What are the most dangerous Halloween candies?

As kids collect everything from gummy candies to oversized chocolates, stickers to pastries, there are a few precautions to keep in mind to prevent choking, especially in young children.

D., an expert in inpatient pediatrics at Nemours Children’s Health in Florida. Elizabeth Donner tells TODAY.com how to make sure your spooky celebration is safe.

First rule? No eating candy while running. “They should not run on the sidewalk, they should sit without a mask on their face,” advises Donner. “They should enjoy their meal sitting down so they have the opportunity to chew and swallow the food.”

Here’s what you need to know about Halloween candy for kids before trick-or-treating.

Which candies pose the biggest choking hazard?

Donner says although drowning can happen to anyone, most cases occur in children under age 4.

He says the following types of candy pose the biggest choking hazards:

• Hard (Jolly Ranchers, candy corn, mint, hard caramel, lollipop)
• Round (Skittles, M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, Milk Duds, Whoppers, Sweetarts, Smarties)
• Chewable or gummy (Starburst, Sour Patch Kids, Hot Tamales, gummy worms, gummy bears, jelly beans, Airheads)

What are the safest sweets?

Donner explains that the safest options for Halloween generally melt in a child’s mouth and don’t require much chewing.

These include soft cookies, animal crackers, brownies, and most chocolate-based candies like Reese’s peanut butter cups, Hershey’s bars, Twix, and Kit Kats.

What should you do if your child starts choking?

Donner first reminds parents to recognize when a child is actually choking.

A person is suffocating when he or she can no longer breathe or breathe, make a sound, or cough. If a person is gagging, spitting, coughing, or blushing at something, she says to watch and wait.

“Their bodies are equipped to handle it, and gagging is something all children experience from time to time. If he can no longer make sounds, cough, or pass air through his airways, that’s when you need to intervene,” says Donner.

For babies in danger of choking, hold the baby face down and use the heel of your hand to slap his back five times, according to the American Heart Association. Then turn the baby over and use two fingers to give five thrusts to the chest.

How to give CPR to a baby?

The American Heart Association recommends the Heimlich maneuver for any child over 1 year of age; wrap your hands around the choking victim from behind and push down on the person’s navel, just below the sternum.

How to give CPR to children?

What else is risky on Halloween?

Besides choking, parents should also watch out for candies that contain sneaky allergens.

Before trick-or-treating with a child with allergies, Donner advises parents to find a list of permitted foods that do not contain their child’s allergens or food sensitivities and are produced in a safe facility.

Breaking teeth while trying to chew candy can also be dangerous. Donner recommends that very young children stay away from hard candies like Jawbreakers and jolly farmers.

Donner reminds parents to also be aware of the dangers of Halloween that don’t involve candy.

“It is important to be aware of other non-food choking risks such as small plastic toys, bouncy balls, stickers, wrapping paper, temporary tattoos,” she says. “These are all things that could potentially find their way into a small airline as well.”

How safe is it to eat Halloween candy?

Unfortunately, snack-sized, individually wrapped candies often don’t have an expiration date on them.

As a general rule, Halloween candy should not be stored for more than three months, Donner says. Perishable desserts, such as cookies and cake, should generally be thrown away after a week or two.