![Do’s and Don’ts For This Halloween Custom Do’s and Don’ts For This Halloween Custom](https://www.realmomnutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Pumpkin.jpg)
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Inside: The Swap Witch could be a enjoyable Halloween custom to your youngsters. Listed below are the do’s and don’t for making it work.
![A pile of fun-sized candy bars sits on a white countertop.](https://www.realmomnutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/Halloween-Candy-1-1024x684.jpeg)
Years in the past, I used to be chatting with a neighbor about Halloween and the mountain of sweet that enters our lives yearly after Trick-or-Treating.
“The Swap Witch comes and takes a few of our sweet,” she stated slyly.
Say what?
What’s the Swap Witch?
I got here to be taught that the Swap Witch is a mysterious enchantress who arrives on Halloween night time after bedtime.
Youngsters set out some of their sweet for her on the finish of the night time. She takes the items of sweet and deposits one thing particular of their place.
The annual deluge of suckers and fun-sized Butterfingers stresses out a whole lot of dad and mom–so is the Swap Witch the reply?
What The Swap Witch can train youngsters
Moreover being a enjoyable custom, the Swap Witch idea has a helpful life lesson that a whole lot of grown-ups may use too: The best way to put a price on what you actually like–and to not waste your time on the stuff you don’t.
How usually have you ever been handed an enormous piece of mediocre, store-bought birthday cake and simply ate it as a result of it was there? Or scarfed down a second slice of pizza despite the fact that it wasn’t excellent?
Placing a precedence on our favourite meals–and never losing time on what we don’t–is a talent we’d like in a world the place meals is all over the place.
It’s additionally a pleasant means for kids with doubtlessly life-threatening meals allergic reactions to swap what they’ll’t eat for a particular shock.
![An orange plastic jack-o-lantern sits on a countertop.](https://www.realmomnutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Pumpkin.jpg)
Must you do the Swap Witch?
Personally, my boys beloved the Swap Witch. They beloved the thriller of it. They beloved waking up the following morning to see what she introduced.
They beloved dividing their trick-or-treat stash into piles: Maintain. Commerce. Swap Witch.
In the long run, they had been nonetheless left with a large pile, which they’d eat a bit of bit at a time over the course of many weeks.
Some years, our personal Swap Witch introduced a enjoyable toy, e-book, or five-dollar invoice. Extra usually than she likes to confess, she raced to Goal on Halloween night time earlier than it closed as a result of she forgot to plan forward. Ahem.
When you’re contemplating doing the Swap Witch along with your youngsters too, listed here are some do’s and don’ts:
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![A white bowl of candy corn sits on a white countertop.](https://www.realmomnutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/Halloween-Candy-2.png)
DO make the Swap Witch non-obligatory
The Swap Witch is speculated to be a enjoyable custom within the spirit of the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny. She’s a superb witch, not a punishment–there’s no disgrace in liking and wanting sweet.
DON’T make candy the enemy
Sure, Trick of Treating can convey an enormous quantity of sweet into your home. And sure, there’s a whole lot of sugar consumption occurring on the night time of Halloween. Sweet is an enormous a part of Halloween–and that’s okay. It’s pure and regular to rejoice some events with meals. And certain, glow-sticks and plastic spider rings are good to go out for Trick-or-Treating. However there’s little question that for most youngsters, sweet is the principle occasion.
So when you demonize Halloween sweet or ask your child to present all of it away, it’s complicated. Your baby labored arduous operating from home to deal with to earn his haul. Wasn’t that the purpose of dressing up and going house-to-house, of sifting by means of the pile and buying and selling favorites amongst associates–isn’t it what they’ve been ready for all month?
DO let your youngsters resolve what they offer the Swap Witch
In our home, my youngsters left her the stuff they felt sort of “meh” about–what they could eat if it was there however didn’t want. In different phrases, our Swap Witch’s broomstick was made largely of Mounds, Good & Loads, and Necco Wafers. My youngsters usually tossed in what they’ve a surplus of as nicely.
DON’T pilfer your youngsters’ sweet with out asking
Dad and mom stealing their youngsters’ Halloween sweet is a long-running joke, however I encourage you to ask first so your baby doesn’t need to really feel obsessive or protecting of her stash. Youngsters who fear their dad and mom will take their stash could find yourself sneaking and hiding sweet–or believing the message that they’ll’t be trusted round sweet or different sweets. And asking your baby first for a chunk of sweet offers them extra follow sharing–and also you get one thing yummy!
DO think about letting your baby get pleasure from Trick-or-Deal with with out interference
I’ve seen too many dad and mom arguing with their youngsters throughout Trick-or-Treating about what number of items of sweet they’re allowed to eat. It’s best to do what works finest for your loved ones, however personally, I all the time let my youngsters have as a lot as they needed on Halloween night time. In the event that they felt sick, we talked about how overeating may cause bellyaches.
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![Apple Favors for Halloween Parties](https://www.realmomnutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/Stemilt-Apple-Favors-5-square-1024x1024.jpg)
Questions concerning the Swap Witch
What in case your youngsters aren’t on board?
In case your youngsters don’t wish to give away a few of their sweet, don’t power the difficulty. It’s vital to belief our youngsters–and for our youngsters to belief us. In any other case, it’s possible you’ll find yourself with a baby who sneaks sweet and different “forbidden” meals and feels disgrace that she desires it.
How a lot sweet ought to the Swap Witch take?
That’s as much as you and your youngsters. Keep in mind–we don’t need our youngsters feeling cheated or tricked out of the sweet they labored for.
Can’t I simply throw my youngsters’ sweet away?
My vote isn’t any. Hey, I get it–it’s a whole lot of sweet! And also you simply need that pile gone so there’s no begging or negotiating within the days forward, proper? So that you wait a day for the sugar-hangover to put on off, allow them to have just a few items, then take the remainder to the workplace–or dump it within the trash.
I undoubtedly perceive the inclination. When my youngsters had been youthful, I did some stealth “sweet relocation” myself. However I’ve since modified my tune. As a result of that received’t train your youngsters something, besides to not belief mother and pop!
Taking away your baby’s Halloween sweet stash sends a transparent message: I don’t belief you with this.
![Rows of fun-sized candy bars including 100 Grand, Crunch, Baby Ruth, and Butterfinger.](https://www.realmomnutrition.com/wp-content/uploads/Halloween-Candy-3-1024x684.jpeg)
So how do I handle the pile of sweet that’s left?
Listed below are some concepts:
- Make a plan collectively. The day after Trick-or-Treating, discuss what you assume is an inexpensive approach to deal with the remainder of the stash. Does one or two items a day sound doable? Would your baby want to pack them in her lunch field or get pleasure from them at dwelling? My two boys’ Halloween sweet was saved in separate luggage in a cabinet they might entry. We determined collectively what an inexpensive portion was. After they had been little, it was one piece a day, which labored more often than not. They might have their deal with every time they needed: of their lunchbox, after faculty, after dinner, even WITH dinner. As they received older, they managed their very own stashes.
- Take away a number of the energy. Sweet isn’t the end-all-be-all if it’s available. Two methods you would possibly think about making an attempt: serving the sweet together with dinner (sure, your youngsters could eat the fun-sized bar Snickers, the transfer on to the remainder of the meal and that’s okay!) and sometimes providing as a lot as they need at snack time. These approaches come from feeding knowledgeable and dietitian Ellyn Satter. I’ve tried each, and although they’re scary at first, I discovered them very useful (and efficient).
- Bake cookies! In case your youngsters are cool with it, bake this Skillet Cookie collectively utilizing a number of the additional sweet.
Backside Line
The Swap Witch could be a enjoyable custom to your youngsters and train them classes round prioritizing their favorites. However the Swap Witch must be one thing your youngsters WANT to do, not a sneaky means of eliminating additional sweet.
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