The Holiday Sweets Field Guide for Parents

A parent's guide to holiday sweets: what to read on a candy label, which dishes to check before a slice reaches your toddler, and what's actually changing with food dyes this season.

Search and AI answer the questions you already know to ask. This guide covers the ones careful parents miss: honey baked into a graham cracker crust, a fun-size bar with no ingredient list, the bourbon in a pecan pie.

What's inside

• Reading the label: a five-step check that takes seconds once you've done it twice. Color names and the word "Lake," carmine, the "Contains" line, and what fun-size wrappers leave out.
• What's changing: a dated snapshot of the dye rules as of October 2026, covering Red 3, company pledges and state laws.
• The holiday table: the Holiday Dessert Scan Chart, 16 dishes sorted into Hard stop, Check first and Good to know. Honey, choking, alcohol and raw egg, each explained.
• Drinks: punch, eggnog, cider, cocoa and sweet tea, and what to check in each cup.
• Good to know: imported candy, bulk bins, the gum headlines, and frosting colors you can make from food.
• What to hand out: teal pumpkins, non-food treats matched to age, and what chocolate certifications cover.
• Two tools: the scan chart, and fillable tent cards to print and set beside each dish.

Details

• 28-page PDF, instant download.
• Fillable on screen in Apple Preview, Acrobat and Chrome. Prints on A4 or US Letter.
• Every fact is sourced, and the sources are listed in the guide.
• General information, not medical advice. Ask your pediatrician or allergist about your child.

Pairs with the Holiday Sweets Shopping Card: the decisions from this guide on one card for the store.