Halloween Treat Alternatives
Adults, don't fall into the candy-giving trap this Halloween when those adorable, costume-clad kids ring your doorbell. Handing out those traditional blood-sugar bouncing "treats" is a "tricky" proposition. All that candy could send your neighbor's kids into SUGAR SHOCK!-which means you could contribute to their getting all kinds of health and emotional problems.
You certainly don't want to do
anything that could help make these innocent children become
angry, moody, depressed, tired, wired, sleepless, unfocused, or
fat from those sugary foods, right?
This Halloween, choose fun alternatives instead. There's no limit to the options. You could give out all kinds of fun, age-appropriate doodads and gizmos, such as:
- Glow-in-the-dark insects, spooky fingers and other objects
- Halloween-themed stickers, pencils, temporary tattoos, or other toys
- Holiday chalk, crayons, colored pencils, pens or animal-shaped erasers
- Rubber worms, spiders, or other creepy figures
- Non-Halloween-themed party favors such as hair clips, hair bands, scrunchies, plastic bracelets and rings (for girls).
- Party favors such as engine whistles, key chains, pens, and stickers. (For boys or girls).
Rest assured, too: Kids will like your creative Halloween-giving ideas. In fact, researchers found that these non-candy favors can be a big hit.
One study from Yale University
revealed that half of the 284 trick-or-treaters aged 3 to 14
didn't want lollipops, fruit-flavored chews, or hard candies.
Yeah, instead they preferred such toys as glow-in-the-dark
insects, stretch pumpkin men, or Halloween-themed stickers and
pencils.
If you still insist on giving out food, try giving trick-or-treaters small, pre-packaged:
- Almonds or walnuts (Stay away from peanuts since some children are allergic to them.)
- Shelled sunflower seeds or pistachios
- Raisins (Although these are high in natural sugar, they're far preferable to candy.)
- Bottled water (Yeah, kids will be thirsty from all that trick-or-treating door to door!)
So this Halloween, forego those nutrient-lacking candies. Decide to do something nice for your neighborhood's kids and instead give out something fun or at least more healthy.
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Member Comments On...
Halloween Treat Alternatives
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The dollar store is GREAT for this! I am definetly trying this one this year.
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I hand out hot cocoa packets. The kids all love them, and so do the parents!
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This is a fabulous idea, I've been doing it for 2 years now and the kids LOVE it. Last year when the trick-or-treaters came around and got their toys (I use Halloween themed party favors) their reaction was "Oh yay! This is the house with the toys!"
