Watch Out for Your Kids with Hard Candy

This time of year is an absolute dream come true for kids everywhere. Between the gobs of great food they’ll be eating, the presents that are inevitable, and the various candies they’ll be snacking on, they may feel like they’re on cloud 9 and never want to go back to January through September.

But one thing to keep an eye on this time of year are all the hard candies they’ll have access to. Whether it’s leftover jawbreakers or Jolly Ranchers from Halloween or even candy canes closer to the winter holidays, hard candy poses unique risks to children that you wouldn’t have to consider with other candies.

We see candy canes in particular as a welcome sight around this time of year since they signal the onset of the holiday season. Many would agree that peppermint is a taste reminiscent of the holidays, and it’s not uncommon at all to see some hanging on decorative trees in a friend’s home or even out in public. But no matter how classic the candy has become during the holidays, it’s important to understand and be aware of the risk these candies have.

Hard candy can puncture skin.

This is obviously something that doesn’t happen often, but hard candy can definitely be dangerous if it’s been sucked on and whittled down to a thin point. This happens in candy canes especially, and since kids like to run around, they’re likely to bump into something or trip and hurt themselves on the candy cane. Be extra vigilant these holidays when they’re eating candy canes in particular.

Teeth can break or chip eating hard candy.

This is something that can happen with any hardened sugar candy. If your child is impatient when eating and wants to get to the core flavor, they may try biting down on the treat. This is definitely a recipe for disaster since they’re much more likely to chip or break a tooth than an adult with stronger teeth would be.

Even though hard candies pose these unique risks, they can and should still be eaten and enjoyed around this time of year. You just want to make sure that your child isn’t eating this type of candy improperly or hurting themselves unintentionally. Remind them that patience is a good thing and that their candy will last longer than usual if they take it slow when eating. They may fuss at first, but it’s worth teaching them while they’re young so that they know not to mess around with hard candy.