SACRAMENTO, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- Many U.S. parents buy glow-in-the-dark jewelry and glow sticks to keep children visible trick-or-treating, but children can bite the glow sticks.
The California Poison Control System says children bite or break these glow sticks and get the liquid on their hands and in their mouths. The liquid is not generally harmful and can usually be treated at home with a call to poison control.
California Poison Control advises parents to tell children not to eat treats until they return home and all items have been checked. To help reduce temptation to eat treats before returning home, parents should make sure trick-or-treaters eat dinner or a snack before going out.
Poison control also advises parents to limit the amount of candy ingested at one time because too much candy can cause stomachaches and too much artificial sweetener can act as a laxative.
Candy that is unwrapped should be discarded, as should homemade treats unless the parent knows and trusts the maker, poison control said.
In addition, small, hard pieces of candy are potential choking hazards for small children.
