For many children, trick-or-treating is the very best part of Halloween. Follow these simple tips to keep them -- and you -- safe and happy this holiday.

Photograph Children from the Front and Back
Be sure to photograph your children not just from the front, but from the back as well. You'll have great shots of them hurrying down the block to collect their treats. Polaroid cameras can give you instant prints to share with friends and family.

Hand Out Allergy-Friendly Treats
There are all sorts of delicious and popular candies that children with or without food allergies will enjoy.

Great Treat Ideas
Some of the candy listed here may include allergens. For a complete list of all ingredients and manufacturing procedures, please consult the manufacturer's website or packaging.

• Divvies are free of peanut, tree nuts, milk, and egg.
  
• Wack-o-Wax is free of gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts (may contain soy).
  
• Nik-L-Nip is free of gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts (may contain soy).
  
• Dots are free of gluten, milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and soy.
  
• Glee Gum is free of lactose, dairy, wheat, gluten, casein, egg, yeast, nut/peanut, and soy. (All Glee Gum is soy-free. However, other products containing soy lecithin are processed in the same facility as Glee Gum.)
  
• Skittles are free of peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, and soy.
  
• Starburst is free of peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, and soy.
  
• Pez is free of peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, egg, milk, and gluten; soybean oil is present, but there is no protein and therefore no allergens from this. Yellow dye No. 5 is in lemon-flavored and multiflavored packs.
  
• Surf Sweets are free of gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts.
  
• Dum Dum Pops and Saf-T-Pops are free of wheat, gluten, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, and soy. May contain trace amounts of soy oil, a processing aid in making candy. The soy oil has been refined, bleached, and deodorized, a process that removes the protein that can cause an allergic reaction.
  
• Enjoy Life Boom Choco Boom Chocolate Bars are free of milk, egg, peanut, and nut. Enjoy life also has a variety of allergy-friendly and gluten-free foods.
  
• nonuttin Foods snacks are free of peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, and gluten; produced in a dedicated facility.
  
• Gimbals Candy is free of peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, gluten, soy, fish, and shell fish; produced in a dedicated facility.
  
• Vermont Nut Free Chocolates are free of peanut and tree-nut; produced in a dedicated facility.
  
• Smarties are free of milk, wheat, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shell fish, and soy; produced in a dedicated facility.

To keep informed about food allergies, you can find more information at AllergyMoms.com and on the Food Allergy Initiative's site.

Nonedible Treat Ideas
Nonedible treats are very popular. In fact, a Yale study found that children are more likely to choose these over candy, so be sure to stock up on stickers, pencils, and spider rings.

• Mrs. Grossman's Stickers
  
• Tattoos for Tots temporary tattoos
  
• Play-Doh (Please note, Play-Doh contains wheat.)

Protect Treats from Greedy Goblins
If you plan to leave a bowl of treats outside and unattended while trick-or-treating, be sure to deter greedy goblins by attaching a warning sign to your bowl. Simply download and print the Spooky Hand and Being Watched templates, cut them out, and either stick them in the bowl of candy or attach them to the side using tape.

Treat Your Kids to Warm Cider
If Halloween happens to fall on a cool night where you live, treat your kids to a glass of warm cider -- such as our delicious Apple-Pie Spiced Cider -- when they get home from trick-or-treating. This tasty recipe is great for adults and kids alike, but be sure to omit the alcohol when serving to children.