Manhattan mom Braden Rhetts and her sons Fisher and Ryker, ages 4 and 2, are excitedly making plans for the annual Halloween party in their Chelsea apartment building, which is set to take place despite the storm.
But instead of packing the usual candy corn, Twizzlers and KitKats into jack-o’-lantern buckets to give to friends and neighbors, they’re filling them with stickers, rubber balls and mini-pretzel packs.
“We don’t do the candy thing in our household,” says Rhetts, a stay-at-home mom in her 30s. “While we still have some control over their diet — and, believe me, we know the day of reckoning will come when we don’t — we want to make sure it’s as sugar-free as possible.”
If Fisher and Ryker receive any candy at the party or when they’re out trick or treating, not one piece will pass their lips. Instead, their haul will be shipped to Operation Gratitude, a charitable project where troops are sent boxes of goodies to boost morale.
While a sugar-free Halloween may sound like a contradiction in terms, it’s catching on with a growing number of NYC parents turning their backs on the annual Halloween candy binge. Instead, they’re seeking alternatives to “empty-calorie” treats that lead to tooth decay and obesity.
Because of the demand from health-conscious parents, a number of leading brands are rolling out noncandy Halloween treats this year, such as Frankenweenie-themed mini-packs of pistachio nuts, Disney stickers and temporary tattoos.
“Over the past couple of years we have seen an increased popularity on candy alternatives,” a Kmart spokesperson told The Post. “This year, there’s been a big demand for spider rings, Halloween-themed mini rubber duckies, plastic vampire fangs and eyeball bounce balls.”
Even the apple trade is cashing in. Tony Freytag, spokesman for Crunch Pak, which sells pre-packaged apple slices to NYC stores such as Whole Foods, Target, Costco and Trader Joe’s, says “business is always up right before Halloween” for the same reason.
So, will doling out fruit and nuts to the neighborhood kids make you a prime target for toilet-papering and egg-throwing?
Maybe not. Earlier this month a survey by the American Dental Association found that 67 percent of children reckon they eat too much candy at Halloween. Some 42 percent worry about getting cavities.
“Fisher understands that while other households might allow candy, we don’t,” says Rhetts, who usually buys her alternative treats from stores such as Pearl River and the Oriental Trading Company.
“Some parents might think I’m ‘Mean Mommy,’ but he accepts it because we’ve had that rule from Day One for both him and his brother.”
Not only that — Fisher actually dislikes sweets. “He will cry at parties when people thrust cupcakes into his face and demand that he eats the frosting,” adds Rhetts. “He thinks it’s yucky.”
This is the first Halloween that Shari Kluger, 37, a technical director on the Upper East Side, is enforcing a zero-tolerance policy against candy.
Her kindergartener son, Robbie, 5 — dressed as his favorite character, Batman — will help his mom hand out rubber spiders, playing cards and stickers when neighbors knock on the family’s apartment door tonight.
“He’s been learning about the Stop Zombie Mouth campaign [a new joint promotion by the ADA and PopCap video games], which is all about candy and tooth decay,” says Kluger. “We want him to be aware of what goes into his mouth, so this is a good learning opportunity for him.”
But not everyone agrees with the hard-line approach. Moms like Sarah O’Leary, 38 — who has two daughters, ages 5 and 3, and a newborn son — thinks Kluger and Rhetts should lighten up.
“It’s all good fun and part and parcel of Halloween,” says the Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, resident. “I don’t think there is any harm in letting them have candy, as long as you don’t go overboard. I know we’d have a hard time banning sweets for our girls.”
Others — especially those with young children — remain ever vigilant. The closest that 22-month-old twins Stella and Max Freuman have ever come to sweets is a banana dipped in peanut butter and the odd box of raisins.
Their mom, Tamara Duker Freuman, a registered dietitian, certainly practices what she preaches. She won’t allow any candy consumption in the house — and this year she is extending that strategy to the stoop.
“I can’t, in good conscience, give out candy to other people’s kids,” she says. “I don’t want to come across as ‘Mean Dietitian Lady’ but I feel very strongly that there has to be limits.”
Show up at the family’s brownstone in downtown Jersey City today, and here’s what you’ll get: Disney stickers and temporary tattoos if you’re a younger kid, and sugar-free gum (all bought in bulk from BJ Wholesale Traders) if you’re a teen.
“I’m planning on disabling our doorbell, so if they’re not happy with the treats we give them, they can’t do the ‘ring and run,’ ” says Duker Freuman, with a smile.
But she’s optimistic that the gum will go down well.
“Maybe they might want to keep it for when they’re making out with their girlfriends or boyfriends and want fresh breath,” she quips. “I think they’ll appreciate it!”