Halloween Treats That Aren’t Terrors For Your Teeth
Things That “Glow” Bump In the Night
Little ones scared of the dark? Light up the night by handing out glow sticks, bracelets or necklaces in place of sugary treats. In addition to being a fun add-on for the kids’ costumes, they’ll also help parents keep track of their little ghouls.
Trick-or-Treating Thirst Quenchers
Running from house to house in a heavy monster suit is thirsty work! Offer your trick-or-treaters small bottles of water to wash away any sugar they might be snacking on between houses.
Sweet, Without the Sugar
Here’s one treat that’s actually good for your teeth! (Just make sure to check with parents before handing it out that they are old enough to chew gum.) Research shows that chewing sugar free gum after meals, or after chowing down on Halloween candy, stimulates saliva production, which helps prevent cavities.
Trick-or-Trinkets
Keep the fun going long after Halloween with these non-edible treats! You can buy small toys like kazoos, yo-yos, bouncy balls, monster finger puppets and other goodies in bulk online or in discount stores. Or add to your trick-or-treaters’ costumes with inexpensive accessories like plastic spider rings, vampire teeth or pirate eye patches.
Stamps (or Stickers!) of Approval
Spooky stickers and pre-inked stamps let kids leave their mark on just about anything. Pair them with copies of this downloadable brushing calendar so they can celebrate National Brush Day on Nov. 1 as they brush away the sugar left behind by the rest of their trick-or-treating haul.
On-Point Pencils
Pencils with a festive design—not those boring yellow ones!—and erasers shaped like pumpkins or ghosts are a fun and useful treat kids can take to school after the Halloween fun is over.
