Examine Your Child's Halloween Candy
Halloween is a great holiday, one in which children and adults alike enjoy dressing up and pretending to be someone else for a day. Halloween is also a great time for giving and getting candy, and Trick or treat is a time honored tradition in which the little cherubs go door to door in search of the sweetest candy and the best treats.
Unfortunately, however, Halloween can be a scary time for parents, and not in a good way. Although the vast majority of reports of Halloween candy tampering turn out to be hoaxes or urban legends, the fact is that parents need to be careful, and to carefully examine the candy their children bring home from their night on the town.
One of the best ways for parents to let their kids enjoy all the fun trick or treating has to offer while still staying safe is to trick or treat in areas where they personally know the neighbors. While this is not always possible, it is a good way to enjoy a safe and happy Halloween.
It is also important for parents to accompany their children as they go door to door, and to make sure they do not eat any of the candy they get until they have returned home. Parents should make, and enforce, this rule from the first time the kids go trick or treating, and this rule should remain in place as long as trick or treating is allowed.
After the kids have returned home from their night of fun, it is important for parents to carefully examine the booty, and to discard any candy that looks suspicious. In addition, many local hospitals open their doors as Halloween approaches, allowing parents to x-ray their children’s candy for signs of pins, razor blades and other tampering.
For those parents who need to examine their own children’s Halloween candy, a good first step is to go through the stash and discard any treats that are not sealed in their original wrapper. A torn or missing wrapper could be an innocent mistake, but it could also indicate tampering.
Homemade treats may also need to be discarded unless their source is known to be safe. If the great neighbor across the street wants to make some great popcorn balls or homemade cookies for the kids that should be no problem, but if the source of the homemade goodies cannot be verified it may be best to toss those treats in the trash. Homemade treats can also be possible sources of food borne illness and other issues, and many parents try to avoid these treats at Halloween.
Parents should next go through the remaining wrapped Halloween candy and carefully examine it for signs of tampering. A visual inspection is important to detect any pin pricks or other signs of trouble, and feeling the wrappers for holes or tears is a good follow up.
It is also important for parents to carefully smell the Halloween candy in order to ensure that no foreign substances are present. A foul odor could be a troublesome indicator, and any such candy should be immediately discarded.
