Best Candy to Give Out on Halloween: What Parents Want for Their Kids
Think Parents Want Healthy Treats for Halloween? Think Again
My kids are grown and gone, so I posed the question to those with younger children and grandchildren still at home. I was surprised at the responses I received.
Of the 14 parents queried, one said she'd like to see fruit, but most think that unwise as apples have a bad reputation for containing things like razorblades or other dangers. A few said that they like it when the kids get non-food items like toys, pencils and coupons for free treats, but didn't necessarily push for more healthy snacks. Toothbrushes and pennies made the list too. One said more healthy snacks were good, but she wasn't opposed to chocolate because she could snitch it.
Surprisingly, the majority felt that Halloween is about candy and sweets, and it's the one time each year they let their children go all out. Most had fun memories of their own trick-or-treating and wished their kids to be able to experience the same, and dry granola bars didn't fill the bill.
Many wanted candy bars that they themselves would want to eat; Kit Kat, Twizzlers and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are things that some parents would love to sneak from treat bags after their little ghouls have gone to bed. All agreed that everything unwrapped gets tossed, and only one said that homemade goodies were ok because she lived in a small town and accompanied her kids trick or treating so knew where the treats were coming from.
Lollipops weren't favored, and gum and other sticky/chewy candy didn't make the cut either. Bite sized candy bars were good, but individually wrapped pieces of loose candy were not. The consensus was that kids would have to eat a lot more of the smaller candy to satisfy their sweet tooth.
So there you have it, straight from parents across the U.S. and Canada - don't waste time fixing treat bags with unwrapped candy corn; opt instead for fun-sized candy bars of most any variety. If the kids don't like them, the parents will.
Published by Marie Anne St. Jean - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
A Top 1000 Content Producer for the last three years, Marie Anne is a retired U.S. Marine MSgt whose weapons of choice are now crochet hook and pen. When not writing for Yahoo! sites such as YCN! Voice... View profile
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34 Comments
Post a CommentCandy is king...especially chocolate.
I agree with the parents you asked- chocolate that I can sneak once my boys are in bed :o) I bought some fun size canisters of play doh this year so that I wouldn't eat the leftovers!
Great piece.. the small tootsi rolls top the list here. They are just right size for just a little bit of a treat.
Bit-O-Honey chews are one of my favs. I really enjoyed reading this. I also don't like the idea of fresh fruit because of the razorblades and pins that can be inserted in them. We will hand out candy corn. (Or eat them since we never get trick or treaters).
Great tips! I think candy and fun items like crayons and stickers are all great. I suppose, as they get older, kids simply want the candy. =)
Cute; I haven't made up my mind, but I'd still go for the home party idea.
Terrific piece! I like to let my girls go all out with the candy on Halloween since they don't eat much of it the rest of the year :)
What a great idea for an article! Our family is the same way with candy - once a year the kids get to have their fill of sweets. We hand out candy but we also have the little toys you mentioned as well and the kids here love them. And I'm not so concerned about the razor blade scare, but I personally wouldn't be comfortable with my kids eating candy or food from a stranger when it's not prepackaged and sealed. At our neighborhood party we have lots of homemade food but we also have prepackaged snacks for the families who don't know us and feel more comfortable and safe that way. Awesome tips and info in this article!
I agree with most. Get candy - that is tradition. However, I do want to say that it is amazing what people believe from one rumor / incident / Hollywood. There is only 1 case of a razor blade in an apple (actually there are more, but all were hoaxes). In 1982 someone poisoned candy with tylenol and 7 people died. This triggered the xray at the hospital worry. Candy is about 99.9 % safe in the U.S. Good article.
Great timely article. It was good to know what kids and parents want for Halloween. The comments are helpful too. Like the idea of pretzels. My child used to get excited seeing tiny raisin boxes. Who knows:)