Holidays can be hard for anyone who wants to maintain a healthy diet, but managing a child’s diabetes around Halloween can be especially difficult. While we want all children to be able to enjoy Halloween treats, it’s best for parents to keep the traditions of the holiday as the main focus, rather than letting candy or other sweets take center stage.

Trick-or-treating with diabetic children

Some tips to help you plan ahead for trick-or-treating with your children with diabetes:

  • Don’t skip a meal just to prepare for the extra treats.
  • Bring all diabetes supplies with you (or if you have an older child who self-manages, make sure they carry them).
  • Check blood sugars more often.

With diabetes you have to balance out the medications your child takes with the food that he or she is eating, but you also need to think about exercise. One thing that families don’t realize is that on Halloween night, we frequently see low blood sugars from all the running around and physical activity.

Prepare for the weeks after Halloween too

One of the trickier parts of Halloween is preparing for candy management after Halloween. If you have bowls of Halloween candy sitting on the counter or in the pantry, making the healthy choice becomes harder.

Some tips for candy management after trick-or-treating include:

  • Set expectations about how much candy children can eat that night; moderation is key.
  • Figure out how you’re going to count the carbohydrates and fit it into your child’s diabetes plan.
  • Decide how you’re going to manage all the leftover candy in upcoming lunches or dinners.
  • Choose to donate your candy or exchange it for something like watching a favorite show.

Kids actually tend to appreciate non-candy items along with their sweet treats. Consider passing out spider rings, eyeball bouncy balls, mini Play-Doh containers, temporary tattoos or stickers. These items can also be used for the candy exchange system.

One of the most important things for families managing diabetes to remember is that letting the candy linger and stare at you for months can make it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Focus on the other fun parts of Halloween such as pumpkin-carving, dressing up in costumes, telling scary stories, visiting haunted houses or pumpkin patches. There are many other fun activities around Halloween that you and your family can do to celebrate that don’t revolve around candy.

Diabetes doesn’t have to hold your children back from doing the things that they want to do on Halloween. Parents just need to shift the focus and plan ahead to make sure their children have a healthy and safe Halloween.

ABOUT THE EXPERT

Megan Watts, MS, RD, CSP, LD, CDE, is an outpatient dietitian at Children’s National. She specializes in diabetes and healthy weight management.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get free parenting tips delivered to your inbox every week!

Related Content

Family celebrating New Years
family gathering for the holidays
Box Full of Toys and Stuffed Animals
photograph of different ketogenic foods
allergy-causing foods
Family sitting down for Ramadan meal
illustration of parents kissing a baby
gluten-free/casein-free sign
Group of kids with Halloween costumes walking to trick or treating
the words gluten free written in flour
checking blood sugar on teddy bear
illustration of car with presents in snow
children in Halloween costumes
boy dressed as pirate holding a teal pumpkin
pumkins wearing masks
girl being bullied
college students eating
needle and definition of insulin
Holiday illustration with animated intestine
0 replies

Leave a Comment

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.