Selecting Sweets For Halloween

Answer 1

When asking children what their favorite holidays are, Halloween is almost always in the top two. While children love dressing up and playing pretend, the real fun comes on Halloween night as children of all ages start the adventure of going door to door to collect Halloween sweets. Not all children are able to consume the candy that is commonly given out, however. Before you purchase your Halloween sweets this year, consider the following:

Peanut Allergies

Many children are allergic to peanuts and even touching a wrapper that contains the candy can cause them to go into anaphylactic shock. Children who trick or treat are often too young to know the dangers they face by simply taking a piece of candy. There are several obvious sweets that can be dangerous, such as Reese Cups and Snickers, but also less common foods, such as M&Ms and Hershey bars.

Vegetarian/Vegan Kids

With obesity on the rise, many parents are choosing to raise their children as vegetarian or vegan. Despite common belief, not all vegetarians or vegans forbid candy. Many have no problem with their children eating sweets as long as it is done in moderation. Vegetarian children can eat many more sweets than vegans can, but gummy candy, such as peeps or gummy worms, are not suitable for their diet as they contain Gelatin. Vegan children aren't able to eat any form of chocolate, but can eat hard candies, such as Jolly Ranchers or lollypops.

Choking Hazards

Trick or treating is most popular among little children as young as a year old. These children may love candy, but certain Halloween sweets should be avoided unless the child is old enough to eat it safely. For example, jaw breakers, such as hot fireballs or sour lemons are a popular sweet, but younger children may not understand that you're not suppose to swallow it. This can create a choking hazard that can result in death.

The best way to avoid each of these scenario is to give the trick or treaters a wide variety of Halloween sweets to pick from. This ensures that every child gets something they are guaranteed to enjoy.