How to Steal your Kids Halloween Candy without them Knowing

There are many things I thought I would learn as a parent. Figuring out how to trick my kids was not one of those things. But, the reality is, sometimes it’s us against them—especially when it comes to really important things like Halloween candy.

Here are my tips on how to eat your kids Halloween candy without them ever having a clue that you did it.

• Offer to hold their bag in between houses (this doesn’t work as well now that they are older—those of you with little kids, take advantage of this now)

• Make them leave their candy on the table when they get home (if they take it into their room, you will never find it until next Halloween and it will not look like something you do not want to eat at that point)

• Take their candy out of their bags and put it into a clear, plastic bag (I use Target’s version of Ziploc, but feel free to use what you have)—be sure to keep their empty wrappers in there, too.

• Always write their name on the bag—this isn’t a tip on how to steal it, this is just self-preservation. Somehow, they KNOW the difference between their candy and their sisters

• Place the bags side by side at all times—it always looks like more and kinda blurries the lines of what’s really in there

• After they are in bed, take inventory of what is there—see what they have more than one of. If there is only one Snickers, no matter how bad you want it, don’t take it--you will get caught!

• You can’t get greedy; you have to control how much you take. Kids have a 6th sense about these things and will notice if you take several pieces.

• Do not eat a piece before you kiss them—they will smell it on your
breath—even Smarties have a distinctive smell to a 7 year old

• Put the candy up on top of the refrigerator after a day—out of sight, out of mind. They will remember it is there, but they won’t be as intent on making sure they have the same amount that they did the last time they saw the bag

• Ask them for a piece—this always throws them off—if you’re asking for one, they won’t suspect you of stealing it when they aren’t looking

Whoever coined the phrase “like taking candy from a baby” never had kids. I guess I should feel guilty about this—especially when I have kids this cute

But there’s a tootsie roll calling my name that’s overriding the guilt right now…