How to Keep Kids from Eating Too Much Valentine’s Candy

Valentine’s Day brings candy galore, and I often see an uptick in cavities in my patients in the months following the holiday.

While there’s nothing wrong with having a bite of chocolate or a few candy hearts on February 14, it’s easy to end up with a bag of sugar that kids munch on for weeks on end. Here are some suggestions I recommend to parents, as well as tactics I’ve tried with my own kids to keep them from going overboard on the candy snacking during February.

• Have your kids pick out their 7 pieces of candy – one each day for a week. It seems like a big pile at first, but spread out over time it’s only a small bit of sugar each day.
• Donate the candy to a bake sale or a group sending care packages to the military. It’s a great lesson in helping others.
• Making Valentine’s cards for classmates? Have your kids set an example by including a non-food item in their cards instead of a lollipop or chocolate. This can be a pencil, stickers, a small toy like a yo-yo – something fun that lasts longer than a one-bite sweet.

What are some ways you’ve found to limit your kids’ candy intake, whether for Halloween, Valentine’s Day, or any day?