What's the first thing my family does to prepare for Halloween season? No, not make costumes or crafts or plan out our calendar. Our very first activity is to throw out all the stale candy my daughter has been hanging on to since last October 31.

Whatever you do with your child's Halloween haul—donate, repurpose, hoard or eat—there's no question that trick-or-treaters collect way too much candy. And while I'm glad my kid doesn't actually ingest it all, many children do, and the health implications of that are pretty scary.

So this year I'm not going to be part of the candy craze. Instead, I plan to give out small, fun, non-edible treats, like the kinds of tchotchkes you might find in a birthday goody bag. (So if you have any of those lying around the house, start gathering them up now.) Yes, I realize these things may end up sitting around as long as last year's candy, but since they don't go bad I can always hand them out again next Halloween.

Here are some cool things to hand out on Halloween besides candy that won't get you egged.

After Halloween last year, I was astonished at the amount of candy my kids got, especially when I counted up the total calories. It really made me think twice and we ended up taking five pounds of candy and selling it to the dentist the week after Halloween. This year we found a healthier alternative to giving away candy for Halloween and it seems like there are lots of people feeling the same way because I keep reading about all kinds of things to do with your leftover Halloween candy besides eat it, from donating it to soldiers to using it to make a gingerbread house. Read on for some of the best ideas of what to do with all that leftover Halloween candy.

In this house, we believe in wearing every color of the rainbow - preferably all at once. As a result, we have lots of bottles of nail polish in our house and sadly, polish does not stay relegated to finger and toenails alone. Nope, we’ve adorned our couch, floor, sink and various other pieces of furniture with nail polish.

So to satisfy their love of multi-colored nails and my love of not having nail polish everywhere, we will be going to the professionals for some nail care this year. In fact, we'll be taking some friends with us as we host a spa birthday party! Not having been to one before, I was pleasantly surprised to find that there are many options in Fairfield County for kids' spa parties. For even more fun party ideas check out our Party Guide!

Whether you're an expectant mom or veteran parent, nothing can be more overwhelming than the thought of figuring out how to babyproof your New York City apartment. So in recognition of Baby Safety Month this September, we've rounded up the top babyproofing services operating throughout the city, including in Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and of course Manhattan.

Read on to select the right pro to make your home a bit safer for baby. They'll pad sharp edges, lock down cabinets, hang window guards and secure bookshelves to the walls, as well as offer general safety tips for time-challenged New Yorkers. Here's to crossing one more parental worry off your list, and possibly gaining a bit more peace of mind.

For more helpful tips, peruse our posts on useful services and products.

This week marked back-to-school for the 1.1 million children in NYC public schools, as well as many private-school counterparts, and the 2015-2016 academic year brings with it no shortage of new systems to master and even new holidays! For example, the DOE's new parent portal we told you about last spring—NYC Schools Account—is now up and running!

Parents will find students' test scores, attendance records and report cards (in 10 languages) in the new portal, which is accessible by computer, tablet or smartphone—a major improvement over its predecessor. You'll need an activation code handed out by your child's school to access the personalized, free account page. All the instructions and required documents can be found on the schools account page.

Read on for more school news and updates throughout NYC.