One of the sweetest nights of the year is almost upon us.
But aside from the candy and costume chaos... Halloween and the days after are often filled with a sugar rush of epic proportions.
But don't worry moms and dads.. the folks at St. Luke's hospital have some advice to overcome that overload.
Pediatrician Dr. Sara Swoboda says Halloween candy comes with a cost, "So if you're just eating sugar by itself then it can be really quick that you have the sugar rush and then the letdown which is when kids really start to have problems because they're feeling pretty low."
A typical child collects 3500 to 7,000 calories of candy on Halloween. Meaning, parents are in for a wild night. But there are some things you can do ahead of time to reduce the buzz.
"I would say, making sure you're checking off all the other boxes of health for that day so making sure your kid gets a really good night's sleep the night before, making sure they're out there getting some physical activity in, and that you're giving them a good dinner and lunch and really accounting for all the other needs that day," says Swoboda.
You can also consider alternatives to candy, like temporary tattoos, fruit or little gifts.
"Other things that can fun in place of candy are healthier snacks, or toys, bubbles, bouncy balls, those kinds of things can be fun for kids as well; glowsticks," says Swoboda.
Of course, as much as we want our kids to be safe and healthy, and lets face it, manageable, a lot of us remember Halloween as one of our favorite memories growing up, so Swoboda says parents should keep it fun as well, "So keeping that in mind and not focusing too much on how much sugar your kid is eating but just really letting them enjoy all the parts of Halloween can really keep the focus off of only candy."
