Halloween: 10 alternatives to sugary treats

Chocolate, lollipops, taffy — October 31st can be a dentist’s dream and a parent’s nightmare. With Halloween treats jam-packed with calories, fat and sugar, it can be tricky to find shell-out favourites that are healthy, fun and affordable. Don’t be spooked! Today’s Parent has a grab bag of Halloween goodies that will satisfy trick-or-treaters and parents alike.

Cheap, cheerful and beloved by little ones, stickers are a great gift on Halloween. You can find practically every cartoon character, animal, sports team logo and symbol in sticker form. Look for value packs at dollar stores, greeting card retailers and party stores that offer pre-cut sheets or tear-away rows of stickers to make handing out quick and easy. Or, make your own with our how-to video.

Add artistic inspiration — not calories — to Halloween loot bags. Play-Doh party packs contain 10 1-oz cans bursting with colourful possibilities. In an age when computers, video games and smart phones rule playtime, it’s a refreshing change for kids to get creative the old fashioned way.

Put a spell on visiting witches and ghouls with plastic wands and bottles of soapy liquid. Bubbles are an infectiously fun and safe way to add a little mischievous spirit to Halloween. Kids are spoilt for choice with bottles emblazoned with colourful hues, or their favourite cartoon characters. Best of all, toy, party and dollar stores sell these bubbly gifts in bulk, so you won’t be spooked by the expense.

Here’s a yummy indulgence that will warm little tummies after an exhaustive night of trick-or-treating: hot chocolate. Single serving packets are the perfect Halloween-sized snack. And best of all, these toasty treats can only be enjoyed at home, so parents won’t worry about unsupervised Halloween sampling on-the-go.

Not all Halloween treats are created equal. Low in sugar and calories, snack-size bags of pretzels tick all the boxes as a crunchy alternative to candy and chocolate. Select traditional pretzels over their chocolate-coated cousins, and check nutrition labels for a brand that doesn’t contain excessive amounts of salt.

Kids of all ages love glow-in-the-dark novelties. Casting a bright glimmer, these plastic devices are not only fun, but they can help light the way for little princesses and skeletons on Halloween night. Available in a wide range of fluorescent colours from beastly blue to ghoulish green, glow stick necklaces, bracelets and sticks can be purchased in bulk from your local party shop or dollar store.

Kids are keen for a challenge. Why not introduce youngsters to the twisting, turning fun of mini puzzle cubes? These Rubik’s Cube-inspired puzzles will keep kids enthralled for hours as they try to return the squares to their colourful starting point.

Let kids leave their mark! Self-inking stamps featuring cartoon characters, animals and symbols are a personalized way for children to dress up their artwork, school supplies and toys. You can purchase stamps in bulk — some packages come with 48 pieces or more — for only a few dollars at party stores or stationary shops.

One Direction, Angry Birds or Justin Bieber — kids fall hard for new trends, and what better way to show off their allegiance than with temporary child-friendly tattoos. Non-toxic, easy to apply and wash off, fake tattoos let Halloween’s pirates, mermaids and vampires add a little extra dazzle to their disguises.