Deserved or not, Halloween has a reputation for danger. We have all heard stories of tainted Halloween candy, whether it be tampered with candy in packages, tainted baked goods, or razor blades in apples. While it can be difficult to separatethat fact from the fiction, as parents it is absolutely essential to consider Halloween candy safety tips. Doing so will insure that Halloween is a safe and enjoyable experience for both you and your children.
Set Guidelines for Halloween Candy
One of the most important parenting tips for Halloween candy safety is to set guidelines for your children beforehand. Children will respond better if the rules are set ahead of time and it gives parents the opportunity to outline the rules before trick or treating begins. First, tell your children not to accept treats that are unwrapped. This includes baked goods, individual candies, and fruits. This is one of the most important Halloween candy safety tips. Similarly, you should also tell your children that they are not to consume any Halloween candy until you return home and inspect it. These Halloween safety candy tips will eliminate many problems. To help the process, accompany your children when they go trick-or-treating for Halloween candy. This has the added bonus of allowing you to help them cross streets, eliminating one of the other Halloween dangers: pedestrian-vehicle accidents.
Know Your Halloween Candy Source
While it is impossible to keep track of where each piece of Halloween candy came from, a good option for Halloween safety is to only trick-or-treat in your own neighborhood. These are the people you interact with and see on daily basis and establishing a longterm relationship will go a long way towards ensuring kids overall Halloween safety. If you know many of your neighbors, consider working taking your children only to their house. That way your kids are only consuming Halloween candy obtained from people you already know.
Another option for knowing the source of your Halloween candy and taking steps to help with Halloween candy safety is to consider alternatives to the traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating. In many areas, alternative trick-or-treating options exist, with a popular one being the mall. Many malls offer trick-or-treating to children with stores handing out candy. This largely eliminates potential dangers from homemade treats, while also helping with overall Halloween safety-there is no need to worry about kids safely crossing the streets.
Check Your Halloween Candy
In the end, the most important Halloween candy safety tip is to check your children’s candy. Eliminate any loose pieces of candy that have fallen out of wrappers, throw away homemade treats and fruits (if your kids didn’t refuse them), and throw away any candy with holes in the wrappers. Inspect each piece individually and if you have doubts, throw it out.
In addition, there are other tips that many parents fail to consider when thinking about Halloween candy safety. While we have all heard about the dangers of tainted candy, we may forget other concerns. It is important to think of other potential safety hazards with your children’s Halloween candy. Read the labels and take into account any food allergies that your child may have. Similarly, eliminate candy that is not age-appropriate. For example, get rid of candy that may be a choking hazard for young children. This includes hard candies or candies that have some sort of toy prize inside.
Conclusions: Halloween Candy Safety is about more than Damaged Wrappers
Halloween candy safety is about more than just checking your children’s candy for obvious signs of tampering. It’s also about eliminating risks and sharing expectations with them. Tell them they are not to accept candy that is unwrapped, homemade treats, or fruits. Explain to them that they cannot eat candy until you have a chance to inspect it. And most importantly, move beyond the idea that Halloween candy safety is just about tainted candy: it’s also about identifying allergies and choking hazards, two important tips that are often forgotten.