Controlling Candy Intake

M.,
Have you considered buying a small amount of candy once or twice a month and then letting the kids have access to it until it's gone?

We don't have a candy issue but a cereal issue. My husband thinks it's fine for the kids to have cold cereal every day. I don't agree. So we compromised and twice a month, I buy a kid's cereal and a healthy cereal. The kids know when the sweet stuff is gone, it's gone. Then they eat the healthy cereal or a hot breakfast. They still eat a sweet cereal, but now there are no complaints when it's gone.

Good luck to you.
K.

We have a candy drawer in our house. My kids can reach it. If they want candy and ask permission then they are allowed to have a piece or two; depending on the time of day. If they go and get it without asking, then they are done for the day. No other treats or desserts for the remainder of the day.
M.

I can't have candy around the house. Between me, my son (10 yr old) and husband, if there's candy we like, it simply has to be eaten until it is gone. So we hardly ever get any and if we do it's in very small amounts. Some people (and it doesn't matter how old you are) just don't have any will power and it's just better not to have the temptation there. It's bad for the teeth. It's bad if you're watching your weight. It's just empty calories with no vitamin content. Except for a rare holiday treat (a candy cane at Christmas, a small chocolate bunny at Easter, etc) we just don't bother. I won't even walk down the candy aisle in the super market. So many of the treats from school are just sugar laden garbage. His braces limits what my son can have. Fortunately, since we have no focus on candy, as soon as he forgets about it, I'll toss the candy into the trash. If he forgets it somewhere in the house it'll draw ants. As kids grow, their tastes change and sometimes they'll outgrow their sweet tooth. I try to have healthy snacks around the house - fruit, yogurt, string cheese, etc - so we're just in the habit of snacking on something that's not empty sugar. Same thing with carbonated beverages. My son can have a soda once a week, the rest of the time he can have water, milk or juice. No sugary cereals at our house. We eat Wheaties, Special K or Grape Nuts with a little honey on it sometimes. As mothers we have to try to develop the healthy habits as best we can.

I have been singing my almost 4 yr old the song from Sesame Street that "Hoots" sings since he was 6 months old.. "A cookie(repesents any treat) is a sometimes food, a cookie is a sometimes food - you have to eat your cherries, banana and strawberries, cos a cookie is a sometimes food!" And he gets it! But when it's a candy holiday like Easter or Halloween, etc. we let him pick out a couple that night and I put it away where he forgets about it. And then over the next month or so I give a treat on occasion until it's gone. If I let him monitor it - he'd eat it up in one sitting. We have also realized that he has the same sensitivity to sugar that I have and it really messes with his intestines. He knows that too much sugar makes him feel sick. So though he still wants it - when I limit it and remind him that it's made him sick before - he understands and doesn't battle with me. Good Luck - S.

Hi M.! We have the same problem (my girls are 7 and 5) For us, making candy available would not work because I know they would just eat and eat and eat it. The "candy problem" has gotten worse this summer b/c they are doing swim team, where there is a vending machine with lots of candy. We are at the pool every single day. (So you can only imagine the whining for candy) After about a week I told them that we would have "Candy Friday". Every Friday after swim practice they get 2 quarters to get whatever they want out of the vending machines - usually ring pops. They haven't really asked for candy since then, b/c they know they have Candy Friday coming up! Maybe you could try something like that? I also have the same rule as one of your other posters. My kids know they need to ask me for a piece of candy (sometimes the goody bags from parties make it into their rooms before I do anything about it) If I catch them with candy and they haven't asked they know that is not a good thing. I do need to come up with a better system for goody bags and Halloween candy.

I would say no to this idea. In this age of growing American obesity (even among kids), we have to teach our kids that candy (and other treats) are a sometimes food, which we only have on special occasions and in moderation. Remember that this kid will grow up to be an adult and you don't want them to have the idea that it's ok to eat unfettered amounts of candy if they feel like it. I would say that even if you get a treat bag at a birthday party, you confiscate it and only allow them a few pieces. It will save their teeth and their waistlines. I don't want you to think I am one of those nutso parents who try to tell their kids that rice cakes are cookies (I am not), but I believe in teaching my kids that cakes, candies and junk food are special treats and that healthful foods should be the majority of our diets. I think if you find some fun healthful alternative snacks (hummus, low-fat dips with veggies, whole wheat crackers, yogurt, dried fruit [in moderation,also bad for teeth], etc.) they will come around. Try to present them in fun ways (fun shapes) and let them prepare the snacks--it will make them feel invested and more interested in eating them. Stay strong--you are the parent and you make the rules! :-)
Good luck!
-A.
PS You might also plan a trip to a farm or a fruit picking place (berries are in season now) to show them where delicious, nutritious food comes from!

Children lack the will power to delay gratification until they are older. If you put candy out your kids would just gorge on it all the time. Development varies by child but I would expect it to be at least a few more years before they can have the self control to self regulate with candy. You can build that up with working on delaying gratification with them when they do get candy or with other things like toys, treats for good behavior etc. But if your house is anything like my house growing up the candy would just be instantly consumed the second you put it in the dish.

Please be mindful of what candy does to teeth. My friend's 4 yo daughter has a mouth full of rotted teeth due to her unchecked candy addiction. She eats candy all day and night and has a mouth of horrible teeth to show for it.

She literally went through withdrawal when I had her for 4 days and allowed NO CANDY at all. Do you want your kids like that??

For us, sweets are not forbidden but are a treat that we must go out for. Because I too can't resist sweets, I don't keep candy, cookies, ice cream etc. in the house (OK, sure I do around Christmas when it comes in gifts, and then I tend to devour them myself, alas!). Instead, if we want a treat, we have to get in the car and make a special trip to get it; usually it's ice cream or a dessert at a diner. This both keeps my daughter away from junky candy (I'd rather she have ice cream with some calcium in it than candy) and makes her feel that sweets are definitely not forbidden but are something special. If it's in the house 24/7, it loses any specialness or power as a reward. Regarding most party goodie bags, I hate the candy in them -- usually pure junk made who knows where using who knows what. Same goes for Halloween. We still have her give us all goodie bags and we check them and take out the junky candy, trying to leave her one sweet if anything's decent. For Halloween, fortunately, she actually still wants us to ration out the candy so it lasts longer -- that gives us the chance to get rid of much of it and dole out the nicer stuff a piece a day for a while. As your kids get a bit older they may be more interested in the prizes in goodie bags or the fun of trick-or-treating than in the candy itself.

I would try to wean them off gradually by only allowing them one to two pieces, according to the size of the candy.
Make sure that they brush after each piece that has been eaten, maybe one piece in the early day and one in the evening after dinner. Stick to the routine no matter where they are or whom thay are with. There maybe a problem at first, if you have allowed them to eat at will, but be consistant and stay firm. This may require that you have a whole lot of patience and endurance but evidentually they will understand and adapt.

I have actually read about studies were two sets of children were observed. 1 set was left with cookies on the table the other set was left with cookies hidden well out of reach. The kids with the cookies in plain site actually were more indifferent and the other set when presented with the cookies gorged themselves. I think you have the right idea. It is at least worth a try. My mother-in-law also had experience with this. She tells me that her only regret as a mother was keeping sweets from her kids. My husband could care less about sweets but his sister has a problem with them. She has always had a weight problem and she hordes junk food. My mother-in-law thinks that if she would have been more lenient then her daughter would be more indifferent to sweets. I would be more flexible and maybe use the weekend to let your kids be more self indulgent.

I think there's tons of ways to address candy, the key is which one will give your children some self restraint? You are already asking what makes them gorge themselves, why isn't it physically uncomfortable and helping them to stop on their own? Keep looking for the answers. In the mean time, give them specific and consistent guidelines: I suggest you can have "your candy" (from parties, etc.) after lunch (they must eat the amount they usually eat at lunch), and let them have the candy (as much as they want if it's from one party)and plenty of water or some milk. Supervise the whole meal. Then, any 'left overs' can be after tomorrow's lunch. None left over?, they wait until the next time they naturally acquire candy (the next party?). You might also say they can have ONE piece after dinner (no more or sleep may be a problem). Generally speaking: "NO CANDY without eating something healthy first, and within limits". But let that rule be gradually introduced by learning what your children can self regulate when eating candy and how it effects them. good luck.

Gobstopper alert.
Please DO NOT give your child gobstoppers, or fireballs or any other small round candy. It poses a HUGEHUGEHUGE choking hazzard.
About 2years ago when My daughter was 10 she choked on a gobstopper. I had to call 911 and about lost my mind freaking out, thinking she was surely going to DIE!!! I sort of over reacted, but who knew what the outcome was going to be. All I knew was that she couldnt breathe.
The EMT's said that as long as she is coughing or spewing or gasping, that she is getting SOME air. That didnt settle my fear very much. They also told me DO NOT do the heimlich maneuver because I could lodge the gobstopper further. I think they said to only do that if the person cannot breathe at all.
Anyway, she eventually swallowed the gobstopper: PAINFULLY. And swore off any round candy FOREVER. She will never forget that day and her fear, or MINE.

M.:

I let my boys have ONE piece of candy a day - if it's a "gobstopper" or a piece of gum - that's IT - ONE PIECE. They only get candy bar stuff (M&Ms, Hershey's, etc.) once a week.

Since they know they will get ONE PIECE every day - my boys are happy with this. Snacks for summer camp are cheese and crackers, carrots, peanut butter filled celery sticks, etc. My boys are NOT picky eaters so they get healthy food all the time.

It's kinda like alcohol - my parents ALWAYS allowed me to have an appertif size glass of wine or beer - I didn't like it. I was free to taste my dad's drink or my mom's drink - by the time I got to high school - alcohol was NOT a problem for me - I didn't have to run off to parties, etc. even today I don't care about alcohol. I'm always the designated driver. I know candy isn't alcohol but it's like anything else that kids are exposed to.

It seems that we always want what we can't have. Moderation works.

Take care!

Wow, you are getting such a difference of opinion in the postings! What I find in my house is that if I keep the candy in a candy jar on the counter, it comes and goes in waves of whether the kids want to eat it non-stop or if they really don't care about it. If it is away in the pantry, they do the same thing, they want it until the lose interest in it. I only let them really have candy on special occassions, but sometimes just being a good kid is a special occasion :). I also think kids test all limits, and if you put it out you may have a couple of rough weeks, but they may not be as bad as one would imagine :). So give it a try if it is different from what you have been doing and have the candy out...just don't fill it to the top. Good luck!