Avoid the Spooky Smile: Health Tips for Halloween
Halloween is fast approaching – one of the sweetest and most cavity-producing days of the year! It really is one of the most fun holidays for kids. However, it often comes with a lot of internal struggles and questions from parents…
- How much candy should I let my children eat?
- Can I protect my kids’ health from endless sugar intake?
- How do I balance letting kids have fun trick or treating with making sure their health isn’t impacted?
It’s not an easy territory to navigate but we have a few suggestions that might help. Parents, here’s how to balance this sugar rush of a day without compromising your kids’ oral health.
Acceptance
For parents that have kids participating in Halloween, there needs to be a certain level of acceptance that comes along with it. There will be candy, and there’s not much you can do to stop that sugar wave. By internalizing and truly accepting this fact, then it’s easier to move forward, set some boundaries, and to enjoy and have fun on this day that only happens once a year.
Boundaries
Halloween and trick or treating doesn’t have to be too over the top, especially if your kids are young. Perhaps limit the amount of trick or treating time to one hour, or have boundaries that restrict the adventure to a two-block radius, or give the kids a small bucket with the rule that they are done once the bucket is full.
Candy rules
The real challenge usually happens once the kids get home and see their loot spread out in front of them. It’s cute to watch kids sort their haul. What they like, what they’ll eat first, and what they’ll eat only when the good stuff is gone. This is where it’s a good idea to create a plan for how much they will consume, and when.
Some parents opt to keep the candy out of reach of the kids, and distribute the candy on a set schedule (a piece every day with lunch and one for after dinner, for example). Or if it’s on the honour system, then it can come with monitoring how much is left at the end of each week. Whatever works for you. However, having candy rules is also a good way to build communication and trust with the kids.
Focus on oral health
We all know that kids’ teeth are going to be exposed to an increased level of sugar at the end of October. Which means it’s a great time to double down on oral health. This might include some negotiations about eating candy versus longer brushing time or better flossing habits. Or that if the kid is allowed to go trick or treating, it will be followed by a trip to the dentist at the end of November with no complaints!
Candy time should definitely be balanced with really good dental health habits, and that means brushing at least twice a day. Young children are definitely susceptible to cavities and tooth decay, and it can be a challenge to create new habits once bad habits are in place. So, we recommend you start early by introducing health care to children at a very early age. This will help normalize the process and make it easier for kids to invest in their own dental care.
Talk about dental care
Halloween can be a really challenging day for parents. While it’s cute and fun to see the kids so excited, it can also be a difficult day to navigate. How do you balance the fun with their sugar intake and overall well-being? We suggest parents use the day as an opportunity to have conversations about dental care and oral health. It’s also a great way to practice giving kids boundaries while still letting them have fun. Of course – every parent will have their own rules and will know what works best for them!
But if you are concerned about the effects of sugar on your kids’ teeth after Halloween, or any day for that matter, please book an appointment with us. It’s never too early to start teaching kids about the dentist and oral health. We’d love to help them on their journey.
Happy Halloween!
