Parents, what's your rule re: Halloween candy?

[momof3disneyholics]

I'm a sucker for Halloween candy. I let them eat some of it that night, I don't have a set number of pieces, but they can eat some. Then after they go to bed, I eat some more.

 

[DawnCt1]

We are past the candy stage but I used to let them sit and eat all they wanted and as much as they wanted. Usually they were curious about this or that, would open a package and eat part of it. Opened packages went in the trash. This way the candy was gone in a day or two and the stuff they didn't like got tossed early.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Parents, what's your rule re: Halloween candy?

Bring candy home, look through it and throw away "iffy" pieces.

Eat candy. I don't have "candy rules".

 

[lewdyan1]

Don't throw your candy away! Give it to a shelter or a food bank. Everyone deserves a treat.

This is great advice!!! I don't have any stead fast rules, but I just threw away last years candy, last month. DH thought I should keep it and pass it out this year!

 

[mommaU4]

Bring candy home, look through it and throw away "iffy" pieces.

Eat candy. I don't have "candy rules".

Short and simple. I Like It!

 

[mommaU4]

This is great advice!!! I don't have any stead fast rules, but I just threw away last years candy, last month. DH thought I should keep it and pass it out this year!

I wonder if people do that? Some of the candy we get looks really old.....

 

[Sparx]

Same here. We bought 250 fullsize Butterfingers this year. I doubt anyone is throwing one of those babies out!

wow! What are they on sale for? we dont' have a target around here, but we'll drive for 250 candy bars.

 

[WhoopyPie]

If so many of you toss it out, why then do you let them go to so many houses? That is such a waste. Makes me rethink handing out candy.

 

[Sparx]

Halloween candy is for eating and making yourself slightly sick, and thrilling to the possibilty of what you'll eat next. If I put rules in place, I'd simply restrict the amount of time she could trick or treat, but I'd never tell her she had to pick a few pieces and store or throw out the rest.

I don't remember us ever having 'rules' I can't imagine, "you can have X pieces, then we are throwing everything else away" thats just a waste.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

This is great advice!!! I don't have any stead fast rules, but I just threw away last years candy, last month. DH thought I should keep it and pass it out this year!

I've seen (and tasted) candy that I know has been regifted. Ewwww! Oh, and I have a confession...we still have my 5yo's bucket from last year in our pantry. It's our candy holder and any candy he gets throughout the year gets tossed in there, so it's not all from last Halloween. Any good stuff that gets stale quickly (ie, the choco bars) get eaten long before it goes stale and the others stay ok for a long time. It will be thrown out before he goes trick or treating this year. It gives my husband something to comment on/complain about all year..."can you believe, we still have Halloween candy".

 

[goofyforlife]

My DD's candy usually goes pretty fast if I let her eat what she wants....

What worked out well the last couple years is that I let her make small snack bags with like 4-5 pieces in them and then the rule is one bag a day...

(This is after my DH gets his bag of course... )

 

[skiwee1]

wow! What are they on sale for? we dont' have a target around here, but we'll drive for 250 candy bars.

I think DH picked them up at BJ's. I don't know what he paid for them.

 

[Tjaleks]

After we check every last piece of candy and throw out anything that looks hinky my boys are allowed to pick 5 pieces to have that night. During the time they pick their 5 pieces they trade with each other. Then I put it up and give them the candy in reasonable amounts until they forget about it. Then I or DH take the rest to work where the vultures come out and eat it all. We NEVER just throw it out. People spend too much money on this candy for the kids to enjoy for me and my tight wad self to throw out.

 

[Keli]

When I was a kid my mom let us have our candy and eat as much of it as we wanted, when we wanted, until it was gone. Like everyone else, I got tired of it after two or three days because by then all the good stuff was gone. I'd give it to mom and she'd put it in a bowl on the coffee table or something. My siblings usually did the same thing.

When my dd was younger we followed the same process except Ashli LOVES candy so she kept hers much longer before she got tired of it. She also had to hide it from her dad when she wasn't around because she inherited that LOVE of candy from him, lol. Actually he always threatened to raid her candy bag while she was gone but the most he'd really ever do was sneek one piece now and then. And since Ashli has a soft heart and understands a love of candy, lol, she was always generous in her sharing.

 

[mommaU4]

If so many of you toss it out, why then do you let them go to so many houses? That is such a waste. Makes me rethink handing out candy.

Obviously not speaking for everyone but......
For my kids I think they have more fun getting the candy than actually eating it. Last year my younger two were just so thrilled that they could walk up to a strange house and get free candy! Of course maybe this is not a good thing to teach them...

Anyways we have three basic rules:
1. Always say thank-you!!! Always. I will make my child go back up to the door if they forget.
2. They don't get to eat everything they get. Sometimes it's just too much.
3. If it's in good shape (not smashed or opened) DH takes it to work.

Works for us.

 

[Serena]

I guess my only rule is not before breakfast and well, not instead of meals.

 

[EthansMom]

No hard and fast rules, but our kids are allowed to eat several pieces of candy right after they come home from Trick-or-Treating. Since they are young, they usually are on their way to bed not long after so I don't want them having so much sugar that they don't sleep.

The next few days, we let them have a few items a day. After a couple of days, I toss all of the candy into our Winnie the Pooh cookie jar where we keep the candy stash. The kids usually have one or two small candies per day.

DS4 just helped me make up treat bags to give out: Full size candy bar, McD's coupon for a free treat and a Dum Dum for each young child AND the older kids (high school age) get 1 mini-size of Nerds, Three Musketeers, and Kit-Kat each. I We only got about 40-50 kids last year.

 

[christinadei]

We have no rules. Luckily DS just doesn't eat much candy. He usually eats a few on Halloween and maybe a few more through that week if he even remembers about it. DH eats some of it and most of it get's thrown out when it gets stale.

 

[SleepyMom]

We are in the no rules department I guess. After going through the candy and tossing anything that looks iffy we have always just dumped it all from both girls into one bowl, along with any leftover candy we haven't passed out. DD's had some on Halloween night and then the bowl sat on the counter in the kitchen and everyone shared from it. DD's would usually have a snack after school and one after supper, until all the good stuff is gone and then DH would take the leftovers to work to share.

 

[disneymom3]

Ok, I've figured out what I'm going to do. Come Halloween night, when trick-or-treaters come to the door I'm going to ask their parents how they deal with the Halloween candy. If they throw most of it out, their little darlings are getting the Smarties. If they keep it all, at least until Christmas, then they're getting the Reese's and Snickers.

I love it!! I am already a meanie on Halloween but I am pretty sure I am the only one who has noticed If the kids are either really little and don't talk or are excited and happy and say "Trick or Treat" they get the good stuff. But in the bowl are also bubble gum and Dum Dums and if they don't say the line or are just not at all pleasant--you know the ones--that is what they get. Teenagers with no costumes also get Dum Dums and bubble gum.