Here is a great way to bring the myth of the Switch Witch to life for your kids.

The Switch Witch
By Charity A. O'Neill-O'Kane

Mrs. Switch is no ordinary witch. She has the power to create a healthier Halloween that boys and girls look forward to each year. Come and read how a little boy named Gavin learned about this special magic--the magic of the Switch Witch.

Read the legend/myth and create a Halloween tradition in your home. Your kids will love to see it in print and read the story over and over. The Switch Witch fosters creativity and healthier living.

The Switch With has been featured here:
http://news.holisticmoms.org/pdf/wisemom...
http://www.greenhalloween.org/content.ph...
http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2009/...

My son ate all of his candy in less than two days!! Who cares?? It's one day a year. And my son brushes his teeth. Then I tell him to brush them again. And he was dressed as a scary monster. And we'll be having a CHRISTMAS TREE this year too. And xmas lights, and xmas dinner. A switch witch? Sounds like you got scammed kid!! sucks to be you!

I agree with kburton0519. Donate it to a group that does care packages for soldiers such as Wisconsin We Care. The excess candy will be put into the boxes and either the soldiers will eat it or they will give it out to the kids in Iraq and Afghanistan.

the only problem is that, contrary to the last post, it is not "only once a year." i don't know about everyone else, but my 5 year-old attended 7 Halloween parties. I knew we held back on the amount of candy we let him have on Halloween, but that decision was greatly based on the fact that he had indulged on some form of candy, cookie, dessert at all the parties leading up to it. I agree with "laughmoore." After this begins all the parties surrounding the holidays, along with any birthday parties, superbowl parites, etc. Every parent just needs to make the decision they feel best meeds their beliefs and stop being so critical of everyone else for their decisions.

OMG...lighten up u guys. Its only once a year

I didn't have very many trick-or-treaters, and most of them were preschool age. Too bad if it's politically incorrect, but I appreciated the eye candy that escorted some of the toddlers to the door.

I let my kids pick 7 pieces each, and get to eat one piece per day. The rest we are going to try to donate somewhere (or take to my hubby's work). My kids seem very happy to do this and are not dissapointed at all. We started this when they first went trick or treating last year and don't know any different.

When my oldest was 2 she went trick or treating for the first time. She got one piece of the candy out of the bucket. It was her first ever taste of candy. She never asked for another and the candy disappeared. By the time she was 5 we discovered she and her siblings had major food allergies and I was never much fond of going door to door and the kids were too shy to talk, so we just quit...That was seven years ago. We now have 4 kids ages 12 to 3 and this year our family had a "party" downstairs with fun food (not necessarily unhealthy)and played games. They dressed up in costumes from the dress up box and had a blast. I quit answering the door for trick or treaters many many years ago, because when I gave out expensive boxes of raisins, bags of pretzels or halloween pencils, the kids were actually rude and gave them back.

Knucknuck: The costumes were disallowed because not everyone can afford a costume, possible religous issues, cultural differences, etc, etc, on and on... I have a severe food allergy and my son has a severe latex allergy, is hearing impaired, and has asthma..and beautiful teeth. We take responsibility for our own issues. I don't expect a whole classroom to forego treats because of my son's health problems. I just get upset with helicopter parents that just can't let something be for what it is. They spend so much time being so overprotective that they take all the fun out of everything. Halloween is a fun, silly,1 day a year holiday-let it be that way. I agree flying_monkey that when we were growing up we also took our favorites out and then put it in a bowl to share with the rest of the family. The whole candy thing is only as big of an issue as you want to make it. Just relax and let the kids have some fun.

Wow! Who knew that a blog about teaching our kids about self-control and nutrition would have been so controversial? I'm baffled that so many people are strongly criticizing her decision. She has a 3-year-old, not a 12-year-old! The "mean mommy" comment gets me the most. That's a personal attack that should be taken back and replaced with an apology.

Just to clarify:
-If you ration out all of your kids' candy, then you are giving them junk food every day for 3 weeks or so.
-When that runs out, another holiday of overindulgence arrives, Thanksgiving!
-Immediately following Thanksgiving, the entire month of December is filled with bowls of candy at every store, cookies at school, treats brought into work, and desserts at every holiday party.

Is it really any wonder that Americans are so unhealthy?

How can anyone criticize a mom for wanting to break that cycle?

Get ready to go nuts! Here's what happens at our house...
The kids get all dolled up in their scary costumes. They go knocking on all the neighbors doors. They bring home their bags of candy. We inspect it. Then they go hog wild eating every last piece completely ignoring our warnings of belly aches and cavities. WHY? Cuz' they're supposed to. They're kids. One night a year of extreme overindulgence is not going to kill them, make them obese, or necessitate the need for dentures. For crying out loud. Are ya gonna ration their x-mas presents next. Can't have too much excitement for one day!

SANNIO: I was not intending to be rude, I was trying to present the flip side of the coin. We all have different circumstances that dictate our lives, sometimes it is helpful to walk a mile in someone else's shoes.

These are all very interesting ideas. One solution to consider that we find very practical is that we just end up recycling most of the candies for use next Halloween. That way no one eats too much and nothing goes to waste. I like the idea of donations as well, but I'm not sure that impoverished people really need more candy. What they need are high nutrition content foods, like beans and rice, for example. Thanks for reading this and please keep the discussion going!

I let my kids pick 2 pieces every night after dinner until it is gone. "Dessert"

Why do you feel you must give the child a gift? What is that teaching her exactly? Isn't just going trick or treating enough fun? Why not just be the parent and say, "I don't want you to get sick from too much candy. So we'll keep some for you to eat and then we will give some away." I understand that you don't want her efforts to be in vain, but if you're so worried about more than 10 pieces of candy - don't go to so many houses or let her get so much candy to begin with.

All good ideas here. Never had much a problem with "overindulging" at our place. Kids usually picked their fav's, the rest went into "community" bowl for all. A couple days later, the leftovers went to the office, and filled lots of empty candy jars there. Love seeing the kids, and answering the door, but.... don't like to hear "awww, I wanted -----, can't I have -----?" This is a random pick kids! You get 2/3 pcs, same as the last kid. Please don't ask for something else. Luck of the draw! Also, please SAY "trick or treat" when that door is opened! Say it LOUDLY- enjoy it, and have fun! It's only once a year that you get do this!! Also... mind your manners- a "thank you" goes a LONG way! Had few guests this year... but have to say the taller and older "kids" were MORE polite and thankful than some of the youngsters! Halloween is for them too!! It's all in good fun; wish I could go trick or treating again!! Just mind your manners, stay safe, and look out for "the little ones"!!

babaloo1 - You're the one I agree with.
nucknuck - My Mom taught me to keep my mouth shut if I didn't have anything good to say, so NO COMMENT.

Oh for heaven's sake: babaloo1...

a) Offensive or inappropriate costumes at school functions should be giving boundaries of acceptability. Perhaps there were underlying reasons behind the suspension of the costume parties you have mentioned? The cost? The selection of costumes maybe too provacative or grusome for a k-5 crowd?

b) Harvast Festivals encompass the SEASON which is Halloween and Thanksgiving. It celebrates whole foods and the bounty of the Earth. Unrefined food 'products' don't exactly fit that bill. But, the topic of Frankenfoods can be discussed at another time.

c) The statement about individuals with food sensitivities comes across to this reader as cruel - but, to give you the benefit of the doubt, let's just cut to the chase and use the word ignorant. Your statements were discriminating between folks with healthy immuno-response systems and digestive tracts, not to mention those who have adverse reactions to certain foods in the form of neurological disturbances. Maybe even those with ADHD or diabetes.

d) If you have ever EVER encountered a child (or an adult) with a severe food allergy, such as nuts, you would realize that it is lethal. As in: the reaction can and will drop them to the floor, gasping for breath, in front of their classmates until an EpiPen is quickly stabbed into their body or the EMS arrives. "Oops" they don't have a "Holiday!" from an allergy.

e) I agree with your statement, "Let the kids do traditional stuff-its a family friendly holiday. Carve those pumpkins, paint those faces, wear the best costume you can put together, go trick or treating-after dark!! "

f) ...until, "Let them eat a bunch of candy!!!!" This is where discretion steps in, and sometimes PARENTS need to set the limits for their children. Teachable moments, such as taking what you would like, and then sharing the rest with others is very sensible and gives the message that you DON'T NEED TO OVER-INDULGE TO HAVE FUN. That can be passed on to many other scenarios as well.

g) You don't need to buy "special gifts"... but since we are both calling this a holiday, perhaps its something to give a little more thought to.

h) No, adults don't need that much candy either (but why would you make this statement when you have just declared for parents to 'let them eat a bunch of candy'???).

i) "If you have that much candy that you need to donate it maybe you stayed out a little too long." Or, maybe people handed out too much. Or, maybe the children were caught up in the spirit and enjoying themselves. Seriously, you are putting down DONATIONS?

There are always several sides to consider, babaloo1. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I don't see any indication of the author implying that if you choose to let your child eat all the candy, you are a bad parent. Yet, the same respect is not applied by everyone in the other direction. We are also a family that made the choice to let our children only enjoy a few pieces of candy on Halloween night (one piece per year of age). I understand other parents don't make the same choice. I respect that decision and I hope that most parents give us the same respect. We don't offer any gifts in exchange for the candy, either. One way we get rid of a lot of it is by only buying a little bit of candy in the first place to pass out. Then, when we get home from trick-or-treating, we put a bunch of our collection in the basket to be passed out to others.
Thanks for all the great ideas of what to do for the Halloween celebrations in years to come!

love2be"The only thing I thought was disturbing was the number of teenage girls dressed inappropriately. If you are old enough to wear certain clothes, too old to trick or treat, in my opinion."

It seems the two girls that came to my house werent dressed up at all. yes 16 and chest hanging out. I wanted to refuse candy to them cause they didnt even dress up. I think if you dress up at any age and have the guts at that age to go ask for candy you should get some. I gave them some anyway and said do you have a bag? one didnt and the other dug out a woodmans bag. I was real close to saying or "do you just want it down your shirt to help cover up those?"

Love the Switch Fairy idea. We're currently in a 'if you pick up all the toys you dumped out, you can have ONE piece.' So far it's working...the rest will be sent with daddy to work. I do have to admit that I am disappointed that more people don't participate. I get that times are tough for people and candy isn't cheap but it makes me sad when I realize when I was young that every house in the neighborhood was lit up and people were excited to see kids. We had maybe 10 houses participating. We came home quickly and proceeded to hand out candy to the kids. I think my kids enjoyed that just as much if not more because they'd watch from our big window at the kids coming up. I love seeing kids dressed up and be happy for A piece of candy.

Oh for heaven's sake all you politically correct parents!! First it was only non-scarey costumes at school. Then it was no costumes at school. Then it was not a Halloween party but a "Harvest" party. Then it was no cupcakes or sugar treats at the "Harvest" party just whole wheat granola and skim milk. Oops the granola might have nuts for the nut allergies, the granola has wheat in it for the celiac disease kids, the skim milk wouldn't work for the lactose intolerant. Its a Holiday!! Let the kids do traditional stuff-its a family friendly holiday. Carve those pumpkins, paint those faces, wear the best costume you can put together, go trick or treating-after dark!! Let them eat a bunch of candy!!!! We don't need yet another holiday to buy "special gifts" for. For all you who like to "send the rest to the workplace", adults don't need all that candy either! If you have that much candy that you need to donate it maybe you stayed out a little too long.

In our family the kids have a treat or so a day for a couple of days. After that, I send most of it to work with my husband and freeze some to enjoy later. It's too tempting for all of us to have it sitting around. Even I prefer eating a candy bar over an apple, but what's the better choice? I think this is a good example of not being a "sheep" as indicated in Dana's other article. We all need to decide what is best for our children.

As far as Halloween being disappointing...we had a TON of kids! My husband and I took our kids out as a family. We left a bowl on the porch with about 60 pieces of candy asking people to take 1 piece. We were home in an hour and it was gone. Turned off the light at that point. The only thing I thought was disturbing was the number of teenage girls dressed inappropriately. If you are old enough to wear certain clothes, too old to trick or treat, in my opinion.

tink I was wondering what was up as well. 4 lights on on my street as well about 3 blocks long. could it be all the other "safe" for sure activities around this year ie- enchanted garden.?

It would have been cheaper to give them all $1. kids like CASH!!

I agree with tink0803 what has happened to Halloween? I think I was one of very few on my street with my porch light on. I had more kids then normal and almost ran out of candy. I think people are to lazy to open there door and hand out a little candy. It was fun to see all the kids dressed up and a few of the parents were dressed up to!

Yeah I am sorry too. Maybe that is it, couples take their kids out together now a days. Me and my husband split it up usually, he will go out for about an hour with the kids, while I hand out candy. And when they return if they want to go back out I will then go and he will hand out candy. And as for this article...I think if the kids chose to give their candy away that is great! Let them chose and make the decision!

Good God, another simple little tradition being torn apart by people who just can't leave things alone. It's a simple fun thing for activity for kids, yet adults have to screw it up. Ration the candy over a long period of time. How hard is that?

You can also donate the candy to send to the troops. I believe many dentists have collected for that reason in the past.

@tink0803: I'm sorry it wasn't a great Halloween for you this year. In our experiences from living in Janesville for four years now, we were not expecting much for this Halloween as the past three have been fairly disappointing for us. On our block of four houses we are the only house that gives out candy. And on the surrounding blocks we were hard pressed to find a handful of houses.

But this year turned out to be really good! In just one block there were only two or three houses that were NOT giving out candy (leaving about 15 that did). We were pleasantly surprised!...for our kids sake that is. They had a really good time.

Though we must have taken our kids trick or treating at the same time as most others because when we came back to hand out candy there were fewer visitors after 6pm compared to last year. No doubt the weather was a factor. Last year was very mild and comfortable compared to this year's cold and blustery.

As for the Switch Witch, I think it's a great idea, for it allows the kids to choose... a ton of candy that will last a few days or a gift they can use well beyond that and a reasonable amount of candy. It is going to be a harder sell as they get older but definitely a smart and healthy choice. What kid really needs to consume several large bags worth of candy in a week's time (or even in a month's time)? I surely enjoyed it when I was a kid but definitely didn't need the tummy ache for the days to come afterwards.

And Mrs. Murphy, you are in no ways a mean momma! You did not forcibly take the candy from your daughter (I know, since I was there...being married to Mrs. Murphy). Our daughter was given the opportunity to make the decision for herself and she willingly chose to keep some candy and get the special gift instead of keeping all of the candy. Yes, we were very open with our her about the candy and how it is not healthy for you and she made a great decision (in our opinion).

I found this halloween to be very disappointing for the kids. I live in a neighborhood where I almost run out of candy every year. I still had a lot of kids, because I decorate my house and people remember it every year. But I think there were only like 4 or 5 porch lights down the whole street. What is happening to Halloween? Becoming more for adults to party at bars, etc....Sad, very sad. I realize things are tight for people, but my god it is a $4 - $5 bag of candy. Turn the TV off and answer the door for 2 hours.

Stacy, Actually the food pantries always have TONS of candy, because many people share that thought all year long! =) The GIFTS shelter might like some or maybe consider sending it in care packages to soldiers overseas or college students. Many churches and youth groups do these kinds of projects.

youre a mean mommy - keep 10 piece- WOW so many. How about letting her keep all of it and ration it to her.


We only had 5 kids- sad. plus the two teens who werent dressed up and said dad wouldnt let them go to a party. Seems I need to ration it to my husband as well!!!!)

Sounds as easy as taking candy from a kid. ;)

So the little ones walk up and down the streets in the dark and cold to get candy, only to have the Switch Witch take most of it away? All I can say it what goes around comes around. Be prepared!

Great ideas! I wonder if local food pantries would like having some of the candy. I know they try to get nutritious food to the families, but maybe they'd give it to the kids as a treat.
-Stacy Vogel