Heading out w/ the kiddos this evening to harvest some sweet treats from the neighborhood? If so, then definitely review simple steps suggested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as ways to help keep children enjoy a fun, but SAFE Halloween!
- No mid-run snacking on the goods! Advise your children that they should wait until they get home and an adult has inspected their loot... before chowing down on their sugary snacks!
- Feed the little ones a light meal before heading out to pillage the neighborhood so they'll have less desire to eat along the way.
- Let your children know that it is MORE than acceptable to say, "Thank you, but no thank you." to any house that offers them a treat that does not come commercially wrapped. And certainly don't eat anything that's not store bought, either!
- Not all households have (or in some cases understand!) small children so make sure to remove small choking hazard items such peanuts, hard candies, marbles, BB's and/or small toys from sacks of sweets belonging to small children.
- While performing inspections, if the candy looks suspicious or you just plain think it appears 'sketchy' in any way, play it safe and toss it in the trash! Any signs of potential tampering (i.e. unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers, etc.) warrants an immediate trip to the trash!
Now get out there, grab all the goodies you can, and have a great Halloween!
