Healthy Halloween Tips for Kids – Part 1

Halloween is just over a week away, and we know what an exciting time this is for your family. If you have children, they probably already have their costumes figured out – and so do you! The most exciting part of Halloween for most is the collection of candy – lots of it!

At Smilepoint Dentistry in Beaumont, we know that many cavities are born because of Halloween – eating candy is basically like giving your teeth a sugar bath, and kids are not very good at dental hygiene in the first place. However, we know that completely shutting Halloween down for your family is not going to be effective. We have put together some tips to help you guide your kids (and yourself!) through Halloween’s sugary maze.

Candy vs. Cavities: Do not make your kids choose

• If you deny your children the Halloween experience, you are sending the wrong message. This deprivation will make the candy seem even more tantalizing, which leads to sneaked candy bars or eating too much.
• After trick or treating, lay out all the candy. Let your kids pick a predetermined number of candy bars. Get the rest out of sight – if you do not want to throw them away, you can donate them to a shelter.
• Handling the candy this way teaches your kids that they can control their diets. It also makes it clear that their oral health is directly connected to what they eat.

Set a treat schedule

• Work with your kids to set a time to eat Halloween candy. This ritual will stretch out the candy a lot and teaches two important lessons:
• Eating candy isn’t an all-day feast. Moderation is important.
• Because you are going to eat candy at a pre-determined point, there is no need to think about it the rest of the day.

We will share three more tips in our next post. Contact your family dentist today for the best care in Beaumont!

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