Discourage sweets for snacks. Candy, soft drinks, and other sweets are not good choices for snacks. Because very little else is eaten with a snack, consuming mainly refined sugar alone may cause some rebound symptoms several hours later. Teach your child that if he has a soft drink or Kool-Aid as a snack, he should eat something from the grain or fruit food groups along with it. An occasional sweet drink containing a sugar substitute is fine.
Most cookies are OK for snacks because the main ingredient is flour.
Insist that the teeth are brushed properly after eating sweets. The joy of eating sweets is natural and is not increased by this practice. Candy and other sweet treats are a powerful incentive. Whether we like it or not, the best motivators are always things children crave. Candy is inexpensive and offers a child many choices.