With Halloween upon us for another year, this is generally the time that uber health conscious parents start to freak out about how they're going to both allow their kids to trick or treat, and keep their teeth from falling out from all the Halloween candy.
Well don't fret teeth-health conscious parents. Follow these tips to help your kids have the best of both worlds.
- Do A Pre-Sort: Before the monsters even get at their candy haul, do a pre-sort to filter out the particularly bad (sugary, salty, sticky) treats. You can hide your motive under the guise of filtering for harmful candy.
- Restrict The Quantity: Those little ghosts and goblins are going to do everything in their power to collect a mountain of candy so take the time to regulate how much they're eating per day. If you really want to go the extra mile then break-up the candy haul into containers and then ration accordingly.
- Don't Play Up Healthy Snacks: Lot's of parents make a big deal about adding healthy snacks to the regular Halloween pile. This can often get your childs back up because even if they don't know what your healthy alternative tastes like, the word "healthy" makes is sound yucky. So, instead of making a big deal about it, just throw in the healthy choices, maybe during your pre-sort (see item #1).
If you're even the least bit concerned about Halloween candy and the impact it can have on your child's dental health, then congratulations because you're doing an excellent job with your children. Now just follow these simple tips and you'll be able to relax as your kids enjoy their Halloween spoils.
- Watch The Collateral Sugar: With the boost to your child's sugar intake during the Halloween season, you need to think about offsetting the sugar elsewhere. Think about decreasing your child's pop and juice intake (two things we wish your kids never consumed), and restrict access to cookies that are normally in the rotation.
- Don't Slack Off On A Good Routine: Chances are you already have a good brushing routine for your kids so just make sure you keep this up during Halloween. Everyone should be brushing and flossing two times a day, but you might also want to enforce a brush and floss directly after any sort of snack or meal.
If you're even the least bit concerned about Halloween candy and the impact it can have on your child's dental health, then congratulations because you're doing an excellent job with your children. Now just follow these simple tips and you'll be able to relax as your kids enjoy their Halloween spoils.