Halloween Safety a Guide to Safe Trick or Treating
What's not to love about Halloween? Everyone gets to dress up pretending to be someone or something else, kiddies get to go out at night, strangers are friendly, and free goodies are passed out at most houses.Of course, these same reasons are the very things that can also make Halloween a dangerous time of the year. To ensure that Halloween is the fun holiday it was meant to be, follow the suggestions below as a Halloween guide to safe trick-or-treating.Be careful when choosing costumes. It is best to avoid costumes with flowing capes or long, loose clothing. While they look great, they are potential fire hazards and can also cause a child to trip and fall.Pass up Halloween costumes with masks when going trick-or-treating. Masks that cover the entire face with just two holes for the eyes give a very limited field of vision. This can cause an accident as the child tries to see where he's going.Many masks and costumes are made of latex. Latex allergies are actually pretty common. Be absolutely certain that there are no sensitivities to latex before purchasing a Halloween costume for your witches and wizards.If you are not accompanying the children on Halloween night, check that they are going together in a somewhat large group. There should be at least four kids. One of them should be responsible and old enough to be aware of safety concerns. Instruct the kids to never break up into smaller groups while trick-or-treating. Also be sure that the group isn't so large that a child can go unnoticed and easily get left behind, even if adults are chaperoning.When heading out to go trick-or-treating, make certain that at least one member of the group has a flashlight. Remember to check that the batteries aren't dead! If you won't be going, instruct the group to always keep the flashlight turned on. This could prevent an accident.Also, in order for cars to see your little ghouls and goblins better, there are inexpensive glowsticks that are readily available during Halloween. Glow necklaces can be bought, too. It would be a good idea for each member of the group to wear one for safety.Be sure that the trick-or-treaters stay on main streets that are well lit and busy with other kids and adults. Traffic will be more careful on these streets, as they are aware of the trick-or-treaters. Also, predators are more likely to hang out on the dark, isolated back streets.Most, if not all, stories about candy tampering during Halloween have just been urban myths. However, there's always a first time. It's better to be safe than sorry. Make certain that the kids know that eating treats is forbidden until they arrive home. Then they must let their parents or other guardian inspect all of it before they are allowed to eat any Halloween candy.It's also a good idea to restrict the amount of Halloween candy that your kids can eat at one time. It would be a shame to have Halloween end with a terrible tummy ache.Following these guidelines for safe trick-or-treating will help increase the likelihood of a happy, fun Halloween every year!
