# Parents: what is your policy on Halloween candy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 15, 2013, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886 "2013-09-15T03:56:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/21 "2013-09-15T21:13:55Z")
We’d give the Kiddo’s candy a cursory glance and then let him have at it when he was really little. When he got older I just told him to only eat the stuff that was in it’s original wrapping. He was always allowed to eat as much candy as he wanted on Halloween night. After that, well, he was still pretty much allowed to eat as much as he wanted until it was gone, but more often than not, it just sat there until eventually it got thrown away or his dad and I ate it. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/22 "2013-09-15T21:46:30Z")
> [@Macca26](#): > > When I was a kid my parents didn’t inspect the candy nor dole it out or keep it from me, but when I got home from trick or treating it was my habit to methodolically lay it all out so I could see just how many snickers I got vs milky ways (and everything else). They were always there in the living room while I did it by coincidence, so that could very well have been their surreptious inspection of my candy. My kids do that, too. They love to count it and sort it (which makes it difficult to snag something without permission!). I don’t really inspect it, even the piece or two they’ll eat as we’re walking around doing the trick-or-treating. I’d wager that they have about 4 or 5 pieces that night, but I feel OK about that because we do about 90 minutes of walking. After that, it’s one piece (2 if they’re the mini ones; half if they’re full-size) after dinner. They get pretty annoyed when their friends get candy in their lunchboxes and they don’t, but to me, there’s no need for dessert after lunch. They also tend to lose interest in it when there’s still plenty left, just like with Christmas candy, Valentine’s candy, Easter candy, and the stuff they get at the special candy store on Cape Cod during our annual summer vacation. We’re always either tossing old candy or bringing it into work after a month or so. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/23 "2013-09-15T21:57:12Z")
We don’t inspect it, there’s no need. My grandson gets to eat all he wants, but he usually doesn’t eat that much at one time anyway, and he loves to share. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/24 "2013-09-15T22:14:18Z")
Jimmy Kimmel: I Told My Kids I Ate All Their [Halloween candy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQpbzQ6gzs). ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/25 "2013-09-15T22:14:49Z")
No inspection, that’s pointless. I try to limit the amount they eat to something reasonable, but I’m not too measly about it. ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/26 "2013-09-15T23:01:31Z")
I bought the candy (the kinds they liked) and hid it in the house and yard, and they had to solve the clues to find it. I made sure they had a generous amount and they could eat it as they wanted. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/27 "2013-09-16T01:14:50Z")
We let them eat a few pieces Halloween night, then we sort it all based on what I want them to eat (mainly chocolate). The pure sugar candies (e.g. Pixie Stix and Smarties) and sticky stuff, and stuff I would not eat, gets the heave-ho right away. Then, I buy some of the candy to further reduce their consumption (I take it to work, where it can be consumed over a longer period, or shared in the community candy bin). Seems they’d rather have the cash than the candy. ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/28 "2013-09-16T05:52:40Z")
We spread it all on the floor and the kiddos eat what they want and then we put it into a communal bin in the kitchen pantry. My guys are picky about what kind of candy they eat so we don’t have a binge problem or a begging all the time for candy problem. My wife and I raid the bin for the good stuff (we are not so picky), then we usually throw the rest away after a week or so. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/29 "2013-09-16T11:28:14Z")
We don’t inspect it and it’s their candy to do with as they want. The only rule is that like all food in our house it has to stay in the kitchen or dining room. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/30 "2013-09-16T14:46:02Z")
It’s once a year, let 'em go bananas. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/31 "2013-09-16T14:47:42Z")
I “inspect” my son’s haul for the good stuff, which I then excise as a parent tax 😃 ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/32 "2013-09-16T15:53:10Z")
I let my kid go bananas on Halloween, but afterwards I’d hide the big plastic candy bowl and just get it out for a special treat, generally nightly after dinner. Trouble is to discourage grazing I decided to hide the bowl in the oven, and another day I turned the oven on to heat up. I had melted candy and plastic all over the rack, lower electric elements, and pooled on the floor of the oven, huge mess. ---
**Author:** ![MsBatt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@MsBatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsBatt)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/33 "2013-09-16T16:11:46Z")
Okay, gonna show my age here. When I was of trick-or-treating age, several of the local women gave out home-made candy. One lady did popcorn balls (yuck!), one lady did fudge, and one wonderful lady made up little bags with peanut-butter fudge, divinity, potato candy, etc. Everybody went to her house first! She even did a mother’s plate, so long after I was too old to dress up myself, I volunteered to carry my little brothers around. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/34 "2013-09-16T16:40:43Z")
I don’t have children, and I don’t give out candy. I like to give out pencils and other doodads. And I’ve only had one child complain; an adult with him said, “You be grateful for what you get!” and when I told him it was a present, he was OK with it. 🙂 My nieces have gotten a bit too old for TorTing, but when they did, they kept the candy they didn’t like and used it a couple months later as decorating for the gingerbread house they like to make at Christmastime. They don’t eat it, either; they later put it out for the raccoons that live in their neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/35 "2013-09-16T16:52:42Z")
The thought of inspecting it, or restricting it never entered my mind. Go nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/36 "2013-09-16T18:57:37Z")
> [@MsBatt](#): > > Okay, gonna show my age here. When I was of trick-or-treating age, several of the local women gave out home-made candy. One lady did popcorn balls (yuck!), one lady did fudge, and one wonderful lady made up little bags with peanut-butter fudge, divinity, potato candy, etc. Everybody went to her house first! > > She even did a mother’s plate, so long after I was too old to dress up myself, I volunteered to carry my little brothers around. How in the world could someone screw up popcorn balls? I always had the neighbor kids asking for the popcorn balls I made. If I recognized the kids, I told them they had a choice between store bought candy and the popcorn balls. Nowadays I make up treat bags, consisting of a pencil, a very small cheap toy, one mini good candy, and a few cheap candies. My husband hands them out. I do this because he thinks that half of a two pound bag of candy should be distributed to three or four kids. I also make up special treat bags for the younger kids, which don’t have anything that they could choke on. Most of the kids are charmed by the pencils and little toys. The parents are even more charmed. I have yet to hand out toothbrushes. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/37 "2013-09-16T20:42:57Z")
We look the candy over briefly, but let them go wild with it. They seem to have the most fun sorting it all out and trading it. After that, we let them eat excess candy for a few days, and then it gets tossed out when they’re not looking. We also usually eat a little. That is how my parents did it. My style as a kid was to eat most of my candy within a few days, then go raid my brother’s. He was the candy hoarder, but very generous. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Woodhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/38 "2013-09-16T20:54:56Z")
We let them self regulate. They always seem to make it last a month or so, so we figure they aren’t doing too bad of a job with it. Sadly, they are all too old to snitch from now. I have fond memories of pulling out all the Twix and Almond Joy bars. Now I have to go buy my own Halloween candy. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/39 "2013-09-17T03:19:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Now I have to go buy my own Halloween candy. So go to the stores on November 1 or 2, and grab bags of the stuff you like at half price. Put most of it in the freezer. I love the mini Tootsie Pops that only seem to appear around Halloween. I think they’re something like 10 calories each. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886/40 "2013-09-17T04:20:12Z")
My friends and I always knew exactly which types of treats would be taken away and disposed of by our families, generally anything homemade, so we’d just be sure to eat those before we got home. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parents-what-is-your-policy-on-halloween-candy/668886.md?page=1)