Raising A Family

What kid doesn’t love Halloween? We all love to see every year what our kids decide they so desperately want to be for Halloween. It’s a fun time to dress up and have some yummy treats. We want them to enjoy themselves, and the last thing we want to happen is an accident. Here’s a few safety tips to help avoid any unfortunate incidents.

Costume Safety:

• Try to make them somewhat fireproof if possible. Many people put real candles in their jack-o-lanterns and it’s easy to walk past one and have your costume catch on fire.
• If making a mask, make sure the eye holes are big enough that they can see out the sides as well as the front.
• If they are going to carry a prop such as a sword, make sure the ends are dull. It’s easy to swing it around and poke someone.
• When carving your own pumpkins at home, don’t let your little ones use knifes. They can help draw your pattern on the pumpkin, and you do the carving.

Street Safety:

• Take a few moments and sit the kids down to go over basic street safety before they leave. Emphasize not talking to strangers and not accepting rides from anyone.
• Instruct them to only go to homes where you know who lives there.
• Only trick-or-treat during daylight hours.
• Send along a flashlight in case they don’t make it home before it gets dark.
• Agree on a set time in which they will return home.
• Make sure they know not to cut through alleys or back yards.
• Don’t let anyone under 12 years old go out by themselves. An adult should be accompanying them.
• Older children going out without parents should stay in groups.

Pet Safety:

• Don’t leave your candy out. The wrappers can get stuck in their digestive system. Also, they should never have chocolate. They don’t know, so it’s up to you to keep them safe
• Don’t dress them up in a costume unless they are comfortable with it.
• Keep them away from the front door as you are handing out candy. With the door opening frequently, it’s an easy time to escape.
• Keep them away from jack-o-lanterns with candles. Their tails could easily catch fire.

Treat Safety:

• Make a fun dinner before they leave so your children aren’t tempted to eat some candy before they get home.
• Don’t let them eat any candy until you check it out first.
• Again, tell them to only go to homes where you know the people there.
• When checking their candy…..When in doubt, throw it out!

Safe Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating:

• Most communities have an event where local business get together and hand out candy. Those are fun and you can feel comfortable knowing the candy they receive is good. Check your local paper for information on such an event.
• A lot of churches have gatherings where there are games and ways for kids to get candy as well.
• If you have small children and don’t want to go trick-or-treating, host a party with friends who have little kids as well where they can have fun games to earn Halloween treats.

Good luck preparing your little goblins for a fun, safe Halloween this year!