ATTACK OF THE HALLOWEEN SUGAR MONSTERS!!!

Trick or Treat time is Sugar Time, but thanks to some helpful parents, your child doesn't have to be carried off by the Sugar Monsters this year.

KidsHealth asked parents to share how they handle Halloween. Most mom and dads — 82% — set limits using a variety of strategies to keep kids from going overboard on the Halloween treats.

Many parents said that after letting kids indulge in some treats right after trick-or-treating, they limit their kids to a certain number of pieces each day or put the candy stash out of reach and out of sight. Then kids have to ask for it — that is, if they remember that it's there!

One parent tried to limit the amount of sweets while also making sure that it was served up alongside something healthy. "They are allowed to select three items per day from the bag stored in the refrigerator, and they must have a glass of milk or water for each treat. After a week, they usually lose interest in the candy — maybe just coming from the fridge it doesn't taste as good or is harder to chew with the item being cold. Or by the time it comes to room temperature, they've gotten full!"

Of parents who try to limit treats, most said that they successfully kept their kids from overindulging. Those who said that their efforts failed cited a variety of reasons — from kids finding parents' secret hiding places to kids creating secret hiding places of their own. Other parents said that a big obstacle was having different caregivers for kids, from grandparents to babysitters, with different rules for the candy.

Just 15% of parents said that they offered trick-or-treaters healthy non-candy alternatives, ranging from bags of pretzels to small toys like yo-yos and temporary tattoos. About 37% said that they offered toys and candy. Nearly half of all parents just gave out candy.

Parents had a number of good tips to share about candy-limiting schemes that had worked in their houses, ranging from using the candy for craft projects to trades with their kids' dentists for small toys.
Here are some other tips from moms and dads:

• "Feed them before they go out to discourage snacking while out."
• "Tell them about the Halloween Pumpkin that will come by and leave a toy in place of the bag of candy."
• "Toss out the most brightly colored candy!"
• "Let kids know ahead of time the limits and reasons for those limits."
• "Remind the kids that if they don't eat it all now, they'll have more for later. Encourage sharing the candy with friends. Not only does it thin out the candy supply, it enforces sharing."

More Tips and Tactics

Use your best judgment given what you know about your child's personality and eating habits. Before kids go trick-or-treating, try to serve a healthy meal so they're not hungry when the candy starts coming in.
Kids who generally eat just a couple of pieces and save the rest might be trusted to decide how much to eat. But if your child tends to overdo it, consider setting limits.
Other insights for handling Halloween treats:

• Consider being somewhat lenient about candy eating on Halloween, within reason, and talk about how the rest of the candy will be handled. Candy and snacks shouldn't get in the way of kids eating healthy meals.
• If a child is overweight — or you'd just like to reduce the Halloween stash — consider buying back some or all of the remaining Halloween candy. This acknowledges that the candy belongs to the child and provides a treat in the form of a little spending money.
• Be a role model by eating Halloween candy in moderation yourself. To help avoid temptation, buy your candy at the last minute and get rid of any leftovers.
• Encourage your kids to be mindful of the amount of candy and snacks eaten, and to stop before they feel full or sick.

Here are some ideas for alternatives to candy to give to trick-or-treaters who come to your door:

• non-food treats, like stickers, toys, temporary tattoos, false teeth, little bottles of bubbles and small games, like tiny decks of cards (party-supply stores can be great sources for these)
• snacks such as small bags of pretzels, sugar-free gum, trail mix, small boxes of raisins, and popcorn
• sugar-free candy
• small boxes of cereal

Steer clear of any snacks or toys — like small plastic objects — that could pose choking hazards to very young children.
And remember that Halloween, like other holidays, is a single day on the calendar. If your family eats sensibly during the rest of the year, it will have a more lasting impact than a few days of overindulgence.

The 20 Best Snacks for Kids

Parents Magazine has published The 20 Best Snacks for Kids.  So rather than do our own witty, spiffy article, we'd like you to click HERE instead!  Happy Snacking, and don't forget the Luna and Lara (shameless self-promotion...so unbecoming).

Order Online!

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Learn Your Alphabet

Hard is the road from A to Z,
and puzzling to a curly head,
yet leads to stories green, blue and red.

For every child should understand,
that letters from the first were planned,
to guide us into storyland.

So work hard at your alphabet,
for by that learning you shall get,
to lands where Tabby and Tara are met.

And going where this pathway goes,
you may find at last, who knows?
The Springdom where the water flows.

Where shiny bottles red, green and blue,

are sugar free and good for you.

Sleeves Fit For Royalty

Princely Sleeves

Packaging Europe dubs Luna and Lara's Innovative sleeves "Fit for Royalty".  We assume by royalty they mean Tabby the Cloud Prince, and Tara the Star Princess.  We couldn't agree more, and thank you Packaging Europe.

Kids Nutrition: More is Caught Than Taught

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  By Jennifer Nelson, M.S., R.D. and Katherine Zeratsky, R.D.

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At a recent picnic with my extended family, my 8-year-old child and a 12-year-old nephew were discussing the calorie content of a certain food. My mother commented to me that she didn't even know what a calorie was when she was their age let alone be worried about it.

And as a parent, my mother certainly didn't worry about whether I was getting the right number of minutes of physical activity each day.

Times have changed. Obesity and eating disorders are on the rise among children under the age of 12. One might lay the blame on any or a combination of the following: technology, safety, shifts in parents working more or outside the home, or food choices.

Rather than playing the blame game, however, perhaps we need to step back and reflect on our reaction to weight and childhood obesity.

In our well-intended fight against obesity, have we yelled too loudly, sending the wrong messages to children? Put too much emphasis on weight rather than health? Created feelings of anxiety and regret around food and numbers on a scale?

How do you talk to kids about food, health, exercise and weight?

Here are few suggestions:

• Be a role model. Actions speak louder than words. Let your children see you enjoying all food — in reasonable portions and in the context of a nutritious diet.
• Get up and play. Be active inside and outside. Dance, hop, jump, skip. Visit a park. Don't just sit on the bench.
• Be happy in your own skin. Negative talk about your weight puts the focus unnecessarily on appearance rather than health and a positive body image.
• Don't treat food as a reward. Remember food is first and foremost nourishment. This one gets complex as food is ingrained in our culture, making it difficult to separate food from emotions. But try to focus on the occasion (for example, a birthday) and not the food (cake).
• Stay connected. Plan, cook and eat meals together. You can see firsthand how your child chooses foods and portion sizes. Gently guide his or her choices. Watch for red flags of a possible eating disorder, such as eliminating foods or entire food groups, and strange behaviors with food or at meal times.
• Talk about cues. Educate kids about listening to their body's hunger cues rather than eating in response to external cues such as "it looks good" or "I'm watching TV so I need a snack."

As kids grow and mature, their body image and self-esteem evolve. If you have concerns that your child has issues related to weight or food, talk to your health care provider, sooner rather than later.

Source:  Mayo Clinic