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5 Halloween Candy Safety Tips For Parents On Trick or Treat Night

These Halloween candy safety tips for parents should help us navigate through our kids’ trick or treat bags and help us all out on Halloween night!

5 Halloween Candy Safety Tips For Parents On Trick or Treat Night

Check your Halloween candy

Here comes Halloween, and we couldn’t be more excited! My kids love to dress up in their favorite costumes and trick or treat the night away. I mean, who doesn’t love to go door to door and get free candy?! Well, there are several risks that come along with trick or treating on Halloween night, and it is up to us parents to make sure our kids are safe at all times.

Here’s how to make sure Halloween candy is safe

It is projected that Americans will spend $2.7 billion on candy this year, and it’s all going into our homes and onto our kids’ teeth! It is important to be aware of these Halloween candy safety tips for parents, including how to spot unsafe Halloween candy, which is super helpful for navigating Halloween trick-or-treating safely for our kids.

Halloween Trick or Treat Pumpkin bucket

5 Halloween Candy Safety Tips For Parents On Trick or Treat Night

If you are taking the kids out to trick-or-treat, take a look at these important Halloween candy safety tips for the kids.

1. Check your Halloween candy, I mean each and every piece

The first thing that we do when we get back home from trick or treating is to dump out ALL of the candy my kids got on the living room floor. They love to count the pieces, sort and trade them and toss the ones they don’t really like.

I get to do my job as a parent and inspect each piece for torn or punctured wrappers, odd-looking treats, discoloration, and any suspicious Halloween candy that might look tampered with. Sometimes I am met with moans and groans from the kids, but they are starting to understand why mom has to throw away certain candies in their trick-or-treat stash. Safety first, y’all!

2. Do not allow children to eat anything that isn’t factory wrapped

If your child’s trick or treat bag contains candies or treats made at someone’s home or wrapped in personal packaging, toss it in the trash. This is one of the most important Halloween candy safety tips for parents because we do not know what ingredients could have been used or what hands have handled those treats. Though I am sure that many people mean well, it is better to be safe than sorry and avoid all risks.

little girl princess costume trick or treating on halloween

3. Check labels for food allergies

If your kids have specific allergies and get candy you’ve not heard of or that they haven’t tried, make sure you read the ingredient labels. Many candies and treats are made with peanuts, eggs, dairy, and tree nuts that your child could be allergic to.

Read all labels very carefully and avoid candies that may contain an allergen. You do not want your child to have a miserable Halloween, so prevention is key!

Ideas for Halloween candy leftovers

4. Oral care is super important for your kids

As our kids ask, “can I have just one more piece?“, we’re forced to make a decision. Yes? No? Maybe one more? But the most important thing to know is that all of the sugar in that candy goes directly onto our child’s teeth.

We really need to make sure that oral care is a priority, so proper brushing and flossing is required now more than ever. Since toothpaste and mouthwash are OTC’s, we should know the following helpful guidelines for safe use from Know Your OTC’s …

  • 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.
  • More flouride and oral care tips can be found on the Know Your OTC’s website.

Cute pirate kid on Halloween reaching for candy, Know Your OTCs

5. All colorful things that look like candy may not be the real thing

I am sure you’ve heard the stories about people giving out the wrong types of treats, disguised as candies. While this could definitely happen, it is more likely that children can mistake medicines and colorful pills at home for Halloween treats. This is a good time to take a minute and make sure that all of your OTC medicines are up, away, and out of sight to prevent any accidental overdose.

Kids can get a little curious and mistake those colorful medicine pills for candies. I have definitely had to remind my kids many times that even though it may look shiny and pretty, they may NEVER touch to take any OTC medication without me or their father! Here is the number to Poison Control, just in case: 800-222-1222

Halloween candy oral care infographic, Know Your OTCs

Halloween safety tips for trick or treaters

I hope that these top 5 Halloween safety tips are helpful to your family this year. Please be safe, be smart, and most of all, have FUN! Enjoy your Halloween and stay safe with these Halloween safety tips for kids.

To learn more about safety with OTC medicines and oral care tips, visit the Know Your OTC’s oral care page online and follow along with them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information and OTC safety tips.

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This post is sponsored by CHPA/Know Your OTC’s, opinions are those of Honey + Lime.

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