Tips For A Safe Halloween For Diabetic Kids
Trick-or-treating is a major part of every child’s Halloween, but that bag of candy may seem like more of a trick than a treat for parents of kids with diabetes. Your child doesn’t want to miss out on the holiday because of diabetes, so here are some tips for letting your child have a safe and fun Halloween.
Sugar is not completely off-limits, but it should be moderated. If your child has well-controlled diabetes, it is okay for them to have a bit of sugar in their Halloween candy. However, the carbohydrate counts are very important to check. Make sure they are eating candies with low carbs and low sugars, or limit the amount of regular candy they can eat per day.
Monitor their candy stash. Your child may want to hide some of their Halloween candy to snack on behind your back, so keep it out of reach and only allow your child to have a few treats every day. Put a few candies in a bag for lunchtime, or save them as an after-school snack.
Explain why they can’t eat as much candy as the other kids. At school, teachers and friends may have a stash of candy left over from Halloween. If there is little health supervision, there is not much to stop your child from overindulging on sweets. Instead, let them know that too many sweets will make them very very sick, and give them plenty of healthy snacks to keep them full throughout the day.
Give out treats that aren’t sweet. No kid wants an apple on Halloween, but they will be excited to receive stickers, toys, and little trinkets in place of candy. Give your kid a hearty stash of Halloween swag to make up for their lack of candy. Also, you can get some sugar-free treats that are cleverly disguised as regular candy.
Make sure you monitor your child’s blood sugar levels after the holiday. If they have parties at school or friends' houses, they may be tempted by sweet treats. Keep their health in check and adjust insulin if necessary. Candy is only a miniscule part of the Halloween holiday, so emphasize the other aspects and make it fun!