[SKL]

OK, when I was a kid (100 years ago), we would get one small candy from most of the neighbors, and my mom would swipe all the suckers and gum to re-distribute, and then I had five siblings to swipe my candy, so I never had any trouble finding a good use for whatever was left. Well, as you all know, times have certainly changed!

So I have two 3-ish daughters and each has a huge mound of candy that they really shouldn't be eating. (Nor should anyone else around here!!) Last year, it was easy to sneak it away and donate it to older cousins. This year, DD#2 has learned how to take inventory, and she has her stock thoroughly memorized. AND she is very much attached to her candy.

Well. Mom knows that candy is going to make DD#1 insane and DD#2 rotund if I leave things up to them.

Do you all have any strategies for this? I was thinking of taking the girls to a children's home that I've volunteered with in the past, to donate most of the candy. Do you think that would fly? Or what else have you all tried (that worked / didn't work)?

Thanks!

[SKL]

I should add that I've been using the candy as an incentive - particularly, taking some away as a consequence for bad behavior - making discipline of DD#2 a "piece of cake" recently - but (a) I think the novelty will wear off soon, and (b) the look I get is so close to "how could you, I hate you" that I'm afraid I may be bringing on early puberty by such drastic measures.

[Withay]

I think donating the candy to either a childrens' home or adult care center would be wonderful, especially if the girls were with you.

[ana-mom]

I take it into work and put it in a large bowl on the reception desk. I did save a few packs of M&M's for a special treat for the girls and all the little packs of pretzels and crackers to put in their lunches.

[BrandyHagz]

OK - fine...I'll take one for the team...

...you can send it to me...it'll be safe here. I promise *whistles*

(Seriously, I brought two grocery sacks full of Candy to work today - my coworkers are loving me!)

[robandjulie]

I've heard of letting them trade in "X" pieces for a prize/reward like a movie night, trip to the zoo, etc. Or just establishing early on that they'd only be allowed to have "X" pieces and when they get home they dump, choose, and the rest goes in a community pile for desserts or donation.

We hang the bags out of reach on a cabinet knob and every meal the kids can choose either a single piece of candy OR a larger but healthier dessert like a fruit smoothie or home-made ice cream or a muffin. So far they've only had 2 pieces of candy each...they know it's there and keep opting for the healthier short-term items instead. I'll also let them help me cook with them--I'm planning to make an apple dessert that uses a few chopped up snickers bars and we usually chop up a few chocolate bars and make cookies which get frozen/donated and eaten slowly. Anything they can't eat (gum; wrong-sized hard candy) we filter out immediately.

The main thing we do is limit the number of houses! We go to the quieter streets and hit those so it's a lot of walking and visiting. The people tend to be so excited to see the kids (as opposed to those popular houses which have 100's of kids stop by and barely talk to the kids) and at 4 & 2 they think 10-15 pieces of candy is a huge haul.

[dac_cincy]

You might check the dentist offices in your area- around her there are few that accept the candy and then ship it soliders overseas.
I have also heard of police stations and firestations accepting the candy to be redistributed within the area.

I was thinking about doing that with Bug's candy- but he only went out for 22 minutes and got enough candy for this week (with me helping him eat it).

[cmfayz]

If you go to the Halloween Candy Buyback homepage: Home

you can find a dentist in your area collecting candy to send to the troops.

[Mommy K]

My daugher knows she can't touch the candy until I go through it.She got alot of pure sugar things like jaw breakers and tooth destroying things--I told her that she has to be five years old to eat a jawbreaker, or pixi stix etc. and I threw these and other things like it right in the trash..

This was my opportunity to get rid of alot of candy. She only kept the vairiety chocoalte bars, m&m's and a few ring pops.

[annaguat]

Here is what we have done. We donate a certain amount to clubs and groups that hand out candies as rewards. The rest is confiscated and goes in a big bucket. After the meal they get to choose one candy as a dessert. This might last till Easter or beyond and ofcourse we know what happens at Easter. Actually my new three big kids 11, 18 and 19 were the most distressed as my 21 year old daughter matter of fact dumped all the candy loot in one big bucket. The rest is just used to it. Anna

[SKL]

I wish we weren't so deep in the world of "MINE" right now. (A very recent development which I hope won't last long.) I will start working on the girls and see what I can convince them of. I should have started this before Halloween. Of course I could just pull rank and remind them that this is a MOM-ocracy, not a democracy. But I like to save that tactic as a last resort.

Who knew DD2 would take the whole candy thing so seriously? (We normally don't have any candy around here.)

[HopeandaPrayer]

My younger kids pre-school is collecting candy to donate to Mobile Loaves and Fishes and my older kids brought home a flier from their elementary school about a local dentist who is accepting their candy. I know he is donating the candy but can't remember off the top of my head who he is donating it to. It may be the troops-I'll have to check the flier again. Donating it to a homeless shelter or children's home would be great also.

[dianneemily]

I keep their Halloween buckets with candy in it on top of the refrigerator for a couple days - allowing them to get a piece occassionally (like after lunch, dinner, etc.) Then once life returns to normal (like today - back to school/work/daycare), I take the candy and put in all in one canister and put it WAYYYY in the back of the cabinet. They know it is there and occassionally will ask for a piece, but out of sight out of mind has worked so far (they are 5 and 3).
In your situation - given their possessiveness - I might leave it on top of the fridge for a few more days but make some clear cut rules about how much they get per day and when. That way it is still there, it is still theirs, but you have some control.

My little one has a sweet tooth - if she has access to it, she will eat it until she is sick, so I really do understand the difficulty. Thus begins the season of candy, candy everywhere.....

[guatparents2be]

my friends with twin 2 year olds went out early with them, collected candy, then returned home and passed it out to the trick or treaters. i know that's not applicable here but i had to share. freaking BRILLIANT.

for us, we just straight up have a no candy rule. we don't eat it.

and i also think there is another option other than the MOMocracy thing (which has its place, of course)

what if you sit them down and say that you made a mistake. everyone does that, right? that you should have talked about it before halloween but didn't realize there would be SO much candy. you explain that you know they are into their candy but eating it all just isn't an option because it's not a healthy choice. ask them since that is the case, how they might choose to approach it? you can tell them your friend donated candy to the troops etc. or you could give them an option of trading it for a toy. or...?

[Slatond10]

I sort of do what robandjulie do... Candy was placed in the pantry in a bowl on her snack shelf. She is limited to 1 or 2 / day as dessert or snack based on behavior. She is almost 5 and since this has always been the norm 4 us she limits herself now.

The person I have to displine and control is "ME." Which is much harder to handle.

Love the donation idea! I might check into the dentist or donation locations for the halloween candy I had to give out that didn't end up being given out. In my mind DD's candy is all hers unless she wants to donate and that will be her decision. ( she is a very giving, generous, sharing child so it wouldn't surprise me if she does. )