A mum has divided the opinion of the internet after sharing her ‘switch witch’ Halloween tradition online.
With the scariest day of the year fast approaching, people online are looking for new ways to spice up spooky season.
Emily Jensen, a mum from Utah, (@emilyxlevi) has become a big part of the Halloween conversation thanks to her trick-or-treat concept switch.
The labour and delivery nurse shares two-year-old daughter Aria with health coach Levi Jensen and the little one is the star of the viral Halloween clip.
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“Trick-or-treating is fun, but kids don’t really need all that candy, so here’s what we do instead,” Levi says at the beginning of the Instagram video which has now been viewed over 10 million times.
At the end of a busy evening of trick-or-treating, Aria chooses five pieces of candy to keep and she places the leftover sweet treats in a bucket and leaves it out on the porch.
In comes the ‘Switch Witch’, who apparently takes the sweets and leaves toys in its place while she sleeps.
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In the video, Aria gets an Elsa doll.
Father Christmas might want to have a word with the Switch Witch who has totally ripped him off.
“You can get fun with it and give your witch a name,” dad Levi captioned the post in part. “The witch who stops by our house Wilda.”
People are seriously unimpressed by Miss Wilda, aka the Jensen family’s Switch Witch. In fact, the whole concept has left quite a bitter taste in their mouths.
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“Dude it’s once a year…” one user complained.
“We just stick it on the top of the fridge and everyone forgets about it,” another user shared.
“Why not just teach moderation?” someone else asked. “Like it’s a great idea but it’s not really teaching her anything.”
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“Y’all take everything outta Halloween,” another viewer complained.
“Glad you were not my dad,” an Instagram user told Levi.
“WTF bro just let the kid have fun once a year,” a user wrote.
Other people raised more serious concerns, with a social media user writing in the comments: “This is a great way to create a child with fear of certain food and start them on a life of disordered eating habits!”
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The couple have defended the Switch Witch concept, which Emily says she first heard about a few years ago.
“I remember thinking, ‘What a great way for kids to enjoy the festivities of Halloween without eating excessive amounts of candy,'” she told Today. "The 'Switch Witch' isn't for everyone, but it works for us."
Emily said neither she nor Levi are trying to spook away the fun out of Halloween, and they simply want to monitor how much sugar Aria eats.
“Some people were commenting ‘Oh, it’s just one night a year,’ — but it’s not just one night a year. You get candy at birthday parties, and at parades, and during the holidays,” the mum said.
"We do our best not to classify food as either 'good' or 'bad'.
"We just want her to understand that foods can be more nutritious or less nutritious, and to prioritize foods with more nutrients. The last thing we want is for her to feel fear or guilt from eating a treat."
Gregory Robinson