I seriously can’t believe it is about to be October! Where did this year go? The time has come, we are all picking out adorable little costumes for the kids to go trick or treating or to a harvest event of some kind where there will be a lot of…. candy. The scariest and most dreaded part of Halloween – the thought of your children eating their weight in candy…. the dreaded giant bag of candy that lasts until Christmas and just won’t go away. It’s not just scary for the kids, but for mom too! It’s such a temptation. You catch yourself sneaking pieces after the kids have gone to bed and tarnishing all of your efforts you’ve been making to eat healthy. So, what if there was a solution in which the kids are happy, parents are happy, the kids still get to go trick or treating – but there isn’t Halloween candy to last for months?

Just this month I heard of a GENIUS idea called The Switch Witch. How have I not known about this before? To whomever thought of it, THANK YOU!

Here’s how it works:

The Switch Witch arrives on Halloween night after the kiddos have gone to bed. Just like Santa, the tooth fairy or the Easter bunny, the switch witch comes while the children are asleep and leaves a prize.  Much like Santa enjoys milk and cookies, the Switch Witch LOVES Halloween candy! The switch witch is a good witch. She swaps the prize she brought for the children in exchange for their Halloween candy. Many parent’s let the kids choose a few pieces that they would like to keep, then the rest of the candy haul is left for the Switch Witch to exchange.

For the week or two leading up to Halloween you can start to clue in your little ones about the Switch Witch’s existence and ask them what they might want in exchange for their candy. Let them know that the more candy that they leave, the larger the prize from the Switch Witch will be. Remember, prizes don’t have to be over the top in cost. Stickers, crayons, or even things from the dollar store can do the trick. What to do with all the candy? How about passing it out to the teenagers that are still trick or treating after your little one has gone to bed? Or donating it to a food pantry or a women’s shelter. You could even bring it to work with you to give to your colleagues.

Remember it isn’t about taking all of the fun out of Halloween. Sure, let them enjoy the trick or treating. Let them choose a few of their favorite pieces to keep. Make the whole thing fun and exciting for them!   Show them that fun doesn’t have to be about food. It’s about dressing up, showing off their costumes, playing games with friends, and celebrating the fall season.

Photo Credit: http://www.mamatoga.com