Halloween Candy Safety: 4 Tips All Parents Should Know

Chocolates are not the only culprits when it comes to your kid’s health. Guard your kid’s health with these effective Halloween candy safety tips.

For kids, Halloween is like one of the best times of the year. They can wear their favorite princess and pirates costumes and go out trick-or-treating for candy. However, over-consumption of these sweet treats can wreak havoc on their health.

With this in mind, we have compiled a list of top 4 Halloween candy safety tips; make sure to use them this Halloween.

1. Give your kids a healthy light meal before they go out trick-or-treating

The FDA urges parents to feed their kids with healthy meals before they head out and indulge in Halloween candy. Doing so will not only curb their temptations to eat high-sugar sweets during their trick-or-treating, but also keep them from eating candies that might have been tampered.

When they may want to indulge, help them make wise decisions. Halloween candies such as Skittles, Brach’s candy corn, and Swedish Fish have approximately 50 calories in them. Likewise, kids’ favorites Snickers and Milky Way have approximately 80 calories. Also note, there have been reports of diarrhea (also called Halloween Diarrhea) due to candies that contain sorbitol, which is a sugar alcohol commonly used as a low-calorie sweetener.

2. Do not let them eat anything from the loot until you have thoroughly inspected its contents

You should thoroughly check all of the Halloween candy that your kid has brought home. Make sure to discard homemade treats as they might contain potential allergy-causing substances like peanuts, eggs, wheat, or dairy.

If you have very young children, do not give them gum, peanuts, hard candies, lollipops, or small toys as they can cause choking.

3. Ask them to accept only commercially wrapped treats

One big advantage of consuming commercially wrapped treats is you can check the labels for potential allergy- or disease-causing ingredients in them.

Moreover, you can also check the color, appearance, or pinholes that might indicate tampering. If anything looks suspicious, throw them away.

4. Host a safe Halloween Party

A party at home is a great idea to keep the kids engaged, entertained, and happy. When we talk of Halloween party, the first thing that probably comes to our mind is bobbing for apples (or apple bobbing).

Bobbing for apples is an entertaining game particularly for children, but it can also be a source of infection-causing bacteria. To remove the bacteria from apples and other raw fruits and vegetables, rinse them under running tap water. If needed, you may also further clean them by rubbing a fruit brush.

To make sure the foods and drinks served at the party are safe and healthy, try the following tips:

Use only pasteurized products. Untreated juice or cider can contain harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and Listeria.
Never consume uncooked eggs.
Keep perishable foods refrigerated to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses. Refrigerate foods such as sandwiches, fruits and vegetables, cold pasta dishes with meats, poultry, or seafood, and cream pies or cakes with whipped cream or cream cheese frostings.
Perishable foods should not be kept out for longer than two hours, or one hour if the room temperature is above 90°F.

How dangerous are those favorite chocolate Halloween treats?

Interestingly, research suggests consuming candy could promote longevity. However, this shouldn’t be your excuse to binge on the sugary chocolates.

Evidence suggests high-sugar consumption increases the risk of obesity, diabetes, and a host of other diseases. Therefore, it is a good idea to limit sugar intake on not only Halloween, but every day.

If you still find it hard to give up your sugar addiction, consider the following tips:

Use a small plate. This helps reduce the portion size, which can help reduce the total daily energy intake.
Eat small meals frequently to check hunger and prevent binging.
Practice mindful eating.
Stay active.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

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