Alyson Shafer's tips for helping kids make healthy choices at Halloween
Outlining expectations ahead of time is key
The spookiest — and sweetest — night of the year is fast approaching.
The trick, according to family therapist and parenting expert Alyson Schafer, to make sure all those treats don't corrupt a child's healthy diet.
"You don't want to have a kid that's out collecting all this candy and then you say 'You know what? Half of it is going in the garbage.' I mean that's heartbreaking," said Schafer during an interview on Saskatoon Morning.
Schafer said, with a bit of forethought, there are ways parents can completely cut out an All Hallows' Eve sugar binge without taking the fun out of the evening.
"I know there are some families that say, 'I'd rather have you have a game or money rather than candy, so I'll buy out your candy from you,'" she explained.
However, Schafer has a different approach with her own family. Her kids can collect as much candy as they like, but their haul is parsed out and only enjoyed occasionally.
"The consumption of sweets will be based on health and well-being and on what we think is a reasonable amount," said Schafer.
Keeping with the spirit of the day, Schafer relaxes the rule for one night only.
"The night of Halloween is kind of a fun night, you can eat whatever you want ... After Halloween, it goes in a basket on top of the fridge."