Halloween is every kid’s favourite holiday. Like every year before, they will come home with a bagful of candy. If your kids seem to eat too much sugar (and start jumping off the walls as a result), here are four ways to cut down on Halloween without cutting down on the fun. The entire family will still have fun and celebrate, but parents can rest easy knowing that their kids will still get a good night’s sleep.

1. Collect fewer treats; consume less sugar

Halloween is synonymous with candy and chocolate. However, the more you collect, the more you’ll want to eat. There is a foolproof solution for this conundrum: don’t stop at every house! Instead, try trick or treating at every second house. Another option? Tell your kids that they have 45 minutes to trick or treat, after which it’s time to come home and hand out candy for other kids. Once the evening is over, put any leftover treats away; the kids can eat it for dessert at a later time. Avoid keeping candy in their bedroom, as they may start eating them any time!  

2. Give sugar-free treats this Halloween!

Who says it has to be candy? Think outside the box and hand out little gifts to your neighbourhood ghosts and princesses. Think temporary tattoos, stickers, crayons, or bouncy balls.

3. Use a smaller bag

Don’t let the kids use their pillowcase to collect Halloween candy. The bigger the bag, the more candy you get. Plus, it takes much longer to fill, giving the illusion that it is, in fact, empty! To avoid having your child come home with 2-kilos-worth of Halloween candy, consider using a smaller bag. You can even make this a family activity, making the bag together! Now there’s one great way to stay in control of size! You can find tons of tutorials on how to make Halloween bags—some super cute, others downright scary—online.

4. Open their eyes to all things Halloween

There’s much more to Halloween than candy: it’s a night of fright, pumpkins . . . and sharing! In the week leading up to the big day, plan a variety of activities, like decorating your pumpkins. You can also make pumpkin pie or cook other types of squash, read scary stories, or even build a haunted house out of . . . veggies (a good way to get the kids to eat more of them!). These activities will help make the fun last longer and will take the focus off the Halloween candy on October 31. And most importantly, teach your kids to share their goodies with their friends and grandparents.