Kids with diabetes face a challenge on Halloween: what to do with all the candy. While their friends are busy consuming their trick-or-treat booty, kids with diabetes must be more careful.

There are many possible approaches to helping kids with diabetes enjoy Halloween, including:

  • Exchange candy collected while trick-or-treating with something else, such as a small toy or money. Younger kids might like this, especially since they can get something more permanent than candy.
  • Donate candy collected — or most of it — to a local children’s hospital or your community center. Older kids might feel good about helping other kids.
  • Keep selected candy and fit it into your child’s meal plan. With carbohydrate counting and a fast-acting insulin such as Humalog or NovoLog, you can easily accommodate an occasional treat.

Alternatives to Candy

You may even wish to choose non-candy treats to give away (read: Children Are Happy With Toys or Candy at Halloween).

Some families give out Halloween-themed pencils, small plastic bugs, glow-in-the-dark rubber balls, or other small toys instead of candy. These kinds of items are readily available at local party-supply stores, or via mail-order from places (like Oriental Trading Company), or dollar stores.

Carbohydrate Values for Common Candies

CandySize/PackageCarbs (g)
3 Musketeers16 gram fun-sized bar12g
3 Musketeers2.13 oz bar46g
Baby Ruth2 oz. bar37g
Baby Ruth1 fun size17g
Blow Pop suckerOne sucker13g
Butterfinger2 oz. bar41g
Butterfinger22 gram-fun sized bar15g
Candy corn15 pieces15g
Dum Dum suckersOne sucker5g
Gummy Bears11 pieces30g
Heath Bar1.4 oz. bar25g
Hershey’s Almond3 minis15g
Hershey’s Almond1.45oz. bar20g
Hershey’s Kisses6 pieces16g
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate barsnack size10g
Jolly Rancher1 piece6g
Kit Kat bar3 piece bar10g
KitKat1.5 oz. package26g
Licorice3 6-inch Twizzlers15g
M&M’s“Halloween” mini box10g
M&M’s, plainmini pack15g
M&M’s, plain1.69 oz bag34g
M&M’s, peanutmini pack13g
M&M’s, peanut1.74 oz bag30g
M&M’s, peanut butter1.69 oz bag27g
Milky Way2.15 oz bar43g
Milky Wayfun-sized bar14g
Nestle’s Cruch1.5 oz28g
Nestle’s Crunch4 mini bars26g
Reese’s Cups2 regular-sized 1 oz cups18g
Reese’s mini cups4 1-oz mini cups16g
Skittles15 pieces15g
Skittlesmini pack17.5g
Snicker’sfun size12g
Snickers2.07 oz. bar36g
Snickers20-gram fun-sized bar12g
Starburst4 pieces16g
Sweet Tartsmini packs – 5 packs13g
Tootsie Pop1 pop16g
Tootsie Roll midgets1230g
Tootsie Rolls2 bars23g
Twix2 2-oz. cookies37g
Warheads513g
Whoopers8 Pieces15g
Whoppers1 small pouch16g
Wonka Pixie StixEach (about 6 in. in length)2g

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