5 Ways to Control the Halloween Candy

I love Halloween, but I do not love the insane amount of chocolate, chips and candy that comes into my house.  So, today I thought I would share 5 ideas for controlling the candy.

1)  The Book Fairy - In our house, we have a system we have been using for years. First, as soon as my boys get home, they empty their three bags of loot into one big pile, and each boy is given a large Ziploc bag. Then, they take turns picking their favorites from the pile and putting them in their bags. They have a lot of fun trying to choose their candy wisely and trading with each other. The “candy draft” is one of our favorite Halloween traditions.

After all the boys have filled their bags, the rest of the candy is taken away. The next evening, we put the bag beside the front door for the Book Fairy. While the boys are sleeping, the Book Fairy takes the bag of candy and leaves each boy a new book. The Book Fairy has also been known to leave new costumes for our dress up box. I think she must get good deals on costumes when they are marked down by 75% after Halloween. (Book Fairies love bargains!)

2)  Bake with it - Add Smarties or chopped up chocolate bars to your favorite chocolate chip cookie, banana bread, or brownie recipe to create an extra special treat.

3)  Share it - Donate it to a children’s hospital or food bank, or bring it to work.

4)  Ration it - Putting it away and taking it out a little at a time is also an excellent option. If you have a family birthday coming up, the candy can be used for a party Pinata or loot bags. Halloween candy is also great for family movie nights, or making an edible Christmas advent countdown.

5)  Eat it - I confess... sometimes my husband and I snack on the kids candy after they have gone to bed. (Shhh… don’t tell my boys!)

Halloween is an exciting time for little ones, and it can still be fun without sending everyone into a sugar-induced coma.  What's your favorite way to deal with the mountain of Halloween candy?

♥
Gina (aka East Coast Mommy)

The Book Fairy

Now that Halloween is over, I know there are a lot of moms out there who are overwhelmed with all the Halloween Candy their little ones brought home.  Thought you might like to know what we did...

First, the kids sat in a circle and took turns choosing their favorites.  They each filled a ziploc bag with all their picks.

Then, we put the leftover candy in a bag, and put it by the front door for the "Book Fairy".  The next morning, the candy was gone, and the boys had new books and a new Spiderman costume for their dress up box (which was marked down by 75% after Halloween -- book fairies love good deals!)  ;-)

Here are some other ideas (from my awesome readers):

• donate the candy to a children's hospital... for the kids who were not able to trick or treat
• offer to buy the candy from the kids, and let them use the money to buy a new toy or book
• donate it to a food bank
• take it to work

Got another idea?  What do you do with your leftover candy?

♥ 

Gina Bell (aka East Coast Mommy)