The Candy Grab
How much candy do you give each little princess and Spiderman who knocks on your door? Two or three pieces, according to 77 percent of canadianfamily.ca users who answered our poll. Ask a neighbour how many kids to expect if you’re new to the ’hood. It’s better to have extra than to be caught short, so buy more than you think you’ll need. (And don’t forget to factor in the one, two or 75 treats you plan to scarf down yourself.) The last kid to knock on the door before you turn out the light may hit the motherlode, but who cares?

• Help make it fun for everybody. Choose guaranteed peanut-free products from Nestle and Dare.
• Go to diabetes.ca to find tips on how to help your diabetic child or little neighbour to have a healthy Halloween without missing out.
• Want to offer your trick-or-treaters an alternative to sweet and savoury? Give out bottles of water – this thirst-quenching alternative will be a welcome addition to their loot bags on a long night of pounding pavement.
• Don’t give out raisins or toothbrushes, unless you want your house egged.

Safety Made Simple
By now you know costumes shouldn’t obscure your child’s vision and should include some white or reflective tape to keep your kid visible to traffic – after all, traffic accidents, not Halloween hooligans, are the real trick-or-treating danger. For more information, check out these websites:

• Canadian Paediatric Society: caringforkids.cps.ca
• Ontario Government Ministry of Children and Youth Services: children.gov.on.ca
• Safe Kids Canada: safekidscanada.ca
• Canadian Red Cross: redcross.ca
• Canada Safety Council: safety-council.org
• Canadian Food Inspection Agency: inspection.gc.ca