Halloween Safety

Halloween count-down begins! Very soon the little ghosts and goblins will take to the streets! Do your best to make this a safe Halloween. Thinking about safety in advance will make all the difference! Here are some tips that can help your child have a safe Halloween:

• Trick or treaters should be accompanied by an adult and only visit familiar homes.
• Children should be instructed never to enter into a house they are trick or treating at and to avoid dark or deserted looking homes.
• The Halloween costume should be safe and should not be flammable. Also make sure that the costume is not too long as a child can easily trip on it.
• Teach your children to stay away from strangers, to refuse to approach or climb inside cars and to stay away from stray animals.
• Never leave your child’s loot bag unattended.
• Be careful of moving cars and obey traffic lights. Stay on one side of the street at a time; When you have finished trick or treating on one side of the street, then carefully cross and do the other side You should not be criss-crossing back and forth across a street.
• Avoid dark Halloween costumes as your young trick or treaters need to be fully visible in the dark. Carrying fluorescent bags, wearing glow in the dark stickers and reflective material or tape will help make your child more visible in the dark. Bringing along a flash-light is helpful too.
• Halloween masks can prevent a child from seeing well and this can be quite dangerous, especially at night when it is dark to begin with. Creative, non-toxic make up is better.
• Halloween candles (like in Jack-O-Lanterns) should not be left lit at home unattended while you are out trick or treating. Battery powered lights can safely do the trick instead.
• Remember to instruct your trick or treaters not to eat any of the Halloween treats they collect before an adult has inspected them. If anything is not wrapped, looks suspicious, torn, opened or tampered with, throw it away. Eat homemade treats only if you know the giver.