Halloween Fun: “Treat,” Don’t “Trick” Kids With Toys, Not Candy

Halloween kids Adults, are you feeling trapped into giving out empty-calorie candies this Halloween?

During these times of skyrocketing obesity among kids, you don't
have to be a "sugar pusher" like many of your neighbors on this nationally sanctioned Sugar Overload Day, which is what I call Halloween.

If you pass out candies to these adorable, costume-clad kids, you're "tricking" them, not "treating" them.

Think about it: If you hand out candies, you're encouraging sugar gorging, which may will lead your kids and your neighbor's children to get moody, tired or wired, cranky, angry or sick to their stomachs! 

Halloween toys 25_1692b According to Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD., Deputy Director of Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, toys are just as popular as candy on Halloween.

"We found that kids were just as likely to pick toys as candies," Dr. Schwartz told me over the phone today, when I asked her about a research study she spearheaded in 2003 to learn how kids would react if given the choice between candies and non-sugary toys.

Sure enough, the Yale University study revealed that half of the 284 trick-or-treaters aged 3 to 14 didn’t want lollipops, fruit-flavored chews, or hard candies. Instead, they wanted such toys as glow-in-the-dark insects, stretch pumpkin men, or Halloween-themed stickers and pencils.

"The idea of the study," Dr. Schwartz recalls, was "to tell parents that they have a choice." "A lot of parents feel trapped into giving candies at time when we know children's diets are too high in sugar."

This Halloween, for the sixth year in a row, Dr. Schwartz will again hand out toys to trick-or-treaters in suburban Connecticut. "We've never had a complaint," she adds.

According to Dr. Schwartz, who purchases toys at Oriental Trading, the most popular treats to give are:

  • Glow-in-the-dark objects
  • Rubber balls
  • Little plastic or rubber pumpkins, ghosts or characters

As I've discovered on trips to various grocery, drug and 99 cent stores, you also can give:

  • Halloween-themed stickers
  • Colored pencils and pens
  • Non-Halloween-themed party favors such as hair clips, hair bands, scrunchies, plastic bracelets and rings (for girls). 
  • Party favors such as engine whistles, key chains, pens, and stickers. (For boys or girls).
  • Fun, "spooky" fingers
  • Action figures
  • Engine whistles and kazoos
  • Spin tops

Over the weekend, while taking a break from BlogWorld to visit some drug stores and 99 cent stores in Las Vegas to get ready for a TV interview, (which you'll hear about shortly), I did my own informal survey with kids.

I asked the youngsters which they'd prefer to get on Halloween: Candies or toys.

Two of the more interesting responses I received were from a mom and her young boy, who was about 6.

The mom said she'd prefer to give out candies.

But when I asked her young son, the boy said, "Toys. They're cool!"

'Nuff said, don't you think?

2 thoughts on “Halloween Fun: “Treat,” Don’t “Trick” Kids With Toys, Not Candy

  1. Or how about this: we leave it up to the parents to teach their kids about proper diets, and that it’s ok to have a “treat” every once and a while.
    Also, I call bogus on that study. The far preferred candy is chocolate, not hard candies or chews. Of course children will pick toys over BAD candy. So I call bunk on that study.
    Though giving out toys is far better than giving out fruit. At least that way you’re less likely to be egged.

  2. Halloween is the festival that is celebrated by almost all the people.Kids like sugar products which includes candies .This Halloween try to give your kid toys that glow in the dark, rubber balls, plastic pumpkins or ghosts. Kids love these things as much as they love candies. In this blog, I got a useful and interesting [ideas]. Thanks for giving such full information.

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