Do most people really make their kids get rid of most of their Halloween candy

[Anonymous]

DD picks through what she gets, and only keeps the ones she or I will actually eat. She is free to trade with friends, or give away the rest. When we didn’t do this, we ended up with endless amounts of candy no one wanted, that would just get tossed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing I never do is eat my kids candy. My mom used to eat all my Halloween candy every year— literally gorge herself after I went to bed on Halloween night, and I would wake up to see nothing but bad candy left. It was so traumatizing.

Sounds like there’s a lot more to this story than Halloween Candy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think “most” people do that but some people definitely do. I think it’s a control thing for some moms + a reflection of their own disordered eating habits.

I don't get rid of any of my kid's candy but limiting how much sweets your kid eats is not "disordered" eating. It's a normal parenting thing. Letting your kids eat as much candy and junk food as they want, letting them keep candy in their rooms to snack on whenever they want, is arguably more disordered than simply having some rules around how much candy gets eaten each day.

Exactly. My kids are athletes and its important for them to understand the kinds of food that are good "fuel" for their bodies. At the same time, balance is important and denying any desserts/candy is very harmful. Teaching kids healthy balanced eating is a life lesson. Enjoying a few pieces of candy each day post Halloween is fine, but if you don't teach a kid why you don't eat unlimited candy (impacts of sugar), you are doing them a disservice. In fact allowing your kids to gorge on candy is an unhealthy habit.

Agree. we live in a neighborhood where houses are generous and close together. My kids come home with so much candy. They eat a ton on Halloween night, then they can have a few pieces per day. Whatever is still around in December gets tossed/donated to their school for events later in the year. Halloween runs into Christmas parties and more treats and baking most of the month. No one needs that much candy, everyday, for months.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think “most” people do that but some people definitely do. I think it’s a control thing for some moms + a reflection of their own disordered eating habits.

Yep. This is it.
I literally know no one who takes away their kids candy or does that Switch Witch crap.

[Anonymous]

My son and husband eat most of the candy. We only go down 2 streets since the kids are young, so we don’t usually get more than we can eat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing I never do is eat my kids candy. My mom used to eat all my Halloween candy every year— literally gorge herself after I went to bed on Halloween night, and I would wake up to see nothing but bad candy left. It was so traumatizing.

My mom used to put all of our (my siblings and I) candy in one big bowl and it mysteriously disappeared very quickly. I don't know if my mom was eating it or throwing it away or what. I just know it definitely wasn't "mine" to eat as I pleased.

Same with candy in my Easter basket. My siblings and I would get candy in our Easter basket and my mom would take all of it. We hosted Easter dinner each year so she'd put all of our candy out for the guests to snack on. It really sucked to essentially have something given to you as a gift taken away and given to other people without your consent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing I never do is eat my kids candy. My mom used to eat all my Halloween candy every year— literally gorge herself after I went to bed on Halloween night, and I would wake up to see nothing but bad candy left. It was so traumatizing.

Lol. We must be the same generation. My mom also would nibble away at my Easter bunny every year and it really upset me. When I was maybe 5 I took my bunny to bed with me, determined to protect what was mine. I still remember the confusion and horror of waking up to find my leg smothered in melted chocolate bunny. However my mom was much more considerate thenceforth after having to do that laundry! (I love my mom, she is awesome and fully accepted her role in the making of that disaster. )

To the point of this thread, I generally let DD eat what she wants. We can do that because she's a good self -regulator. Definitely don't switch out/toss candy as a general rule (though at some point the dregs get thrown away)!

[Anonymous]

So don't buy the good candy? Just buy a bag of the individual life savers and each kid gets one, that way you won't be upset if they don't end up eating it.

Of all the things to care about, I can't fathom spending one second obsessing over what becomes of the Halloween candy I hand out...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haha sorry you don't get to dictate what my kids do with the candy others voluntarily give out. What a piece of work you all are!

I’m asking if most people really do this so that if most people do, I can stop wasting $100 on candy that’s going in the trash and instead give out a sticker or something cheaper to go into the trash

If it helps, the parents I know who actually do this eat the candy themselves.

Uh, no. My kids get to keep enough candy to last until Christmas and the rest is donated.

You sound fun. Lighten up and have a Snickers.

[Anonymous]

Are you my MIL? The one who asks what my kids favorite foods are before we visit and then complains that they didn’t eat 3 gallons of Jell-O, a family size box of Cheerios, or 4 gallons of chocolate milk while we were there for a day and a half? The fact that you’re upset about what people are doing with a gift you gave them is beyond weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think “most” people do that but some people definitely do. I think it’s a control thing for some moms + a reflection of their own disordered eating habits.

Yep. This is it.
I literally know no one who takes away their kids candy or does that Switch Witch crap.

Really? The parents of the better behaved kids I know all seem to do it (although they let them keep a couple of pieces).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haha sorry you don't get to dictate what my kids do with the candy others voluntarily give out. What a piece of work you all are!

I’m asking if most people really do this so that if most people do, I can stop wasting $100 on candy that’s going in the trash and instead give out a sticker or something cheaper to go into the trash

If it helps, the parents I know who actually do this eat the candy themselves.

Uh, no. My kids get to keep enough candy to last until Christmas and the rest is donated.

You sound fun. Lighten up and have a Snickers.

Fun? 😂 Being a parent is not about being fun. It’s about setting boundaries and teaching healthy habits. You can have candy and also be healthy without gorging on it, that behavior actually can lead to eating disorders. My children receive stockings full of candy for Christmas, a month later valentine's candy, then Easter. There’s no reason to keep 6 pounds of Halloween candy all year long! Setting boundaries is healthy. Because there’s a limit, They choose their favorites instead of mindlessly, eating everything that’s there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haha sorry you don't get to dictate what my kids do with the candy others voluntarily give out. What a piece of work you all are!

I’m asking if most people really do this so that if most people do, I can stop wasting $100 on candy that’s going in the trash and instead give out a sticker or something cheaper to go into the trash

If it helps, the parents I know who actually do this eat the candy themselves.

Uh, no. My kids get to keep enough candy to last until Christmas and the rest is donated.

You sound fun. Lighten up and have a Snickers.

Fun? 😂 Being a parent is not about being fun. It’s about setting boundaries and teaching healthy habits. You can have candy and also be healthy without gorging on it, that behavior actually can lead to eating disorders. My children receive stockings full of candy for Christmas, a month later valentine's candy, then Easter. There’s no reason to keep 6 pounds of Halloween candy all year long! Setting boundaries is healthy. Because there’s a limit, They choose their favorites instead of mindlessly, eating everything that’s there.

Plus the weeks leading up to Halloween i feel like kids are getting candy everywhere they go, including school, then the weeks after halloween everyone is trying to give out more candy that is leftover (teachers, sports practices, random restaurants). It is candy galore from pretty mid Oct through Xmas..then there are other holidays and the candy associated with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think “most” people do that but some people definitely do. I think it’s a control thing for some moms + a reflection of their own disordered eating habits.

Yep. This is it.
I literally know no one who takes away their kids candy or does that Switch Witch crap.

Really? The parents of the better behaved kids I know all seem to do it (although they let them keep a couple of pieces).

Yes really. I never heard of the Switch Witch until DCUM. My kids friends are a mix of well behaved and not so much.

[Anonymous]

Some kids are good at self regulating and some aren't. I don't judge parents if they get rid of candy after a while- I'll assume that is what is best for their kid.