SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Halloween is the spookiest time of the year, and also the sweetest, filled with tricks and treats. But a big concern for parents is keeping their kids safe on Halloween night.
According to Wallethub, 85 percent of parents have a plan for helping their children enjoy candy in moderation and 35 percent have discussed Halloween safety with their kids. Police recommend carrying a flashlight, avoiding unlit houses and inspecting children's candy before they enjoy it.
But parents may not be just checking candy for kids to enjoy in moderation — they may be stealing it as well. A survey found that 72 percent of parents admit to stealing candy from their children.
Here are some other fun facts about the haunted holiday:
America's top 5 favorite Halloween candy are:
- Skittles
- Reese's Cups
- M&M's
- Snickers
- Starburst
Other tidbits from the study:
- Americans are estimated to spend $2.6 billion on Halloween candy this year and $3.2 billion on costumes.
- 69 percent of Americans plan to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters.
- 36 percent of parents think 12 or 13 years old is old enough to trick-of-treat alone.
- Halloween house fires will cause an estimate $11 million in direct property damage each year.
The average price of a pumpkin is $4.65, which could sound staggering until you realize two billion pounds of pumpkins are produced in the U.S. each year in six different states: New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and California.