Tips for a Safe Halloween

Halloween can be a fun holiday for kids, but a worrisome one for parents. Concerns about children's safety--whether they are out in the neighborhood or back home with bags of booty--can darken the day more quickly than a black cat. But not to worry! To make Halloween a treat, follow these safety tips.

ADULTS

• Welcome trick-or-treaters with your porch lights and any exterior lights on. Try not to scare the younger kids, and make this experience as enjoyable as possible.
• Patrol your street occasionally to discourage speeding motorists, acts of malicious mischief, crimes against children and unruly animals, or animals that are unused to the sight of strange costumed children wandering the area, as these animals can become dangerous.
• Report any suspicious or criminal activity to your police department immediately.   By calling  9-1-1.
• Do not give homemade or unwrapped treats to children. As the Parents of these kids could wonder about the possibility of tainting. Home-made gifts are fine, small toys or even eggs with trinkets therein, home-made candy or cakes may raise the suspicions of parents.
  

MOTORISTS
Exercise extreme caution when driving a vehicle.  Be on the alert for excited youngsters, whose vision may be obscured by masks, darting out into and out of traffic. Be mindful especially, on darkened community streets.

TRICK OR TREAT TIPS
Make sure your kids dress up safely

• Make sure costumes are flame retardant so children aren't in danger near burning jack-o-lanterns. Or other ignition sources.
• Keep costumes short to prevent trips, falls, and other bumps in the night.
• Try make-up instead of a mask. Masks can be hot and uncomfortable, and they can obstruct a child's vision, a dangerous thing when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps. However, if a mask is what the child wants or has, try cutting the eye holes biddge and small slits around the back of the mask for ventilation purposes.
• Make sure kids wear light colors or put reflective tape on their costumes. So that traffic can better see where these children are, and give other vehicles a chance to change course before an accident.
  

Make trick-or-treating trouble free

• Create a map of a safe trick-or treating route and set a time limit for your children to "trick-or-treat". This is important because without a time schedule, parents would worry should the child be out too late.
• Trick-or-treaters should always be in groups so they aren't a tempting target for real-life goblins. Parents should accompany young children. Or a responsible adult.
• Make sure older kids trick-or-treat with friends. Together, map out a safe route so you will know where they are going. Tell them to stop only at familiar homes where the outside lights are on.
• Try to get your kids to trick-or-treat while it's still light out. If it's dark, make sure someone has a flashlight or a light stick and pick well-lighted streets, to prevent the possibility of predator danger, both human and animal.
• ABSOLUTELY DO NOT go inside anyone’s home, even if you know the person. Remain on the porch at all times.
• Do not accept rides from strangers. This is another possible predatory bait and snare tactic used by those who might wish to harm kids. Remember: Stranger Danger!
• Remind kids to keep a safe distance from moving cars, to prevent the possibly of an accident and other hidden dangers.
• Ware Kids to cross only at street corners, never between parked cars, and never diagonally across an intersection.
• Look in all directions before crossing the street, and obey all traffic signals. Walk, never run, across the street, and use sidewalks, not the street, for walking.
• Do not take shortcuts through back yards, alleys or parks.
• Do not eat any treats until parents have inspected them.
• Discard any unwrapped treats.
  

Check all treats before eating

• It's hard for kids to hold back from eating their treats until they get home. One way to keep trick-or-treaters from digging in while they're still out is to feed them a meal or a snack beforehand. Another way, is send them out with a small snack to eat when they feel the urge to dig into the treat bag.
• Check out all candy in a well-lighted place when your trick-or-treater gets home. Note any tears, cuts or hole in the wrappers. Never allow a treat with a hold, tear or cut wrapper be eaten by the children, and report all suspicious treats with deliberate cuts in the wrapper, to your local police department.
• What to eat? Only unopened candies and other treats that are in original wrappers. Don't forget to inspect fruit and homemade goodies for anything suspicious. By all means remind kids not to eat everything at once or they'll be feeling pretty ghoulish for while!
• Halloween can be a lot of fun for parents and kids alike--if everybody remembers these tricks and treats of playing it safe.
  
• Primary of course, is to have fun!
  

 COSTUMES
A note to parents:

• Make sure your children’s costumes are not flammable.
• Do not permit your children to wear cumbersome, floor length or vision-impairing costumes.
• Reflectorized stripes make your costume more visible.
• In lieu of masks, I recommend face make up.
• Wear comfortable, safe shoes.
• Call 9-1-1 if you suspect any tainted candy.
  

-Birdy