Homemade Halloween Treats Question

Honestly, I would throw it out, unless you were a close neighbor and I knew you really well. I don't even let my kids have trick or treat candy that comes in a twist on wrapper. It's just not worth it to me. Sorry, I can understand you wanting to do something nice, but unfortunately there are a lot of crazies out there.

I don't pay attention to who gives what, so when we got home and I saw a homemade or unwrapped candy, yes, I would through it away.

If it was from one of my neighbors whom i was friends with i wouldn't throw it away as long as i was aware of it.
If i didnt know who it was yeah it would be in the garbage.

It is a lovely idea, but no I do not let my kids eat homemade treats that they are given while trick or treating. It is too hard to remember what house handed out what treat, and when in doubt--throw it out. If you want to share your home-made treats, why don't you have a neighborhood open house on Halloween weekend (like a drop by from 2-4) for a special treat for kids and parents. Then you can share your homemade treats and the parents would know where they came from.

We throw it out, kids don't even get to touch it. I would never allow the kids to eat it or even handle it. Maybe if you'd like to do this you, and a couple of other moms, could get together and have a small party for your kids at one of your homes and do this. I would be open to that, but only if I knew you personally and had sen your kitchen on a bad day...lol.

Most school can't even allow home made treats at school anymore either. The health department has not inspected your home so the food cannot be served. It's a good policy in the long run.

If there's a label with the persons' name and address on the wrapped item or I know the neighbor well (and saw them hand it out) I will let them keep it, otherwise it's tossed. Cute labels are inexpensive and can be ordered online, or you can make some on your computer.

It is perfectly acceptible to make these treats for the children you know well.
I did that for my "special" kids. Their parents came to my house with them to say hi as well since we were friends. I put things in a ziplock or a special goody bad with my name, address and phone number on the outside just in case.
We have several people in town who make homemade treats but they are well known business owners and aren't going to poison any of the kids of parents that frequent their businesses. They usually go all out with decorations, etc too.
Give only wrapped candy to children you don't know and save the special treats for the ones you do. That way, you don't have to worry about your work going to waste.

Like I said, if you give baked goods or anything homemade, put your name and address on it. Even if you give it to your closest neighbor kids, you'll want the parents to know exactly where it came from unless it gets mixed up with all the other stuff.
One year, a family gave out toothbrushes and little travel sized tooth paste.
I thought that was a great idea. They put their names on it.
We live in a small community where everyone knows everyone so it's pretty safe. But still, if something looks funky we toss it. One year a family gave out cookies that they let their 4 year old help cook and they were pretty burnt, but she was so proud to hand them out in baggies.
We didn't eat them. Didn't want to risk a chipped tooth. But it was sweet none the less.

If you only trick or treat people you know and you only give such treats to people you know, I think you'll be fine.
My son got two loaves of zucchini bread from my neighbor across the street. He had helped her pick the zucchini. We came home and put it away before going back out. It would have been beaten half to death.
If the kids know you....I think they'd appreciate the special treats.

Just my opinion.

The only time I did this was when we actually held a Halloween party here at our house and I gave Popcorn candy to our guests..

I knew if I gave it out to Trick or Treater's their parents would throw it out.. I would too, if it was given to our daughter.

The problem with the homemade treat thing, I think, would be you just don't know what's in it. If your kids have allergies, you can't take a chance. The person making them could have a cold, could be a horrible cook, could have cats walking on their counters, etc. I think you'd be better off making these fantastic treats and taking them to your children's school or hubby or your workplace. It takes the stranger thing out of the equation and it's just a place where people will dig in to your lovingly made treats.

I would definately throw it out. Unless I knew the neighbors cleaning habits I wouldn't let my daughter eat it. The best thing is to buy candy. You will be wasting your money on homemade because I'm sure most parents wouldn't let their kids eat anything homemade.

Unless it came from someone we know personally I would absolutely toss it out. I agree it's sad, but with so many crazy people & stories out there, this is one of the few times that if I'm considered over-protective, I'm totally ok with it!

I would pitch anything homemade in the blink of an eye. Im not saying that you have any intentions of harming/hurting or poisoning anyone BUT you have no idea what goes on in someone elses kitchen. What if they have a filthy workspace, or someone is sick and helping to make these treats? What if they are a whack job and they do do something intentionally? Its just not work the risk. I mean you dont just automatically assume that the packaged stuff is safe until you check it over so why would something made in a strangers home that isnt even regulated be okay?
Sorry I vote NO WAY

I would throw it out, right along with the sugar candy.. I only allow the kids to keep pretsels, pencils, and the "healthier" snacks.. anything homemade is too iffy for me to gamble with, sorry..

The years we lived on military bases, I made popcorn balls for the kids and had hot apple cider for the parents. Base housing is a little different than most neighborhoods. It's kind of a throwback to when people weren't afraid to let their kids play outside. In addition to the popcorn balls, I had some wrapped candy on hand and let the kids choose. The kids who were there were without parents or the ones whose parents knew me always chose the popcorn ball. The others chose the candy. I think most of the unsupervised kids ate the popcorn balls before they even got home. I saw a lot of them unwrapping as they were leaving. Lots of kids would come by the following year because they remembered I gave out popcorn balls and they hoped I was doing it again. I tried doing this a couple of other times (not on base) and it didn't go as well. I had a lot of popcorn balls leftover and almost no parents would accept the cider - the opposite of my experiences in base housing.

Now, I get very few trick-or-treaters, so I hand out full sized candy bars. It makes the kids really happy. I make homemade treats just for the ones I know (not many.)

It's sad that we live in the times where we can't trust people. However, I wouldn't worry as much about people throwing it out as much as you getting sued if a child eats it and gets sick.

There are many places that don't allow homemade treats to be fed to people because of the liability. There were many halls I went to for my wedding that didn't allow you to bring in homemade food, you had to get it from a caterer. The reason, they cited, is liability. Some of my daughter's parties she's gone to (for school or activities) you have to bring store-bought treats still in the package. That way if a child gets sick they can trace it to and blame the company that made it.

I know it's sad. Save your homemade treats for a Halloween party. It's not worth your time, effort and risk.

Sad, I know :(

I grew up in the 70's and we already had the scare. My mom actually used to sort through my candy looking at the pre-made treats for any sign of tampering (pinpricks in the wrapper, etc).

If I got a treat from one of my IMMEDIATE neighbors (and we don't go that far afield, but I mean only the people I talk to regularly) AND it was labeled with a name, so I remembered the house, I might not throw it away. I would probably consider the source and the likelihood that you are giving out poison, and decide it is OK.

But I may be exception, unfortunately. I also leave my kid in the driveway while I run into the front door to pick something out of the entrance hall, so I live dangerously.

I think susan b's idea is a lovely one.

IF I absolutely knew where it came from and was fine with that -no -I would let kids eat it. However, will all the parents know you are the one who gave that treat? I would love to give out handmade caramel apples, but I'm afraid all but a few wouldn't know where they came from and throw them out. Once my kids leave my street, I'm not so sure where all their stuff came from, and while I don't think many folks are out there trying to poison or hurt kids with Halloween treats, I would be too "iffy" to let them eat it if I didn't witness a trusted neighbor giving it to them.

I love the idea, but I probably wouldn't let my kids eat the treats unless I knew who it came from. If you are really close to some neighborhood kids, you could give it a try and make sure the parents know where it came from.

Yes, make them only for the kids you know. The parents will remember who it came from. My MIL makes goodies for her neighborhood kiddos and they love it! My kids can keep anything that it untampered with and not a jaw breaker or gum (for my youngest).

When I was a kid my mom threw out anything home made that we couldn't name the people who gave it to us AND where they lived in our neighborhood.

Since I've always gone with my kids trick or treating I always knew who was giving out what and ONLY let them keep homemade stuff from people I actually considered friends ... all the rest got tossed in the trash. Anything that wasn't in a wrapper got tossed also. Now they are too old to trick or treat.

I guess my mom figured if we knew the family well enough to know their names and remembered their addresses as well after HOURS of trick or treating ... then it was a good bet it was safe to eat. And she knew who to go after.

Now I want Mrs. Mables popcorn balls ... man were they the best :)

Yes. Even if I knew you. My son has a nut allergy so we are super careful about foods. I have to watch my in-laws like a hawk and/or take his own stuff over there.

It's a very nice idea, but I wouldn't waste your time on it. Either just make some for families you know very well or don't do it. I think most of it will be thrown away. I wouldn't let my kids eat it unless it came from a family that I know well.

I know I'm late, but I just wanted to throw in another we would throw it out. We went to our church trunk or treat today and there was someone there handing out ziplocks of pop corn. Sorry but it went into the trash can before we even got to the car. I'm sure it was fine, but I'm also sure it's not worth the risk.

If we were close friends and I knew you well, I would allow my child to have it. Only if we were close enough to eat a meal together. If I just lived on your street, sorry but it's going in the trash. :)

I would likely trust it from a good friend of mine.

And just for fun, snopes!
On poison in candy:
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/poison/halloween.asp

On needles in candy:
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/needles.asp

I would only give it to the neighborhood children that I know. Also, i would put a label on it that said "from the Smiths at 1015 Park St" so that they know whom it is from. Happy Halloween !

If I knew you enough and felt comfortable with you, I'd let my kids eat it. I think it would be fun to get things like you mentioned above. I would suggest that you attach a note/gift tag to it that said something like.... Happy Halloween (insert child's name), Have a fun day! From, Mrs. (insert your name)

That way, parents will remember who gave them the homemade treat. I have given special Halloween goodie bags for kids that I know well in the neighborhood, but nothing was homemade. (Some candy, bubbles, stickers, pretzels, etc...)

Many years ago, when we lived in a very small town (where you knew where your kids were, and all the kids around you... population maybe 1400...), I made rice krispie treats that looked like a jack-o-lantern... I colored the rice krispie treats orange, and pressed a big handful in the bottom of a margarine container (to make it round), then piped on brown icing to make a face.

I put them in a plastic bag, and put an address label on the bag. That way, the parent would know where it came from.

I figured that if a person was trying to harm a child, they sure wouldn't advertise about it!

I have no idea how it was received, though. I'm sure that the parents that knew us were fine with it..... I was also a local Brownie leader, and always had kids that were selling the cookies to neighbors, and such. (We lived there from 1982-1991.)

If I personally KNOW YOU? no. I would probably steal it out of their bucket and enjoy it myself! lol
If you just lived in my neighborhood and I'd only seen you out and about and never even had a conversation with you, then I would toss it.

And I'd have to know that it came from you (either the kids telling me, or me SEEING you hand it out). My kids are not tiny anymore, and our neighborhood is small, so they would know who gave it to them.

I'm not a particularly paranoid person, but I would throw them out too. Perhaps if you put a ribbon/note on it that said 'From the home of: your name' so at least the people who know you might eat them (e.g. people in your ward if you're LDS, etc). Alternatively, if the kids' parents were nearby when you handed them out and you knew who they were - e.g. you give the child a piece of candy AND tell the parent nearby - 'hey, I'm tossing in a rice crispy treat too'. I've had that happen from a neighbor once that was giving out cookies because they had ran out of candy, and we ate them. It's soooooo rare to get homemade treats anymore, that I would think it weird unless I knew the person, etc. So often though I don't see when and where stuff is handed out - even if/when I'm there on the sidewalk nearby.

I only trusted homemade stuff from the neighbors I knew pretty well. If I knew they had a messy kitchen... I wouldnt let the kids eat it.

I remember when I was little, we would go around trick or treating and a lot of times, especially the little old ladies, would not give us candy, but instead have us step inside for a little cup of cider (warm of course!) and a little homemade treat. If anyone did that now they would be arrested and put on a registry for life! If my kids came home with something homemade that was just jumbled up in the rest of their candy, I would toss it. If I knew who it was from, and I mean really KNOW who it was from, I would let them have it. I would probably not let them keep it if I only knew "of" the person but did not know them personally. I think you should be fine in your little group, but if I was a parent I would want to know it was you and not some stranger who gave my kid a homemade goodie.