Most children associate Halloween with trick or treating, and lots of sweet treats! Our tips help make sure you stay in control of how much sugar they are eating, while everyone still has fun.
- Denying children sweets or cutting sugar altogether makes sweets even more tempting, potentially creating bigger problems for the future. It’s ok to have a few, but moderation is key.
- Set a limit for the number of houses visited.
- Make sure children have dinner before trick or treating, a full stomach following a healthy, nutritious meal can help prevent gorging!
- Don’t let them graze on sweets and chocolate – it is the frequency and not the amount that causes damage to teeth. Let them choose their favourites on halloween, and eat these in one go as it limits the length of time teeth are exposed.
- Stop children eating sweets an hour before bedtime.
- After halloween save any leftover sweets and chocolates for after mealtimes only.
- Take extra care of children with braces – sticky or hard sweets can cause damage.
- Supervise children when brushing their teeth – disclosing tablets stain any sticky plaque left on teeth making it easily visible to remove – these are available at the practice.
- If trick or treaters visit your home, consider non – food treats such as crayons, bubbles and stickers. Displaying a teal – coloured pumpkin shows you have thought about children with special dietary requirements and helps include everyone in a healthy, positive way (lots of parents will thank you for it!)
For free oral health and dietary advice please call us on 01443 812559 (Ystrad Mynach) or 01443 451851 (Nelson) and a member of our friendly team will be happy to help youÂ