Halloween is here and your kids are most likely coming home with a TON of candy! Are you wondering what to do with all the Halloween candy? Sharing some fun ways to use up all of the Halloween candy!
This post was originally posted on October 30th, 2017. I’ve updated a few ideas.
Halloween Candy Ideas
Hi Friends! The day is almost upon us in which we will head out with our kids for some Halloween fun! If your neighborhood is anything like ours, your kids will return home with arm loads of Halloween candy! The small pieces of candy we got as children have been replaced by full size bars these days! Most certainly the kids will already be a little sugared up as they eat some of their candy while trick or treating, and will be wanting to tear into more candy the second they get home. Like many parents, we are faced with the question of what to do with all.the.candy?!!
I thought I’d do a little list of ideas for getting rid of, I mean managing the candy! No one likes being Scrooge on Halloween, but let’s face it, our kids are given opportunities to eat candy all the time, not just Halloween. So if there is some ideas to maybe lessen the candy load, I’m all in.
ONE| Candy Buy Back Program
ONE| Candy Buy Back ProgramSeveral dentists in our area sponsor a candy buy back the days after Halloween. Some dentists allow kids to bring in their candy and have it weighed. Based on the weight, usually per pound, the kids receive money back for the exchange!
This is a great opportunity for the entrepreneurial child to earn a few dollars! Maybe a trip to the dollar store after the exchange would be an extra motivation to turn in the candy!
TWO| Halloween Candy for the Heroes
This is one of my favorite ideas for sharing your Halloween candy!
You can ship a box of candy to U.S. troops as part of Operation Gratitude. You complete an online donation form and send the provided address. You are encouraged not to spend more on shipping than the value of the candy. So you can also make a donation instead of candy. What a great way to encourage kids to think of others!
To learn more about Operation Gratitude, go HERE!
THREE| Switch Witch Tradition
For younger children, the Switch Witch Tradition is another fun idea! I really wish I would have started this when the kids were little! Children leave their candy on the front porch and the Switch Witch comes in the night to take the candy and leaves a gift!
Now, my kids wouldn’t go for this idea, but when they were little, it would have been really fun!!
There is a cute storybook and doll set available to encourage this tradition. So cute!!
FOUR|Go ALL In
As the kids get older, it is harder to have candy magically disappear. They are sorting and counting every piece, so I can’t exactly hid a bucket full of candy! But I have come to the realization that it is sometimes easier to let them enjoy the fun on the night of Halloween and have enough candy that their bellies can tolerate!
We can all remember sorting through our candy as kids and making trades with 
siblings. Why deprive them of this night?! Sometimes the luster of candy wears off once the kids get a chance to indulge. I’ve found that the kids stop asking about the candy after a few days. I usually throw in a piece a couple of days of week in their lunches and that satisfies their candy needs for the day!
****MOM TIP: Make the healthiest dinner possible on Halloween night! ****
FIVE| Save for Special Treats & Candy Recipes
In years past, we’ve made a fun recipe using leftover Halloween candy. Consider making a big batch of your favorite brownies or cookies and throw in some chopped up pieces. Great way to use up a lot of candy!
These loaded Candy Bar Brownies from I Heart Naptime look amazing! This recipe would be a great way to use up a variety of candy bars!
Another idea is to save some candy to bring to the movies! I usually throw a piece or two in my purse so we don’t end up buying the HUGE boxes of candy available at the theater.
SIX| Eat The Candy For Them
If all else fails, take one for the team and eat the candy for the kids! #kiddingnotkidding It’s just for safety purposes right?! Maybe your kids will be generous enough to share their candy with you. This helps to lighten their load!
Have the kids share their candy with everyone and everyone. Set out a candy dish for all of your house visitors to enjoy!
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What do you do with all of the candy from Halloween? Share your ideas below!
Looking for more Halloween Kid Friendly Inspiration? Check out this post!
For more Halloween Party Ideas and Family Fun, follow this Halloween Pinterest Board!
https://www.pinterest.com/coffeepancakesdreams/halloween-snacks-and-crafts/
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Our dentist office had the trade in program. The kids could get toys and items for trading in their Halloween candy. My kids loved it! Ultimately we usually have a day or two of free reign and then we throw out the rest. Before we did that my kids tired of it on their own in about that amount of time and I would find bags in their rooms that I threw out anyway. I teach my kids a lot about making healthy choices but I also believe there has to be some balance and joy in life.
I agree-it’s about balance and learning to make healthy choices! Happy Halloween!
How cool about the dentist trade in program! That’s genius!
OMG I love all of these creative ideas but especially the last one! ha ha 😉 Will let you know which way we decide to go! Happy Halloween!
Great ideas! Love the buy back and the switch witch!
The dentist trade in is a great idea! We definitely ate a ton of candy on the night of halloween when we were younger, but I imagine I’ll be eating a fair share of my toddler’s candy this year since he’s still so young!
I was just saying tonight about taking it to the dentist!! I can’t eat all that candy ha!
Haha, I certainly don’t have a problem eating the candy for them 😉
I typically eat the majority myself…. though I suppose this year my waist line might need the break. Maybe I’ll check out our local dentists office! lol
Haha! Totally agree with the last one 😉 These are great ideas!
We always let our kids have a small treat with their dinner each evening. During the year, it’s typically a piece of dark chocolate, but the month or so after Halloween, they love the variety they get to have!
Wow, I had no idea that there were candy buy back programs. What a great idea!
Love #6- hysterical!! Cute ideas all around though 🙂