Gen Alpha 101: Halloween Candy Edition
How much Halloween candy is it OK for kids to eat?
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Like many of us, I grew up in a pretty fat-phobic home where margarine was preferred over butter and fat-free dairy was in the fridge. And like many of us, I was taught to believe that sugar was bad for me and that eating my Halloween candy (or any candy, really) was a surefire way to gain weight.
Just this week in therapy, I was unpacking how hurt I still am because my mother taught me that my thighs were too big, too ugly, too shameful, and something to be hidden. But here’s the thing: I don’t want that for my child. Or any children.
Millennial parents of Generation Alpha kids (like me, and you!) are much more aware of the toxic messages of diet culture that we grew up with, and the way those diet culture messages have and can lead to eating disorders.
And yet… when it comes to Halloween candy, I still can’t help but internally cringe when I see a huge bucket full of chocolates, gummies, and sour things. So for our first inaugural edition of Gen Alpha 101 (which will be out every Friday!), I wanted to explore Halloween candy and our kids. Is Halloween candy actually safe? Are there things we should keep in mind when trick or treating? And most of all, how much candy can our kids really eat before we need to cut them off?
How Much Halloween Candy Can Kids Eat?
TL; DR: This is a question where I defer to the queen of anti-diet culture,
and her myriad of informative writings on the subject. "We just eat it until we get bored of it, which seems to happen pretty quickly since nobody feels restricted about it in the first place,” she wrote last year on .But medical experts agree, too, with one telling USA Today: "I generally will tell families most people can eat whatever they want in one day, and that's not going to really harm their health in the long run," said Dr. Ben Levinson, primary care pediatrician at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. "If we continue eating large amounts of sugar day-after-day, that's when things are going to add up and really affect us in a negative way."
"Can I Make My Kid's Candy Disappear?" with Amy Palanjian of Yummy Toddler Food (Burnt Toast by Virginia Sole-Smith)
Yup, I Let My Kids Eat All The Halloween Candy (Scary Mommy)
How to Stay Sane About Halloween Candy (The New York Times)
Why letting your kids gorge on Halloween candy might actually be healthy (New York Post)
How much Halloween candy should you eat? Doctor tells kids to 'eat whatever they want' (USA Today)
Halloween Safety Tips for Gen Alpha Kids
TL; DR: The most significant injury risk during Halloween is for child pedestrians, especially at risk between 6-9 p.m.—so make sure you’re staying with your younger kids when trick-or-treating. Additionally, parents should read labels for allergies and try doing a “treat exchange” with friends afterward if your child is allergic.
As for fentanyl… Well, as the co-hosts of my favorite parenting podcast, Slate’s Mom and Dad Are Fighting, put it: DRUGS ARE EXPENSIVE! Who the eff do you think is putting pricey drugs into kid’s candy? They’re not. These stories arose because of people trying to smuggle drugs in candy packages, not because they were trying to give out candy laced with drugs to kids.
Halloween Health & Safety Tips (HealthyChildren.org by the AAP)
Enjoy Halloween With Safety Precautions, 2021 Edition (American Academy of Pediatrics)
Rainbow fentanyl is the latest Halloween candy scare. Parents don’t actually need to worry (Today Show)
Should parents be concerned about fentanyl in Halloween candy? Experts weigh in (ABC News)
Avoid a Food Allergy Scare on Halloween (HealthyChildren.org by the AAP)
15 allergy-friendly Halloween candy options for a safe and yummy holiday (Care.com)
Fun Reading About Halloween Candy
The Scientific Reason Why You Can't Stop Eating Halloween Candy (TIME)
Halloween candy: When it comes out, where to find the good stuff, and which candy trick-or-treaters prefer (The Street)
No, candy corn isn’t the worst Halloween candy. It’s actually Laffy Taffy (Salon)
Here are the Top 10 most popular Halloween candies, according to Instacart (CBS News)
The 5 Most Popular Halloween Candies and the No. 1 in Each State (Real Simple)
Ultimately, as with most things in parenting, the choice is up to the parent or caretaker of the child. But as we can see from the advice of experts, Halloween candy really isn’t that big of a deal.
Personally, I’m going to let my 3 1/2-year-old son indulge as much as he wants because I’d much rather he get his fill than I fill his head with fears of getting “fat.” And I'll happily take it myself when he’s bored of it or for anything he doesn’t like.
I might even make a Halloween candy cake with our leftover candy (see below!). YUM.
How do you handle Halloween candy in your home? Do you plan a free-for-all or slowly let kids eat it little by little?
Talk soon,
Irina (she/her) - raising a March 2020 gen alpha kid
How do you handle Halloween candy in your home? Do you plan a free-for-all or slowly let kids eat it little by little?