Holiday Reminder: Tell Kids 'No' When It Comes To Raw Cookie Dough

The holidays are here, and plenty of families will be in the kitchen baking up sweet treats. There are some kitchen safety tips that you should keep in mind.

Given the choice between cooked cookies and cookie batter, it's tempting to go for the batter (since it's delicious) but you shouldn't, and neither should your kids.

"Most people know that raw eggs are dangerous, they carry salmonella, a bacteria that can cause food poisoning, which can lead to vomiting and diarrhea...but most people don't realize that uncooked flour is also dangerous," said UC Davis Pediatrician Dr. Rachel Heidt.

Heidt also warns that raw flour used in cookies may also contain E.coli.

"Raw flour can carry E.coli, another bacteria...that can cause the same kind of food-poisoning symptoms," said UC Davis Pediatrician Dr. Rachel Heidt. "Some kinds of E.coli can carry a toxin that can make you even more sick."

The same thing goes for store-bought cookie dough. Don't eat it while it's still raw.

What about cookie dough ice cream? Cookie dough that comes in store-bought ice cream is safe to eat because it's been treated, Heidt says.

Heidt also urges parents to practice safe handwashing when kids are making homemade ornaments using playdough-type material. Kids are tempted to lick their hands during the process.