It's that time of year is again! The kids (and some adults!) are deciding on their costumes, American Halloween candy is everywhere, everything is pumpkin spiced flavour and Hocus Pocus is on repeat! Halloween is great fun for the kids & parents, however the real scare is when the kids are armed with buckets full of sweets and treats that aren’t so healthy for their teeth!
Therefore, here are some helpful tips of keeping this Halloween fun, yet still fairly healthy:
Send them off with full tummies of healthy food
Giving the kids a healthy, balanced meal before they go trick or treating will mean that they will be satisfied and so are less likely to overindulge in sweets as they knock door to door.
Avoid denying them sweet altogether
Denying kids the full Halloween experience can send the wrong message and it will make the sweets seem even more irresistible which may lead to them sneaking sweets. Instead, let the kids pick 10 sweets, which they can eat then and there and then set up a sweets bank, which allows your child to make daily/weekly withdrawals, so you can monitor and control their in take.
Introduce the ‘Switch Witch’
Any left over sweets can be swapped for a small toy or a family day trip to the zoo.
Fluoride will frighten the cavities away
Sweets tend to be be sticky and get stuck in our teeth, so make sure the kids brush their teeth thoroughly (with help from mum or dad) and use toothpaste that contains fluoride, which reduces the damage caused by tooth decay.
Drink water after eating sugary treats
Encourage the kids to drink a glass of water after they eat a sugary treat, as this will help to wash away some of the sugars and acids.
