Are your kids safe this Halloween? Here are 6 Halloween Candy Safety Tips for Kids you may not have thought of yet, full parents guide to keeping your children safe for the fall holiday! This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.
6 Halloween Candy Safety Tips for Kids
It’s 6 days before Halloween. I have one little girl determined to be Moana – not budging. And I have one little boy opting between 5 different costumes…5!!!
(Can anyone else relate? Just me?)
But here’s the thing, while most families are worried about what their kids are going to wear, getting the best pictures and making game plans for the best candy routes, I want to get serious for a hot minute. Maybe you’re an expert on Halloween Candy Safety Tips. Maybe you’re not. But here’s the thing, this is a good time to stop and take a moment to really let these tips sink in before we run out of the house for trick-or-treating.
I’ve got 6 tips today and the last one is probably my most important tip, especially if you haven’t discussed this yet with your kids. Let’s make it a thing, an important thing, to keep our kids safe this Halloween.
Inspect All Candy Before Eating
Not all candy is the same. I repeat. Not all candy is the same. In fact, my kids know that none of the candy is theirs until we check it out together. I make sure to inspect all of it with them and include questions like:
- Why does mommy inspect the candy before you eat it?
- What should we be looking for?
- What do we do with candy that doesn’t look safe?
Look for Tampered Wrappers
Those candies with the twisted ends really get a thorough inspection from me. Tootsie Rolls? Smarties? Yeah, you know the ones I’m talking about. Make sure your eagle parent eyes are even more focused on wrappers that may be open or messed with. Immediately throw away.
Check Labels for Allergies
Have a child with allergies? Make sure to check ingredients on the packaging too. Separate any potential allergen candy from safe candy (for instance, taking two bags when trick-or-treating).
Avoid Choking Hazards
I have a 4-year old. She still doesn’t know how to chew her food properly before swallowing. So candies that are high choking hazards like gum, hard candies and even round candies like Whoppers send off a warning flag in my brain. I separate these candies too, making sure that my kids only eat them in the presence of an adult (aka I’m ready with my ninja Heimlich skills).
Make Healthy Teeth a Priority
This year, the National Retail Federation projects Americans will spend a remarkable $2.7 billion (with a B!) on candy. Where does all that candy go?
Boom – Our teeth.
I’m cringing at the thought of how many potential cavities lie within those candy wrappers this Halloween! But before you pull out that toothbrush and toothpaste, here’s a few things to keep in mind:
- Kids under 3 should use a grain of rice sized amount of toothpaste
- Kids 3-6 years old should use a pea sized amount to minimize swallowing
- Kids 8 and under should be supervised to develop good brushing and rinsing habits
Check out the KnowYourOTCs.org web site for more information on fluoride and additional oral care tips, by clicking here.
Keep Medicines Safely Stored
Know the different between candy and medicines? Well, most kids don’t! Every day in the U.S., 4 busloads of kids are seen in Emergency Rooms due to accidental medicine ingestion. Some candies and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines look alike and can cause confusion for young kids! This Halloween season, take a minute to make sure all of your over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are stored safely up, away and out of sight. Have the conversation with your kids about medicine safety – and make sure they know NOT to eat anything that may look like candy. Here are 3 simple tips to keep in mind:
- Keep the Poison Control number handy: 800-222-1222
- Make sure all your medicines are stored safely up, away, and out of sight.
- Never ever refer to medicines as candy and teach your kids that only parents or a caregiver can give them medicine.
I love this infographic, because it kind of scares me. I can’t even tell which is the candy and which is the medicine in most of these pictures. So how would our kids know the difference? That’s why medicine safety around Halloween is so so so important!
The main thing, parents, is to make sure that our kids how much we care about them this Halloween season – and why we double and triple check their Halloween candy. Before you got back into the chaos of parenthood, be sure to keep KnowYourOTCs.org website handy for any other questions/tips needed on keeping your kids safe this Halloween.
What are your best Halloween Candy Safety Tips for Kids?
I am a #KnowYourOTCs blogging ambassador, compensated by the CHPA’s Educational Foundation in support of KnowYourOTCs.org. All opinions are my own. No little hands touched the OTC medicines (I’m a pediatric nurse, remember?) and teeth were promptly brushed following these pictures. Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more family travel tips, delicious recipes, and kid crafts.
Looking for more Halloween tips for parents?
robin rue says
Oh yes, inspect that candy well. There are too many crazies out there not to! Great tips.
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
I love this post so much. It’s incredibly important to be careful with Halloween candy. Most people are nice and sweet and just want the kids to have a good time. Some people are nuts, though.
Dana Rodriguez says
These are great tips. Sad but you do really have to check your child’s candy.
Rosie says
There is very little trick or treating going around the area where we are. It was fun when we were kids, not sure if our neighborhood where we grew up still does it. A whole giant Hershey bar for trick or treating – wow! my favorite! The brushing is important, too!
Jaime says
My daughter is 1, and her daycare wants us to send in candy for treat bags (I’m not sending candy. I’m sending other treats acceptable for 1-year-olds.) And we keep medicine far out of reach of our kids. That graphic is scary – I didn’t realize how similar some medicines look like candy!
Sara Zielinski says
These are great candy safety tips.
Kelly Hutchinson says
These are such great tips, some of which I would not have thought of. I think checking the wrapper for allergies is so smart.
Pam says
A lot of medicines do look similar to candy. When I was a kid I overdosed on flintstones vitamins.
christie says
Oh my goodness! How scary! Glad you’re ok now
Meagan says
These are some great tips. That smirk tells me you aren’t getting any of her chocolate bar.
Brianne says
These are great tips for Halloween! I always make sure to check their candy after trick or treating!
AnnMarie John says
Those are all awesome tips, especially the chart with the pictures of pills that look like candies. This is a good reminder for all parents who are taking their kids trick or treating.
Carol Cassara says
It’s definitely important to make sure that the candies are safe for your kids to consume before you let them eat it. These are tips that all parents could use.
Jocelyn @ Hip Mama's Place says
We’re going trick or treating this year and I want to make sure that the kids are always safe. These are wonderful tips and reminders for all of us parents. We have to be more alert!
Liz Mays says
It’s always good idea to have a look through the candy! The infographic should be really helpful!
Joyce Brewer says
We’re a food allergy family, so we check everything before our son gets home.
He’s also had his share of cavities. Flossing is becoming a way of life for us!
Rachel Ferrucci says
These are all great tips! I love that there are so many school Halloween parties so the kids can all go there and be safe!
Sara Welch says
I find it a shame that people find it okay to tamper with kids’ candy. Why do some people have to ruin good things?
Crystal says
I jokingly tell my kids I’m checking their dessert to make sure it’s safe as I steal bites of it. But truth is, you can’t be too careful. These are great reminders for Halloween.
Heather says
You hear horror stories every year! Trick or treating is supposed to be fun, but these dangers and concerns are real. We’ve got to be careful with our children.
Annemarie LeBlanc says
Thanks for the reminder. We cannot be too complacent with issues like this. For the safety of the kids, we must inspect all the candy they have collected before allowing them to eat it. And of course, brushing after having sweets is a must.