Halloween Candy Buy Back Strategy for Safe and Healthy Kids

Halloween is a favorite holiday for children. There is only one other holiday that can compete with costume parties and free candy, and it is still two months away. How can a parent compete against such alluring temptations? There are solutions and buying the candy from your children may be a strategy that works for your family.

The Sugar

Food that is high in added sugar, such as candy, are typically high in calories and low in nutritional value. As a result, a high sugar diet has been linked to obesity and tooth decay according to kidshealth.org. A chocolate bar contains 230 empty calories and 13 grams of fat Children collect obscene amounts of candy on Halloween and if not monitored can be a precursor to childhood obesity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the childhood obesity rate in America hovers around 17 percent.

The Dark Side of Halloween

There is a dark side to Halloween. One that includes poison, needles and razor blades. Collecting a bag of Halloween treats should always end in an adult checking the candy for suspicious sweets. Candy that is not individually wrapped, such as the candy pumpkins, should be discarded. Fruit should be carefully checked and home-made treats, like popcorn balls or cookies should be thrown away unless they come from a trusted source.

The Buy Back Strategy

Convincing your child that there hard-earned Halloween candy shouldn't be eaten because it is not good for them can be challenging. The Buy-Back Strategy is the parent offering an amount of money for every piece of candy they are willing to sell. They may be hesitant at first. Offering a nickel or a dime for a piece of candy may not sound like the best deal to them. Depending on their age, explain that every 10 or 20, or whatever, is equal to a dollar. Help them choose ten pieces of candy you know they probably don't like.

Trading half of a bag of Halloween candy for 5 or 6 dollars is a small price to pay for the amount of sugar you prevent your child from eating and they don't feel cheated. They feel like they were in control and their night was profitable. They still have their favorite few pieces of candy and some money in their pocket

References

KidsHealth: Carbohydrates, Sugar and Your Child

CDC: Overweight Trends Among Children and Adolescents