It's fair to say that Halloween is just as special in the hearts of most families as Christmas is, right?
From the costumes to the candy, this October celebration plays an enormous part in helping to create precious memories for children and their parents.
While it's certainly a significant annual event in the lives of most children, it does, however, bring with it a number of concerns for the 78% families in the UK who will celebrate it this year.
With childhood obesity on the rise, many parents find themselves conflicted on the night in question and struggle with the prospect of allowing their children to indulge in their annual Halloween haul.
According to a survey conducted by MummyPages, 43% of mums surveyed said they end up throwing away some of the goodies, whilst 8 out of 10 of the mums ration what’s left of the sweets their child eats on Halloween night and in the following days.
Further to this, parents, whose children suffer from food allergies or intolerances, are confronted with an issue which often leaves them looking like a killjoy in the eyes of their children.
With one in five children suffering from an allergy or intolerance in the UK, our survey found that more than half of mums actively censor their children’s haul of goodies by taking out certain sweets before letting them dig in.
While creating a costume with our little one is the perfect way to celebrate the upcoming frightfest, this issue alone sparks concern among the vast majority of parents, with a whopping 81% of mums now aware of the dangers associated with purchasing certain pre-made Halloween costumes.
But with one in three mums admitting to failing to check regulations on their children's costumes, our MummyPages Mum-in-Residence, Amanda McKnight, reminds us of the dangers.
“Halloween is the third most popular holiday across the UK, which is why MummyPages is issuing a nationwide warning to mums to watch out for hidden dangers.”
Offering advice to the parents of children counting the days until they can transform into their character of choice, Amanda says: “To protect from injury, mums should ensure their children wear clothes such as woolen tights or trousers under their costumes.”
Explainng the reasoning behind this, she continues: “This is because wool is more difficult to ignite and burn and has a lower flame velocity.
"If the worst does happen, children should know the ‘stop, drop and roll’ drill which allows the ground to be the best means of suffocating a fire and not a persons hands.”
With the frightening story of Claudia Winklemans' daughter still fresh in our minds, Amanda insists precautions should be taken, saying: “This year we are urging all mums to check the safety information/labels in their children’s Halloween costumes and to avoid highly flammable materials.”
