 - 12 years)
Weekly family menu
School lunchbox ideas
Navigating body conversations
How to handle the Halloween stash for older kids
As kids get older, we want to give them more control over what they eat, which includes letting them manage their own Halloween lolly stash.
It’s okay to offer some boundaries, like setting a rule that lollies go away an hour before meals, or that they’re not brought out around younger kids. You might have a rule that they’re kept in the pantry so pets (or crawly critters) can’t get at them. Whatever boundaries you set, they should be logical and clear, and not a subtle attempt to control or restrict your kid.
And that’s it. The rest is up to them. They might eat it all in two days or hoard it for months until the lollies go hard – that’s ok.
You’re giving them the message that these foods are not a big deal, which is so important for them to know as they grow up.
I'm so confident that you don't have to stress about what your child eats at Halloween, or on any other day.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, or how it works out for you. Mealtimes Members also get a chance to chat with me about this beforehand (see below!)
Happy Halloween!
