I meant to publish this on Monday, but I’m in LA and having too much fun. More on that in another post! I know that every year, it will continue to get more difficult to keep Annabel and Woody from consuming chemical-laden Halloween candy, but I am trying to do what I can, while I can. Maybe, just maybe, my values will rub off on them? If you’d like to limit the amount of junk your kids are going to eat over the next week, but you don’t want to play the Wicked Witch of the West, read on for my tips to a fun, healthy(ish) Halloween.
Annabel, who turns 4 in a few weeks, is in full-day preschool five days a week, which means she eats two snacks as well as lunch there almost daily. Depending what’s on the menu, I often pack a healthier substitute, or sometimes she ends up eating pizza and a muffin. I guess we can call that balance. Another way I can ensure (I do know I sound like a control freak) she is eating heathy, nutritious food is to volunteer to make and bring food to their classroom celebrations. Last year, I made little mandarin orange pumpkins and banana ghosts. This year, I’m going to make little chocolate graveyard chia pudding cups. I have lots of healthy holiday ideas for kiddos on my Pinterest Page, by the way.
When it comes to Halloween candy, I try hard to not be the fun police. When we go trick-or-treating, Annabel is allowed to eat a few pieces of her candy as we go. Last year, when she went to bed, I switched it all out for healthier options that I bought at Thrive Market, but this year, I think she will probably notice, so I’m going to be honest with her, explain that the candy isn’t healthy, and make a deal with her to switch it out. I keep her halloween candy out of sight, and we allow her one piece every night after dinner for a week or so.
I do feel the need to say that this is just what works for US. I do not judge other’s parenting decisions – it is none of my business how you handle Halloween, or any other day, in your home. I just put these tips out there for those of you who may be wondering how to navigate living healthfully in what can be a very unhealthy world. Balance is difficult – maybe even impossible – to achieve, but I do believe that we can create a happy, traditional, memorable holiday for our children without depriving them of its novelty and nostalgia.
What are your parenting tips, tricks or hacks for a healthy-ish Halloween?
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