I was compensated by ACT for my time on this sponsored post, but all words and opinions are 100% my own. See my disclosure policy for more info.
You’ve heard the old adage, “you can’t have your cake and eat it too”. Halloween is for fun, games, and trick-or-treating for candy and treats; but here I’d like to share with you some non-candy Halloween treats that will keep your dentist happy. Because if your kids are like mine, without some care and thought from parents stepping in, they’ll eat candy after candy … which can lead to cavities – and no one wants that!
Be sure to read through to the bottom, where you have a chance at winning a prize package that will help those teeth stay healthy long after Halloween!
Non-Candy Halloween Treats that will Keep your Dentist Happy
- Glow Sticks
- Stickers
- Temporary tattoos
- Snack crackers
- Coins (I’m serious. I remember when I was little, we taped two nickels together and wrapped in white tissue paper with orange ribbon. But that was 1977…)
- Pencils
- Pretzels
- Sidewalk chalk
- Coupons for free things – ice cream cone, rental video code, kids meal, miniature golf
- Fun erasers
- Play-doh
- Individual raisin boxes
- Bookmarks
- Bouncy balls
- Hot cider or Hot chocolate packets
- Fake Billy Bob or vampire teeth
- Sugarless gum
- Crayons (could even make DIY themed crayons out of broken crayon bits and a mold)
- Mini gel pens
- Spider rings
- Jelly bracelets or slap bracelets
- Bubbles
- Stampers
- Pocket toys & games (from party favor section of mass retailers)
- Silly straws
No matter what you pass out to the neighbor kids for Halloween, remember these tips to scare away cavities (this is not intended as medical advice, just a little common sense):
- Limit the number of sweets your kiddo can have – little kids might have fun counting out their age in smaller candies.
- Avoid gummy candies (and gummy vitamins) which can stick to teeth.
- Keep hydrated with lots of water, and vitamin D-enriched foods to promote healthy bones (and teeth!)
- Brush teeth after eating sweets, ideally for two minutes – a fun timer helps!
- Rinse with an effective anticavity rinse like ACT Kids (recommended for children ages 6+ years)
ACT Kids Anticavity Rinse was ranked as the #1 recommended children’s mouthwash by pharmacists in the 2016 OTC Guide from Pharmacy Times.
My kids (ages 12, 10 and 7) tried ACT Kids for the first time recently. They loved the Bubble Gum flavor, and knew to follow the directions of rinsing, then spitting out. ACT Kids makes it easy to use just the right amount, with the auto-fill bottle neck. Just gently squeeze on the bottle, and the right amount will distribute into the upper neck. Pour into a cup, rinse and spit.
Since this was a new thing for my kids to try, they may actually enjoy brushing now!
You can sign up for ACT Kids coupons, learn more healthy dental tips and more fun at ACToralcare.com.
GIVEAWAY
ACT Kids has provided me with a Halloween-themed anticavity goody bag and is offering one as a giveaway to one lucky Chaos Is Bliss reader! Your prize will include a full size bottle of ACT Kids Anticavity Rinse, a fun mouthwash timer, dentist-approved treats, and more!
Enter through the Rafflecopter widget below. The giveaway is open only to US residents ages 18 years of age or older. A winner will be chosen at random through Rafflecopter at 11:59pm ET on Tuesday, October 25, 2016. Good luck!
I love sharing ways to spend less, so families can do more! My passions are cooking, late night TV and being amused by my witty husband and three kids.
my kids like to breathe on me with their minty breath as proof that they brush!
Each year, we do a biwl with chocolate, a biwl of non-chocolate, and a bowl of non-food for our trick or treaters. Pencils, bubbles, and tattoos are big hits. And for our kids, we let them pick a certain number of pieces and then we buy the rest from them.
We limit how much candy he can have as well as make sure he brushes twice a day with rinse and we usually do a candy trade in for movie night coupons and the such.
I make sure that my girls brush and floss as well as use a mouth rinse. I also try to limit candy so that they do not go crazy. We also have dentist appointments the week after Halloween.
We spend extra time on caring for our teeth around Halloween.
These are great candy free ideas for Halloween! We always limit how much of the Halloween candy our kids can have each time, and they are good about brushing afterwards too. 🙂
Great idea for non candy treats. We had a neighbor years ago he was an elderly man who use to give each kid a penny. It was one of the highlights of going trick or treating at his house.
I totally love giving out pencils! I still give candy, but pencils are a favorite too. 🙂
These are all great ideas! We had a Halloween party with a piñata and filled it with fake bugs & snakes and small packs of goldfish crackers
I was literally just talking about this today with my mother-in-law and she was saying how she used to like to giving out mini bags of microwave popcorn, which she said the kids loved!
Brush longer! I make sure to check that they are getting all areas to!
Sugar free candy!!!!!! The kids don’t know the difference 😂
Brush, bru, brush!
we just make sure to monitor the intake of candy and always brush and flush extra well!
I can’t stand all the candy that comes into our house on Halloween! My kids aren’t big into candy unless it’s chocolate. I would rather some of the things you suggested instead
I allot my kids a certain number of Halloween treats they can eat each day.
We make sure to brush our teeth a few more times around Halloween then we usually do, to help scare away any cavities.
Brush after eating sugar