Trick or Treat! It’s more than just good things to eat.

If you have a toddler or preschooler at home, chances are you’re getting ready to go trick or treat. We have a few reminders about how to manage all the halloween revelry at their age. Add to that, a few healthier alternatives to the usual sugar-laden treats. Because yes, even baby teeth need to be well-taken care of.

If you are roaming the neighborhood with young kids, it’s best to get started early. It’s good to get going when you’re not along with a huge throng of other trick-or-treaters. Earlier is likely to be the time your tot is still well-rested and happy.

Don’t be surprised if you can’t go as far as the bigger kids. Ending early is advisable for young children. Just giving them a taste of the trick or treat experience is good enough at their age.

Avoid complicated costumes with masks that make them itchy and restless – not to mention make it hard for them to see or breathe. The younger the child, the simpler the costume should be.

Bring along your basic supplies, like wipes and your child’s own snacks. Pretzels, crackers or other non-sugary foods are a good option. With all the treats going around, your child might get hunger pangs. Since giving him all that candy is not a good idea, the healthier snacks would be good for tiding him over.

And of course… do not forget your handy camera!

Once you get home with the bounty of treats, cut a deal with your child concerning portioning. Explain that he shouldn’t eat all of that candy in one night or else he’ll get a tummy ache. Come up with a schedule when he can get a bit of treats for the next few days – perhaps as dessert after eating a healthy serving of lunch or dinner.

But of course in the spirit halloween season, you may want to give in to a little extra treats for tonight. It is time for some fun and celebration anyway.

As for healthy halloween food fare, we have some suggestions for parents conscious about serving (relatively) healthier treats.

• Potato chips, fruit chips or pretzels
• Peanuts or other nuts like slivered almonds and macadamias
• Chocolate-covered cornflakes
• Granola bars
• Chocolates – dark chocolates have a higher dose of healthy antioxidants
• Dried fruits like raisins, prunes or apricots

Non-food items can also be treats for kids. For most toddlers and preschoolers, anything they can use or play with is already a treat.

• Halloween theme stickers
• Creepy crawly insect toys
• Mini dinosaurs and animals
• Colored pencils or markers or boxes of crayons
• Halloween theme erasers or arts and crafts supplies
• Bubbles – all toddlers and preschoolers love bubbles
• Toothbrushes – try to get the ones with their favorite characters or super heroes, and the same goes for bubble gum or any yummy flavored… Toothpaste.

If the kids don’t appreciate a few items on the list above, at least the parents will approve of them. We hope you and your tot have a happy, healthy halloween!

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