Managing the Halloween Lolly Stash: My tops tips as a Paediatric Dietitian

With Halloween just around the corner, many parents start worrying about how to manage all those lollies. It can feel like sugar overload! But here's the thing: Halloween can actually be a great opportunity to teach kids how to manage sweets without creating stress or obsession around them.

If we make lollies and chocolate just another food – not forbidden or off-limits – we help children develop a healthy, balanced relationship with it. The more we try to control or restrict, the more kids become preoccupied with it. Think of it like this: when sweets are treated as a rare, precious prize, kids are more likely to sneak them, overdo it when they can, and even feel guilty about eating them.

Instead, by including sweets regularly in a matter-of-fact way, we remove the “forbidden fruit” feeling. So, let’s talk about how to manage all that Halloween loot without taking away the joy of the holiday.


The Trick to Managing Treats? Offer Them More Often

It might seem counterintuitive, but the more sweets-preoccupied your child is, the more often you should offer them. Giving kids regular access to treats teaches them that chocolate isn’t off-limits or something to binge on when they finally get their hands on it.

Here’s the plan for Halloween:

. Pre-Event Planning: A Fibre-Filled Start

The biggest concern I have with my kids devouring all those lollies and chocolate is that they’ll likely be missing out on fibre, especially if they don't have room for dinner later. In our house, we trick-or-treat after school, which means dinner happens later—sometimes too late for them to eat much. My solution? A high-fibre smoothie after school, before heading out. It fills them up, giving them the energy to run from house to house, while also helping keep things... shall we say, “regular” the next day.

Try my Boosted Green Banana Smoothie—we recently gave it a fun twist and called it the Monster Milk Smoothie to get into the Halloween spirit. The kids loved it! You can use any smoothie recipe that includes ingredients like bananas, spinach, chia seeds, or oats for that fibre boost.

1. Let them dive into the fun – When they come back from trick-or-treating, let them dump out their stash, admire it, sort it, and yes – eat as much as they want. (Yes, really!)

2. Continue the fun the next day – Allow them to indulge again the next day, and maybe even the day after if they’re especially into sweets.
3. Shift to structured access – Once the excitement has calmed, start incorporating their candy into regular meal and snack times. Offer a couple of small pieces for dessert with meals or as part of snacks.

This approach gives kids the chance to learn that sweets are just one part of eating – not the whole story. They’ll soon relax around lollies, and you may even find a forgotten stash of lollies tucked in the back of a cupboard come Christmas!


 Does Sugar Really Make Kids Hyper?

You’ve probably heard (or experienced) the idea of a “sugar high,” but research shows that sugar doesn’t directly cause hyperactivity or behavioural issues. What often happens is that kids get overly hungry, eat sugary foods on an empty stomach, and experience a quick sugar spike followed by an energy crash.

That’s why offering sweet foods (lollies, chocolate etc) along with other foods (think milk, yogurt, or fruit) slows digestion and prevents those rapid highs and lows. Many sweets also contain fat – from chocolate or nuts – which helps provide more sustained energy.

 Making Lollies and Sweets “Normal” All Year Round

Halloween is just one time when kids are bombarded with sweets, but the truth is they’re going to encounter candy at birthday parties, school events, and more. The key is to make sweets feel less “special” so they don’t become an obsession.

Try this approach year-round:
Add dessert to meals – Put a small serving of dessert on their plate and let them decide when to eat it (before, during, or after the meal). No seconds – just one portion.
Offer unlimited sweets occasionally – Every now and then, put out a plate of cookies or candy at snack time with a glass of milk. Let your child have as much as they want. At first, they’ll likely eat a lot, but over time, the novelty wears off, and they’ll stop when they’re satisfied.

One important note: Kids who are neurodivergent may have more difficulty regulating their appetite compared to other kids. While I’d still recommend offering sweet foods regularly, you might need to provide a bit more guidance with quantities to help them manage their intake.

This strategy follows the Satter Division of Responsibility in Feeding: you decide what, when, and where food is offered, and your child decides how much (and whether) to eat.


Happy Halloween! 🎃

With these tips, you’ll help your child develop a positive, balanced approach to sweets that lasts far beyond October 31st.