Inside: The Switch Witch can be a fun Halloween tradition for your kids. Here are the do’s and don’t for making it work.
Years ago, I was chatting with a neighbor about Halloween and the mountain of candy that enters our lives every year after Trick-or-Treating.
“The Switch Witch comes and takes some of our candy,” she said slyly.
Say what?
What is the Switch Witch?
I came to learn that the Switch Witch is a mysterious enchantress who arrives on Halloween night after bedtime.
Kids set out some of their candy for her at the end of the night. She takes the pieces of candy and deposits something special in their place.
The annual deluge of suckers and fun-sized Butterfingers stresses out a lot of parents–so is the Switch Witch the answer?
What The Switch Witch can teach kids
Besides being a fun tradition, the Switch Witch concept has a useful life lesson that a lot of grown-ups could use too: How to put a value on what you really like–and not to waste your time on the stuff you don’t.
How often have you been handed a big piece of mediocre, store-bought birthday cake and just ate it because it was there? Or scarfed down a second slice of pizza even though it wasn’t very good?
Putting a priority on our favorite foods–and not wasting time on what we don’t–is a skill we need in a world where food is everywhere.
It’s also a nice way for children with potentially life-threatening food allergies to swap what they can’t eat for a special surprise.
Should you do the Switch Witch?
Personally, my boys loved the Switch Witch. They loved the mystery of it. They loved waking up the next morning to see what she brought.
They loved dividing their trick-or-treat stash into piles: Keep. Trade. Switch Witch.
In the end, they were still left with a sizable pile, which they’d eat a little bit at a time over the course of many weeks.
Some years, our own Switch Witch brought a fun toy, book, or five-dollar bill. More often than she likes to admit, she raced to Target on Halloween night before it closed because she forgot to plan ahead. Ahem.
If you’re considering doing the Switch Witch with your kids too, here are some do’s and don’ts:
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DO make the Switch Witch optional
The Switch Witch is supposed to be a fun tradition in the spirit of the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny. She’s a good witch, not a punishment–there’s no shame in liking and wanting candy.
DON’T make candy the enemy
Yes, Trick of Treating can bring a massive amount of candy into your house. And yes, there’s a lot of sugar intake happening on the night of Halloween. Candy is a big part of Halloween–and that’s okay. It’s natural and normal to celebrate some occasions with food. And sure, glow-sticks and plastic spider rings are nice to pass out for Trick-or-Treating. But there’s no doubt that for most kids, candy is the main event.
So if you demonize Halloween candy or ask your kid to give it all away, it’s confusing. Your child worked hard running from house to house to earn his haul. Wasn’t that the point of dressing up and going house-to-house, of sifting through the pile and trading favorites among friends–isn’t it what they’ve been waiting for all month?
DO let your kids decide what they give the Switch Witch
In our house, my kids left her the stuff they felt kind of “meh” about–what they might eat if it was there but didn’t prefer. In other words, our Switch Witch’s broomstick was made largely of Mounds, Good & Plenty, and Necco Wafers. My kids often tossed in what they have a surplus of as well.
DON’T pilfer your kids’ candy without asking
Parents stealing their kids’ Halloween candy is a long-running joke, but I encourage you to ask first so your child doesn’t have to feel obsessive or protective of her stash. Kids who worry their parents will take their stash may end up sneaking and hiding candy–or believing the message that they can’t be trusted around candy or other sweets. And asking your child first for a piece of candy gives them more practice sharing–and you get something yummy!
DO consider letting your child enjoy Trick-or-Treat without interference
I’ve seen too many parents arguing with their kids during Trick-or-Treating about how many pieces of candy they’re allowed to eat. You should do what works best for your family, but personally, I always let my kids have as much as they wanted on Halloween night. If they felt sick, we talked about how overeating can cause bellyaches.
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Questions about the Switch Witch
What if your kids aren’t on board?
If your kids don’t want to give away some of their candy, don’t force the issue. It’s important to trust our kids–and for our kids to trust us. Otherwise, you may end up with a child who sneaks candy and other “forbidden” foods and feels shame that she wants it.
How much candy should the Switch Witch take?
That’s up to you and your kids. Remember–we don’t want our kids feeling cheated or tricked out of the candy they worked for.
Can’t I just throw my kids’ candy away?
My vote is no. Hey, I get it–it’s a lot of candy! And you just want that pile gone so there’s no begging or negotiating in the days ahead, right? So you wait a day for the sugar-hangover to wear off, let them have a few pieces, then take the rest to the office–or dump it in the trash.
I definitely understand the inclination. When my kids were younger, I did some stealth “candy relocation” myself. But I’ve since changed my tune. Because that won’t teach your kids anything, except not to trust mom and dad!
Taking away your child’s Halloween candy stash sends a clear message: I don’t trust you with this.
So how do I manage the pile of candy that’s left?
Here are some ideas:
- Make a plan together. The day after Trick-or-Treating, talk about what you think is a reasonable way to handle the rest of the stash. Does one or two pieces a day sound doable? Would your child prefer to pack them in her lunch box or enjoy them at home? My two boys’ Halloween candy was kept in separate bags in a cupboard they could access. We decided together what a reasonable portion was. When they were little, it was one piece a day, which worked most of the time. They could have their treat whenever they wanted: in their lunchbox, after school, after dinner, even WITH dinner. As they got older, they managed their own stashes.
- Take away some of the power. Candy isn’t the end-all-be-all if it’s readily available. Two strategies you might consider trying: serving the candy along with dinner (yes, your kids may eat the fun-sized bar Snickers, the move on to the rest of the meal and that’s okay!) and occasionally offering as much as they want at snack time. Those approaches come from feeding expert and dietitian Ellyn Satter. I’ve tried both, and though they’re scary at first, I found them very helpful (and effective).
- Bake cookies! If your kids are cool with it, bake this Skillet Cookie together using some of the extra candy.
Bottom Line
The Switch Witch can be a fun tradition for your kids and teach them lessons around prioritizing their favorites. But the Switch Witch should be something your kids WANT to do, not a sneaky way of getting rid of extra candy.
I don’t have kids yet but I love this idea! When I was younger I definitely ate every piece of candy because it was there (although it was usually only 1 piece a day) and wasn’t mindful about just eating the ones I really enjoyed and not eating the ones I wasn’t a huge fan of… this is such a great way to start practicing it as a kid.
I had never heard of this – but absolutely love the idea!
It’s wonderful for kids with food allergies too. We’ve been using the Switch Witch since our son was little for this exact reason. He enjoys going trick or treating even though he can’t eat most of the candy he gets because he gets a present instead.
That’s a great point!
We started Switch Witch 2 Halloween’s ago. This will be our 3rd year. I actually won the Switch Witch book and little witch in a contest and that’s when it all started. The kids were excited to read the book and take part. I let them pick out the candy they leave for the Switch Witch and they put the rest in the cabinet to have as you said, “every so often.” I bought them each a small lego toy and they were thrilled!
We’ve never used the Switch Witch and probably won’t. My daughter already refuses to eat desserts and candy that she does not love – stuff I would totally have just eaten anyway as a kid. I often told her that it’s not worth eating a treat item if you don’t really like it (in fact it’s not with eating anything if you don’t enjoy it).
You never cease to amaze me Sally! This is brilliant and I love the way you’ve molded this to fit your boys. I am impressed he still has candy left from last year! Sharing now- it’s lovely!
I love love this idea! Mia is much like your oldest – she still has Halloween candy from last year – after a week or so, she kinda forgets about it. But I think she’d adored this idea. (Guess I’m heading to Target tomorrow….ha!)
Let me know how it goes, Deanna!
I would love to try this, but I’m not sure my girls would go for it yet. What age were your boys when you started doing it?
Hey Jessica–I think my older son was in first grade, and my younger son was too little to really even understand what was going on. 🙂 I definitely think that to do it, your kids need to be on board with it.
Ellie and I have been talking about this all day and we are now reading your blog. We’re about to search online for pictures of the Switch Witch. Thanks for the idea. She’s pumped. I think I may need a Switch Witch for me too.
Glad she’s excited about it. Please let me know how it goes!
The Switch Witch has been coming to our house since my daughter started Trick or Treating, and it’s been a huge hit. Like you, we’re pretty low key about it – she only comes if our daughter wants her to come, and she can choose what to leave out. (This also helps explain why the Switch Witch doesn’t come to some kids’ houses – we say you have to have your parents tell her you want her to come). And we couple that with no limits on what candy she can eat on Halloween night – it’s a free for all that night. That works, however, because our daughter doesn’t go crazy – she tries a single bite of a lot of things and then moves on and probably only eats the total of a few pieces of candy before deciding she’s done and would rather give it to the Switch Witch. For us it has been a great way to help develop those skills of moderation and choice-making while still preserving the fun of the holiday.
Kristin–Glad to hear you found a system that works for you. My kids do the same on Halloween night–try a bunch of stuff and sometimes end up spitting things out that they don’t like. Last night my younger son eventually said his belly hurt from eating too much. So he moved on to playing a board game, then went to bed. My kids will each get a couple of small pieces a day as a sweet treat until they forget about it or until it’s gone. Thanks for your comment!
I first heard of this idea a couple of years ago when my kids were 7. Both my kids loved the idea and willingly got rid of the the candy they don’t like (or had in excess) and were excited to get a spooky book in exchange. I couldn’t remember why we didn’t do it last year until my daughter reminded me that “The Switch Witch” got mad last year because they didn’t put much at all in their switch piles. Apparently I told them it wasn’t worthwhile for the Switch Witch to get off her broom for their measly offerings. This year they each said they wanted the Switch Witch to come (even though they know it’s me), so they each pared down and we had fun with the game. I agree with all of your reasons for doing the Switch Witch. Even my son, who LOVES all things sweet and dyed, enjoys sorting his candy and really thinking about what he likes best and what’s not even worth eating. And even with their favorite candies, they eventually get sick of it and ask for homemade desserts again.
Hi Friends,
Its Mike Farrington from “The Christmas Morning Gift” (Children’s Book), I wanted to share with you a funny kick-starter video that I hope that you will enjoy. It is a new Children’s Witch Switch book idea.
If you like it please pass it on. It represents almost a year of my life.
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Mike
http://kck.st/2eTdLgu
“WeeCa the Unique Ah Witch”
My kids love Halloween and Trick or Treating but we just have never started with the candy so they are happy to not eat any. They are the most popular kids as they donate their haul to their friends. And if there is fruit or popcorn on offer they are the happiest boys on the planet! I love that they can get dressed up, look forward to the whole experience but not feel like they’re missing out. Not that I am advocating this for everyone at all. It’s just the way we roll!
Do you give more money/a bigger toy depending on how much candy they offer to the Switch Witch? I can already see my kids calculating and bargaining…”Will the Switch Witch still come if I give just one small piece? How about two? If I give it all can I get a new video game?” Etc.
Not really. But you could certainly do that. This year I got them each an $8 Funko Pop bobble-head.
This is a wonderful idea. Another option that I did when my kids were young is to donate some of their candies to those serving in the military. I asked, or rather told, them to donate half of their candy. I found local organizations that would ship it for me or I shipped it myself using an online search to find an address or location to ship it to. The kids could donate any candy they wanted so they could keep their favorites.