By Emily Fitch, MS, RD/RDN
Halloween kicks off a season of increased focus on sweet treats for many families. Here’s how I recommend you handle it.
Downsides of Restricting Candy
The data overwhelmingly shows us that the more highly controlled kids are around extremely palatable foods like desserts, the more likely they are to face challenges around these foods as they get older and into adulthood. Hiding, rationing, or using candy as a reward can often backfire, creating a scarcity mindset around these foods. Children can become obsessed with limited or ‘forbidden’ foods, increasing the likelihood of hiding consumption of these items and/or eating to discomfort when they do finally get access.
Even if you don’t typically have these foods in your home, I can guarantee that your child will be exposed to them at some point. Part of ‘eating competency’ means that they know how to navigate these foods even if you aren’t around, like at school or a friend’s house.
Shifting from limitations and restrictions to a division of responsibility allows you to raise intuitive eaters who can regulate their own candy intake.
Using the Division of Responsibility
The Division of Responsibility (DOR) is an approach to feeding children that promotes a positive feeding relationship and age-appropriate choices around food.
As the parent: you decide what, when, and where food happens.
For the child: trust them to determine how much, and whether or not to eat the foods offered.
Of course, there are many nuances to this approach and some kids may need more support in specific areas of eating than others.
Applying DOR to Halloween Night
You decide what candy comes into the house, when it is consumed, and where it is consumed. For Halloween, this will likely look like your child coming home with a bag full of candy! If there is any candy that is unsafe to eat (choking hazards for younger children, or allergen-containing items), this is an acceptable and firm limitation to impose. And, in the spirit of decreasing limitations around highly palatable foods, I encourage you to allow access to foods that perhaps you are less comfortable with so you increase your child’s eating competency around these foods.
You might be thinking, okay, so I should just let them go wild on that bag of Halloween candy whenever they want? Not exactly, but maybe a little! Remember that you also get to decide when the candy is consumed, and where it is consumed. Do you want to serve it alongside a balanced meal or during a designated snack time? What is your typical dessert routine in your home? If you deviate from your typical routine, how easy or hard might it be for your child?
Again, I encourage you to incorporate these foods fairly regularly to decrease the novelty and ‘specialness’ that candy can hold. You can help model some intuitive eating decisions for your child as well - sometimes this looks like choosing to eat dessert because it’s fun and tasty, and sometimes this means choosing to not eat dessert because your tummy feels all full.
Halloween Night Tips
Do not reduce or skip any meals or snacks as compensation for anticipated candy! This often backfires simply due to our own physiology. The hungrier we are, the more appealing these quick energy sources become.
Provide a nourishing and balanced meal before they head out trick-or-treating. Again, a well-fed brain helps support wise decision-making.
Talk about a plan for candy eating before they leave (ideally earlier in the day or week when they are regulated and receptive). s it okay for them to have some candy while they are walking, or will they wait until they come home? Do they have allergies or any other reason you’d need to sort through their candy first (like choking hazards)?
Eat some candy with your child and narrate what you are feeling in your body. "My belly did a happy dance after my first bite, but after I finished that last piece, it wasn't as exciting and I'm starting to feel full.”
Offer a ‘tummy check in’ after each piece to allow them a pause to catch up with the excitement of the experience.
Offer to do a candy catalogue/spreadsheet, or learn about how a specific type of candy is made as an intermediate transition between eating candy and moving on.
Bring in your own wisdom around the topic: "My belly starts hurting if I eat more than a few pieces, so I’m going to stick with this many tonight,” or "My brain is really excited to eat my favorite kind of candy tonight!"
Offer Halloween candy alongside dinner/as a snack over the next week. "That was so yummy - what do you think you'll pick tomorrow?"
Here is the trickiest part for most parents: you are in charge of the portion that you offer them, and they are in charge of how much to eat from the offered portion. How much should that be? This is a pretty individual decision, with no single right answer. You can absolutely offer them the entire bag and allow them to eat how much feels right for them. You can offer a certain amount of pieces (or a range). If you’re up for it, maybe ask how much their belly feels hungry for! And, if it doesn't go as well as you hoped for, this is excellent learning for next time this comes up.
Neurodivergent Brains and Bodies
Some neurodivergent kids may have challenges with interoceptive awareness, meaning they can have trouble sensing when their body is telling them they are full. Some neurodivergent children are fairly attuned to the sensory input of sweet tastes/candy textures and have difficulty turning that down, even when their bellies are full. Take a look at the Halloween Night Tips for some ideas on how to support your child.
If you have more questions about this topic, or perhaps need tailored support around you or your child’s eating, our multidisciplinary Denver, CO practice offers weight-neutral and HAES-aligned virtual nutrition services.