Halloween is so much fun for kids, they get to cruise the neighborhood, knock on doors, and say a funny phrase Trick or Treat (or Trunk or Treat if you prefer), and they get, wait for it, candy!
Yes, they are super excited to get free candy. The parents, myself included, not so much. I thought, how will I get rid of all this candy, without screaming, crying, whining, and begging? I do not want to eat it!! (OK, I DO want to eat it, but that is not a good health strategy).
The best way to rid your house of all the collected goodies from Halloween night is the Switch Witch.
I happened upon this concept when I was researching ways to get rid of the candy my kids collected on Halloween. One thing is for sure, I knew that I did not want my then-toddler eating all the candy they collected. So, I went to the internet in search of a solution that would remove the candy without a big fuss.
That is when I found the Switch Witch. I bet you are wondering what the heck is a Switch Witch and where can I get one?!? Well, first of all, you will be the Switch Witch and second, it is effortless to do.
What does the Switch Witch Do Exactly?
What is the Switch Witch? I think of her as the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny. Someone who delivers a better gift/treat, but for Halloween!
Here are the three easy steps to doing/being a Switch Witch:
- Have your child place their candy out before they go to bed with this sign that you can download for free and print. Here Comes the Switch Witch. I had mine put near the front door so I could change it out more easily. But you can have them place it just outside their door or on your fireplace. Just make sure it is in a bucket so you have a place to put their items (similar to an Easter basket)
- While your child is asleep it is your job to be the Switch. That means that you remove the candy from the Halloween bucket and replace it with something better. Look at the bottom of this post for ideas of what to replace it with or come up with your own!
- Your child wakes up and gets an upgrade to their Halloween candy and is thrilled. Forgetting all about the Halloween candy the Switch Witch exchanged.
- Genius!! Happy Parents and Happy Kids for the WIN?
What can you use to Switch
The best part is you can use whatever you want to switch out the candy. I usually use a mixture of items.
For example, I might use the following for a toddler:
- Hot Wheels,
- cuties oranges,
- little boxes of raisins,
- fruit snacks,
- Halloween socks,
- coloring books,
- crayons,
- play dough and
- maybe something cool from the dollar spot at Target.
If it was an older kid, I might mix in a larger item and my basket might look like this:
- Pack of seeds (sunflower, almond, pumpkin)
- Balloons
- Glow sticks
- Bouncy Balls
- Stickers
- Coloring Book
- Crayons
- Pencils
- sidewalk chalk
- A doll or larger car
With a pre-teen/teen that is still Trick or Treating then I would just exchange it for a Gift Card! If you are looking for a way to earn gift cards and not spend money on them. Check out my tutorial on how I make extra money for GC’s on Swagucks! This year I have made nearly $1,000.
All in all, I use a lot of items I already have at home and am creative. If you are anything like me you already have a gift closet/box where you keep items you got on sale to give as gifts. The rest come from the Dollar Store or Target.
The point is to get the candy out! Not sure what to give? Check out my list of 40+ non-candy ideas for Halloween. They are ideal for items to give out for Halloween, BUT you could use the list for ideas to use in your Switch Witch exchange.
Stuck on ideas for what to switch out, I created a list of my 20 favorite Switch Witch items. Some of these items are not for smaller children under 3. Due to swallowing hazards. For my youngest, I usually stick to food and maybe a board book or two.
Some years I give them a few little items one year I gave them one larger item. It is your call and of course, it needs to fit your budget. In the list above I would usually give about 4 -5 items. The cost range is $5.00 – $7.00.
I hope this helps you plan a fun but in the end healthier and hopefully happier Halloween for you and your kids!
Happy Halloween Planner
Is Halloween one of your favorite holidays? Then this is the Planner for you!
With this Halloween Planner, you will have a spooky fun time!
What’s Inside?:
You get 24 Pages of checklists, worksheets, and brainstorming pages to help you make your Halloween happier!
- October Calendar to see your plans for the month at a glance
- Costume Planning Worksheets
- Costume Shopping List
- Grocery List
- Favorite Recipes
- Baking List Pages
- Address Book
- Invitation List
- Decoration Ideas
- Potluck List
- Trick or Treat Map
- Trick or Treat Checklist
- Candy Inventory
- Halloween Week Planner Page
- Halloween Day Schedule
- Halloween Day Planner Page
- Notes