The Great Mom Debate: Do You Hand out Candy for Halloween?

Enjoy your popularity while u can ThisIsMyPositiveAttitude. someday someone will come along giving out big chocolate bars and you'll lose your rain of "beloved goody gal". People on ACC are much more likely to rave about people giving out big chocolate bars then non candy goodies on the halloween treat topic that pops up every year

Just buy the sugar free candy or the little bags of halloween pretzels. There isn't a rule out there that says all halloween candy has to be full of sugar and bad for you. Or if you have the money you could go to the store and buy the small little juice boxes/bottles and hand those out.

Every year, I'm the popular house. I don't give out candy or toys--I give out rubber bracelets with rubber spikes on them. They're pricey but when I walk around the neighborhood and see kids wearing them weeks later, I feel pretty good about giving them out. I usually had a bag or two of candy in case I ran out before the trick-or-treaters did but for the most part, I never worried about what I gave away. I just thought the bracelets were cool, lol.

Wow, Kris B. How mature are you? I sincerely hope you are joking or that you aren't influencing your children to retaliate when things don't go the way they want or think they should.

Give out the candy, it's once a year. Also, if you don't realize that it's not YOUR job to parent OTHER people's kids, then I hope you get your hosue egged.

We still take our kids out to a party at my best friend's church and then trick or treating, but we do put a bowl of candy on the porch and decorate our house:). Halloween is once a year and kids love to dress-up and have treats, so giving out candy with maybe some toys in the bowl is the way to go. I always put out some toys or raisins or something in case we have a child with dietary or parental restrictions because I want them to have something out of their bag, otherwise it is mini candy bars and stuff for all:)

Apparently my son is the only kid in the world who would choose a toy over candy.

That being said, I don't hand out candy because we never get and trick or treaters. If we did, I would hand out candy. If I tried to hand out little toys, they would be gone before the trick or treaters got to my door (and would somehow MAGICALLY end up underneath my son's bed). =)

I'd say give out the candy. If other parents don't want their kids to have candy, they probably shouldn't send their kids trick-or-treating.

No, but only because we live out in the middle of no where. Otherwise, I absolutely would. Don't be such a debbie downer!

Give out the candy! Not all kids are overweight and if they are its the parents fault that they are, not yours for giving them a few pieces of candy once a year!

I agree with Runa. Growing up, there was a few days a year that candy and other sweet treats were really given. Now, there is a holiday every month and a reason to give gifts and have sweets available. Just give out the candy. If the parent's don't like it then they probably shouldn't take their kids out trick or treating.

We don't really do the candy handout under reasons of lack of time/lack of money. If we did, i would hand out candy w/ maybe a SMALL amount of toy rings or other little toys tossed in. I'd rather hand out candy then some lame thing like MOSTLY balls or tattoos and risk getting the house tp'd, egged, or worse. Is it really such a crime to hand out a few pieces of candy to a kid ONCE a year???? I did ToTing for a few years when i was younger but i quit b/c i just didn't really like it.

I'll admit that i do like some toy rings and bouncy balls out there but not enough to have wanted only them in my halloween bucket.

I don't think it's your responsibility to make sure other people's kids aren't obese. Just give out 1 or 2 pieces of candy to each kid if it bothers you that much.

Here's the thing...Halloween is ONCE a year. And one of the worst pieces of food advice that ever existed ever was that you need to totally eliminate particular foods from your diet. I remember as a kid that Halloween and Easter were the two times of year I was allowed candy, and quite frankly, it was disappointing when people were all, "nope! No candy for you because kids are getting fatter." So go with candy and trust that their parents will teach their children about self-control.

O.J. isn't roaming free. He's been locked up since 2008.

I don't get all the Halloween paranoia. All the stuff about razorblades have always been shown to be a combination of urban myth and the unlucky kid's own family. My kids trick or treated every year and it's no big deal. You have to be at least a little familiar and comfortable in your own neighborhood don't you? Why raise your kids to be afraid of everything?

Just hand out candy... If you're willing to pay a little extra for the organic lolipops or fruit snacks, go ahead, I doubt any parent will complain and will probably give that to their kids first.