How much candy do you let them have?

[nicolewi]

I'm pretty loose on what the kids eat, within reason. They eat a lot of fruits & veggies and healthy dinners, but we also have juice, Goldfish, Kraft mac & cheese, ice cream treats, etc. I go with "everything in moderation." They are all healthy weights. But, I just can't get my hands around how to handle all this candy. I've posted before about what the heck to do with candy. I've thrown away tons but we seem to have tons of it again. After a couple parades, a bag of candy from Grandma at a fair, some candy from vacation, birthday parties, lollipops from the hair salon, the bank...it just seems to proliferate. I give them one to three pieces, generally, for dessert some nights. That was going fine. Lately, though, I feel like they are constantly asking for candy. I don't really feel like they should have it every day. What do you do? 

[dizzycooks]

We typically don't have it. Period.
The suckers from the bank/salon/whatever I typically just let them eat and be done with it. If it's saved I tend to toss it.
Half the Halloween candy gets donated and half of what left is given to dh and I. We are mean like that.
Grandparents know better and give them goldfish or fruit.
We talk about how sugar isnt great for our bodies and we avoid it.

[abs]

Candy? Halloween and Easter only. I let her eat it a few days and then the rest gets tossed. She got a lollipop after swim lessons all summer but that was her teacher, not me. She gets candy randomly other places I know but we don't keep it in the house.

Now goldfish, chips, etc? Ice cream? We do keep those around and she can have a serving a day. I am much more strict about food than most I know though.

[expectantsteelerfan]

I let them eat a decent amount the day they get it, and anything that is left at the end of the day gets thrown out or given to my dh to take to work if it's good candy.

So last weekend when my dd had 3 different parties to go to, she had cake at one, 2 pieces of candy in the car from the goody bag, a lollipop at the next, a piece of candy from the next goody bag on the way to the 3rd, and a rice Krispie treat at the 3rd. Brought home much more candy and another rice krispie treat (that I ate after she was in bed), and all the rest of the goody bag candy got tossed. I still felt like that a WAY above normal amount of junk for one day.

[cjcouple]

I have a box on the fridge I keep misc candy as they get it. I go through it every couple months and thin it out.

Seasonally, I keep a candy dish out on table as well. (Christmas kisses, hershey or york minis, etc). They will have sone on occasional but not a ton.

I give them a treat every night after dinner. Typically 2 candies are an option but they don't choose it much tbh. They prefer cookies or ice cream...lol

I do have asst s'more chocolates seperate that is only for s'mores (keep with grahams and marshmellow) that we do once every other week or so in the summer. Or during cookouts. But thats their after dinner treat.

I dont worry about it too much. I had candy readily available as a kid and dont really eat it. I prefer salty snacks. Lol

[gastro]

I toss everything the night we get it except special holiday stuff like Halloween where you get one or two for a few days and then it gets tossed. Like all the loot DS1 got from a piñata last weekend...he got to have two pieces that night and I threw out the rest.
I would say my kids get a treat every two or three nights and their choices are ice cream, dark chocolate, sometimes ice pops in summer.
We eat healthy but sugar is in so much "healthy" stuff too that I just don't want them eating candy.
I also really try to curb it at home so when we go out for ice cream/frozen yogurt or are at party they can go for it. I know with all the treats they get for birthdays and such at school there is no lack of sugar in their diet.

[court26]

We have a weird food situation. DS has a lot of food allergies, but a lot of candy is safe (Skittles, Smarties, Dum Dums, Pez, Sour Patch Kids, etc.). He doesn't love it, but I try to keep a variety on hand so that if it is a last minute bday party or something, he has a choice. However, DD is obsessed with candy and I wish we didn't have any of it in our house. She would eat it everyday if given the choice. She is also obsessed with gum, but that is easier to say yes to.

[penguingrrl]

We do to keep much candy in the house and don't seem to be in situations where candy is part of it very often. After Halloween or other candy-giving things they can have one piece a day until it's gone.

[vamoose]

I am apparently a terrible parent. We let them eat whatever candy they get (parties, holidays). We don't generally buy candy at the store, but we even do that once a month or so and have family movie night with popcorn and candy. I mean... they are normal weight, so I mostly focus on making sure they eat protein and veggies and whatnot and don't worry about treats too much.

[momin2013]

Aug 13, 2017 21:13:29 GMT -5 vamoose said:

I am apparently a terrible parent. We let them eat whatever candy they get (parties, holidays). We don't generally buy candy at the store, but we even do that once a month or so and have family movie night with popcorn and candy. I mean... they are normal weight, so I mostly focus on making sure they eat protein and veggies and whatnot and don't worry about treats too much.

Yep, this is me too. We don't really put any limits on candy, but DS also doesn't go overboard. Like if his choice for dessert is to pick something from his candy bowl (collection of stuff from Halloween/Easter/etc.) he'll pick like one Lindt chocolate ball.