By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Easter bunny will be bringing plenty of candy to people this weekend. Of course, this always leads to the question is it good to give candy to children?’ That may not be as important as how you handle it.

Whether it is Easter, Halloween or a big children’s party, when kids get lots of candy the important thing to do as a parent is seize control and set guidelines. Left to their own devices children might finish a basket of candy in one day—and that is not a good thing because it will lead to the inevitable stomach ache followed by a sugar induced burst of energy.

If children are young it is easy to separate candy out and introduce it over time. If they are older, it makes sense to discuss it with them. Tell them you will leave the candy where it is but monitor how they are doing. Believe it or not, it works pretty well and everyone is happy.