Kids Eating Candy: How to Approach Easter Candy With Your Children
Easter is right around, and like most candy-centered holidays, many parents might find themselves reeling in discomfort but this high influx of incoming sweets.
If you've found yourself in this situation I want you to know you're not alone!
There’s so much happening leading up to candy-centered holidays, like Easter, as well as the big day itself, that can be overwhelming for both parents and children alike.
You might be wondering what’s the best way to approach these special occasions where candy is abundant and how to support your children with a high influx of sugar.
Some parents prefer to tightly regulate the sweets their children might get on big holidays, like Easter, or any special occasion where there is a higher volume of sweets available.
You might let your children try a couple of different things but then quickly put it away where they might not be able to see it.
Out of sight, out of mind, right?
Or you might get into a negotiation with them, where you offer to trade some of their candy for toys. Many parents may try to avoid the sticky sweets situation by predominantly offering non-food based options for their children, like toys, bubbles, and other things they might be excited about playing with.
And while none of these things are wrong, it’s important to consider the potential effects this approach to sweets on holidays might have on your children.
For many children, seeing a higher volume of sweets but then not having access or permission to eat those sweets might trigger a preoccupation with the very things you may not want them to eat.
One way to think about this scenario is like this: Imagine you took your child to a toy store for their birthday. And let’s say you told your child they could pick out any toy of their choice for their birthday present. And let’s imagine your child picked out the latest and greatest toy - something they’ve been eyeing for quite some time. You pay for it, and hand it to your child - they’re so excited to finally hold it and play with it and show it to all their friends. But when you get home, imagine you told your child they could no longer have their favorite toy. You needed to put it away, somewhere where they wouldn’t be able to find it for an indefinite amount of time. How do you think they’d react?
I know if I did this with one of my kids, there would be a lot of meltdowns and tears. And some power struggles too. My kid would probably be asking about it ALL the time, wondering when they’d get it back.
And while toys are not candy, there’s the same type of psychological effect happening when kids get candy and then have it taken away from them.
It creates feelings of deprivation, even resentment towards caregivers.
Kids become even more fixated on it because it’s something they had that was now taken away from them.
We’re also unintentionally sending them the message that we don’t trust them to eat (or trust them with eating certain foods, like candy). Having rigid rules around candy or not allowing permission to eat it effectively puts it on a pedestal, elevating it above all other foods, making it even more desirable in the eyes of a child.
Of course, no parent ever intends this to be the outcome of tightly controlling sweets on candy-filled holidays.
I know you only want the best for your child, and if you’ve ever resorted to limiting access to candy for your children, I understand the reasoning behind doing so.
Not to mention, we encounter so much fear-mongering around sugar as parents.
Diet culture perpetuates myths about sugar and kids, which makes it hard to trust these foods are safe to allow our children to eat. On top of which, our own eating habits and experiences around food can play a part into how we feel about our children getting access to candy and an abundance of sweets on holidays like Easter.
Feeding kids is hard. Period.
And I know you’re doing the best you can with the resources and information you have available.
Raising Intuitive Eaters Includes Kids Eating Candy
If you’re curious about exploring other options that can better support your children in preserving their innate intuitive abilities, especially on holidays where a higher volume of sweets and candy are available to them, I want you to be encouraged in knowing there are other approaches you can take that don’t involve restricting sweets.
Because the truth is that we live in a world where sweets exist.
I mean, that’s a reality we can’t ignore. And while we can control the foods our children have access to while they live in our homes, we can’t control what they’re going to encounter in the world outside our home.
And yes, while kids are younger especially, we can offer non-candy based treats on holidays or swap out substitutions for many of the traditional candies and sweets kids might get on holidays (Peeps - I’m looking at you!)
But what about when they get older and this becomes harder to control? What do we do then?
For many children who haven’t had the opportunities to learn how to self-regulate their sugar intake, sweets can become chaotic when they grow up.
In fact, research shows that children who are restricted from sweets and highly palatable foods, like desserts, grow up with a tendency to overeat these foods. Studies have also found that restricting access to a palatable food increases children's intake of and comments, requests, and attempts to access this food immediately after it becomes restricted.
So ultimately, to help our children learn how to self-regulate their intake of sweets and all foods, we need to start giving them opportunities in our home. Holidays and special occasions that by default, include a higher volume of sweets, can be a great opportunity to help our children learn how to do this in real life.
So rather than limiting sweets, banishing them, hiding them, or trading them for toys after a candy-filled holiday, I want you to consider this alternative: Let them eat the candy.
Yes, like actually eating it and learning what it feels like to have a higher volume of sweets without being micromanaged or warned that too much candy is going to make them sick.
Children need these opportunities to learn what feels best in their bodies.
This is part of preserving their innate intuitive eating abilities. They have to have eating experiences to give them data and information that helps them learn about what feels good and what doesn’t feel good. If we ban certain foods, especially sweets, from our homes, our kids won’t have these chances to learn, which are crucially important to building a positive and healthy relationship with all food.
Now, I know this can be a scary experience, so I want to give you some practical steps you can take to approach candy and sweets on the holiday.
Because I recognize that the amount of candy your children might get on a holiday like Easter is different than the every day candy they might be exposed to in your home. They’re likely going to get a ton of stuff they might not see very often or year-round. And they’re getting a volume of candy that they’re not used to having either.
So with all that in mind, having some specific strategies in place are going to help you support your children with sweets in a positive way.
Let’s dive into these strategies so you feel prepared to handle the easter candy.
These are strategies you can use on any special occasion or holiday where a higher volume of sweets is offered, so keep that in mind! You can definitely reuse and recycle these strategies, on Easter - but all year long.
So let’s get started.
Easter Candy Feeding Strategies for Kids
On the Holiday itself, whether Easter or Halloween, these similar strategies would apply:
Offer balanced meals and snacks throughout the day:
First, it’s important to stick to somewhat of a predictable eating pattern throughout the day, especially for your children.
Oftentimes, there’s this unspoken notion that holidays are the time to “save up” for all the special treats by not eating earlier in the day.
Other times, there’s just so much excitement around holidays and all the festivities that it can be hard to stick to a normal semblance of eating throughout the day.
But maintaining a rhythm around eating can make it easier for your child to get in what they need. The key here is to stick to offering a variety of foods at regular meal and snack times without pressuring your child to eat a certain amount or particular foods.
As parents, it’s easy to get into a trap of pushing or pressuring your child to eat all their veggies or a particular portion of their meal before they can get candy or any other treats they’re excited about eating.
Continue to offer the regular foods you would typically serve at meals. Remember, kids might be so excited about the upcoming festivities or sweets that they might not show much interest in eating other foods.
That’s okay!
Remain neutral as much as possible and don’t pressure your child to eat in exchange for having the sweets they’re excited about eating.
2. Give Permission to Eat and Avoid Food Policing
This might be the most important step in this process.
Again, the common tendency is to want to sweep away all the candy, or allot a couple special “treats” and then hide the rest of the sweets away.
But in actuality, children really need an opportunity to dig into their stash and learn to eat an amount that feels best in their bodies.
One of the main reasons for this is due to the high exposure of sweets your kids will likely have on the big holiday itself, like Easter.
When there’s an abundance of candy and sweets around, your children are fully aware of what’s available to them. Hiding sweets or not allowing them to dig in and explore what they’ve received can make them feel more obsessive or preoccupied with the sweets.
This is why I recommend setting an intentional time for your children to eat and explore any candy they’ve received around the holiday festivities.
So for example, on Easter, after your kids have received their baskets and had their Easter egg hunts, they’re likely going to be itching to dig in and try all the goodies they can get their hands on.
Instead of trying to engage in a negotiation with them (which, let’s be honest - typically ends up in some sort of powerful struggle), give your kids permission to eat and explore.
I like to approach this like a snack, where I ask my children to sit down at the table and bring their candy stash with them to the table. I usually pour them each a glass of milk and let them know they can go through their candy stash and eat pieces of their choosing.
Be sure to scan their candies and check for safety, especially for younger children. However, after you’ve cleared their candy is safe, let them eat their candy, just like you would let them eat any other snack.
The key here is to TRUST your children and let go of any hidden agendas you might have about how much they should or shouldn’t eat.
This includes letting go of your need or desire to micromanage them or control how much they’re eating. Don’t police your kids, interject, or try to restrain them from eating.
Being especially careful with your language as your children are eating from their candy stash is equally important. It’s common to want to interfere, especially if the amount of candy or sweets your child might be eating is making you uncomfortable.
This is important to be aware of and to resist the urge to say anything that could potentially prevent your child from this necessary learning experience.
This includes saying things like, “If you eat too much of that, your stomach will hurt”, or “You’re going to make yourself sick with so much candy!”
These statements, though well-intentioned, can communicate the message you don’t trust your child to eat or to learn what they need for their own bodies.
(For more on this, check out this blog post here: “Child Constantly Craving Sugar? Helpful Language to Talk About Sweets”)
And yes, your child might overshoot and eat an amount of candy that does make them feel uncomfortable or sick.
Please hear me when I say this is okay.
Your children need to have these experiences to learn what feels good in their bodies and what doesn’t. Gathering this information will only help them for future eating experiences.
You might also find your children taking a few bites of some things here and there before being ready to move on to something else.
The only rule I do have in place is that I ask my children to discard their wrappers and any candies or sweets they’ve tried but don’t want to eat. I find that putting out a trash can by the table can be helpful for my children, as a reminder that they don’t have to eat anything they don’t like or want to continue eating after trying.
I also recommend removing any distractions from the candy snack time experience, including electronics, television, etc. This will help your children better tune into their bodies while eating.
3. Let your children see you enjoying candy and sweets with them:
Sometimes children can feel their parents’ discomfort with them eating sweets or eating a higher volume of sweets, and this can create some unspoken tension at the table.
Again, you want your children to feel as though they have unconditional permission to eat whatever they want from their candy stash at that particular snack time.
If they observe you seemingly distressed or giving them the side-eye glance, or grimacing at every bite of candy they eat, this isn’t going to help them feel as though you trust them.
Looking at this scenario from a bird’s eye view, you want to create positive experiences around all food to support your children in building a positive relationship with food. This starts with you and how you’re approaching eating experiences.
Be aware of how you’re feeling as your children are given the opportunity to eat from their candy stashes. Notice any uncomfortable feelings and lean into that with curiosity. Those feelings are not a bad thing and are likely influenced from a variety of experiences you’ve had around food and sweets.
Notice if you’re projecting any of your feelings on your children. Ask yourself, “How can I keep this a positive experience for my children, in spite of what I might be feeling?”
If you’re able to, consider sitting down with your children while they’re eating and enjoy some of their sweets with them.
Converse with them about the day and what they enjoyed about the holiday festivities. Ask them what their favorite candies are and model a neutral and enjoyable approach to sweets.
This will help give them permission to eat and listen to their bodies as you create a positive approach to sweets at this intentional snack time.
If you’re unable to sit with your children because the situation feels too uncomfortable, that is okay too!
Consider involving another adult or caregiver who might feel more comfortable engaging with your children with sweets and who can maintain a positive attitude through this situation.
4. Keep candy in agreed upon spot, set expectations
Once your children have finished their candy stash snack, as I like to call it, it’s now time to put the candy away to eat again at a later time.
Wording and how you do this is important for helping your children trust they’ll have opportunities to eat more of their holiday candy again soon.
You can make this transition when you see your children have had enough or are beginning to show declining interest in their candy stash.
Ask them to help you clean up and discard all trash. Let them know you’re going to be putting the candy away for now but that you’ll bring it out again for an upcoming snack or meal. It’s key to follow through on this to help build trust with your children and to help them truly understand that their candy and sweets are an indefinite part of their future.
Another key step here is to put your child’s candy in an agreed upon location in the pantry or wherever else you might store it.
Again, the tendency is to want to put it out of reach for a child, and this often makes parents feel more comfortable and in control.
However, if your children aren’t able to see their candy stash, this can create some feelings of anxiousness or stress around the holiday candy. On the other hand, if your child is able to see it and know it’s there, this can help any anxious feelings around having the candy again subside.
This is especially important if you’ve hidden away or discarded your child’s candy stash in the past. Setting their candy in a mutually agreeable location will help them trust you’re allowing them to eat it and enjoy it at designated times.
Another key thing here is to set healthy boundaries with your children around the candy itself. You want them to understand when they can access their candy so the expectations are clear.
For example, you can say something like, “We are keeping your Easter candy right here for you. We’re going to have more of it when it’s time to eat. When it’s time for us to have more candy, you can ask mommy to come and pick out some candy to have with our meal or snack.”
Of course, you can customize this to the age of your child. And be prepared to have to repeat this multiple times so your child understands.
You can also let your child know if they’re not able to follow instructions with their candy stash, you might need to put it in a different spot. This is not restricting your child but establishing boundaries around their candy stash.
Continue to reassure your child there will be many opportunities to eat more candy again.
How to Approach Candy the Day After a Holiday
So what about the day after the big candy-focused holiday, like Easter?
There’s a good chance your children will still be highly interested in their candy stash, and that’s okay!
This is absolutely normal and expected, given the excitement around the holiday and the higher volume of candy they’ve been exposed to. Knowing this ahead of time and anticipating this can help you better plan accordingly.
Here is a game plan that can help you navigate candy with your child after a holiday, like Easter, especially if your child is showing a high interest in the candy.
Keep these steps below in mind:
Allow: Allow your child to pick out a selected amount of candy with designated meals or snacks. Err on the side of a higher portion and frequency. Again, it’s easier to dish out an amount of candy that you might feel comfortable with, but be cognizant of what your child might be needing to feel satisfied at the meal or snack. This might look like offering a set amount of candy at a meal and snack time. You can adjust this according to your child’s age. For example, maybe you tell your child she can pick out 3 pieces of candy from her Easter basket at lunch and then again at dinner.
Amount: Include 1 snack time where your child is allowed to eat as much as desired from candy stash. Similarly to what you did on the day of the holiday, you want to give your child another opportunity to have a more unlimited amount of candy from their stash at a designated snack time. For example, for your children’s afternoon snack, let them know they can get their candy baskets from the pantry and bring them to the table to pick out what they want to eat for snack time. Pour them some milk to have with their candy. You can even put out something else, like sliced fruit, cheese, etc.
Agreed location: Ask your children to return their candy baskets back to the agreed upon location in your pantry or kitchen and remind them of the expectations. You will keep their baskets there and they will be allowed to come back and pick out their candy when it’s a meal or snack time.
Attitude: Maintain your cool about candy. Again, this can be a harder area for many parents, and by this point, you might be sick of the frequent candy requests and the high volume of candy in your home. And understandably so. However, as much as possible, try to maintain a positive attitude and neutral approach to sweets around your children. Be aware of any emotions that might be coming up for you and do your best not to project any frustrations or feelings around sweets. You’re doing a great job!
For more help with this and deciding how frequently to offer sweets to your child, be sure to check out this post here: “How Much Sugar for Kids? Understanding How Frequently to Offer Sweets”
In the days following Easter, or any candy-filled holiday, keep these pointers in mind to help you establish a consistent routine and approach to sweets:
Continue to offer select portion of candy/sweets with designated meals or snacks
Allow child to self-regulate from portion served
Maintain neutral approach with sweets
Rotate through a variety of sweet options
Offer before child asking {link to this blog}
Having a Consistent Approach to Sweets Year-Round
Lastly, it’s important to look at your general approach to sweets throughout the year.
When your child is consistently and regularly seeing sweets throughout the year and having regular opportunities to have candy (not just on holidays), you’ll find it easier to navigate candy-centered holidays with your child, like Easter.
As you consistently offer regular opportunities for sweets and maintain a neutral approach to sugar, you can help support your child in learning how to self-regulate occasions where there might be a higher influx of sweets available. This is an important life skill and necessary for helping your child build positive sweets with all foods.
In a nutshell, here are some basic strategies you want to be implementing throughout the year to establish a consistent approach to sweets:
Provide regular opportunities for sweets
Regularly include sweets alongside meals and snacks to create structure and support
Initiate offering sweets instead of always waiting for child to ask
Giving kids repeated opportunities with sweets models that these foods are safe and morally neutral
If you’re interested in learning more about this, be sure to read this post here: “Feeding Kids Sweets 101: Knowing Your Role When You Feed the Kids”
If your child is showing signs of an unhealthy obsession or preoccupation with sweets, be sure to download your free guide below: “5 reasons why your child is obsessed with sweets and how to end the sugar craze.”
Taking a consistent and neutral approach to sweets year long will support you in raising healthy, intuitive eaters who have a positive relationship with all foods, including sweets.
What questions do you have about this? Feel free to put them in the comments below.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday!