Halloween is just around the corner, and for many parents that means children with pillow cases full of sugary and fatty foods that are sure to create perpetual sugar highs. It doesn’t take psychic readings to know that the candy acquired by your child during Halloween isn’t exactly of the highest nutritional value, but completely banishing the treat from the season is a surefire way to ruin the fun day.

So how do you keep your kids’ candy consumption under control without ruining Halloween? Easy:

Give a Smaller Bag

The best way to keep your kids from coming home with mountains of candy is by giving them a smaller bag. The famed pillow case allows for 10 pounds+ of candy to be brought home, but a small and fun pumpkin candy carrier can only bring home a small, yet equally enjoyable amont.

Separate Candy

Different candy has different calorie amounts. To help you monitor how much sugar and calories your children are putting in their bodies, separate the candy out into chocolates and hard candies. Chocolate bars tend to have higher calories while hard candies such as suckers and Jolly Ranchers have fewer, so chocolate bars should be given more sparingly than hard candies.

Restrict Consumption

This is an obvious tip, but one that needs to be mentioned all the same. Many parents simply combine candy and leave it in a bowl on top of the fridge or more accessibly, on the kitchen table. After Halloween night, keep the candy hidden and only bring it out for special occasions. Even a small piece a day is fine, just don’t leave the candy accessible for continuous eating.

Have Fun

On Halloween night, let your kids have a bit fun. That doesn’t mean that you need to let them eat candy until they are sick, but having a few extra pieces on that night may not be such a bad idea. They spent all night getting their candy, and letting them enjoy it will keep them excited for many Halloweens to come.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in our country, and while we all love to indulge around the holiday season that doesn’t mean that we need to be loading our kids down with junk food. Teach them how to properly monitor their sweet consumption so that they can make the right decisions about their eating when they are adults themselves.