Snacks that are gooey or chewy stick to teeth and stay there longer than foods that can be quickly chewed and swallowed. That longer sugar "bath" can lead to tooth decay because acids form in your child's mouth each time he has a sugary snack.

Bacteria in your child's mouth begin to produce acids when they come in contact with sugary foods. Those acids continue to attack the teeth for at least 20 minutes before they can be neutralized. The more times your child eats sugary snacks during the day, the more acids are produced, and the greater the risk for tooth decay. If your child needs a snack between meals or after dinner, offer one that's low in sugar and fat.

Young children who are active and growing often need extra calories between meals. Those calories should come from nutritious foods, though. Instead of potato chips, cookies, and sodas, offer snacks of whole-grain crackers or breads, low-fat or nonfat milk and other dairy products, and fruit or fruit shakes. Let your kids help select and prepare snacks, particularly if they are older than 8.

Food – whether sweet or not – should never be used as a reward. Using food as a reward implies that certain foods (sweets) are more valuable than others (vegetables).

Here are other ideas:

• Mini bags of popcorn
• Mini dark-chocolate bars with nuts
• Cheese-and-cracker packages
• Granola bars

You and your children should decide ahead of time how much candy they can eat at one time and when they are allowed to eat it. When they return from trick-or-treating, have them separate their "loot" into two piles – candy they like and candy that's second-best. Consider tossing the second-best pile. Any treats eaten from either pile should be in modest portions.