Summary:
Halloween is a time of great fun for the entire family. Just follow some simple safety guidelines to ensure that your little ghouls and goblins have a safe, spooky, candy-tastic time.

Details or Sample:
Trick or Treating Safety Tips

By Alison Braidwood

Halloween can be a fantastic time for the whole family - candy, costumes, and creepy crawlies mean tons of scary fun. Just follow some common sense rules and your little ghosts and goblins will have a spooky, but safe night.

• Make sure children wear costumes that are flame-resistant. Ideally, costumes should be light in color, and easily seen by drivers. If your child’s costume is made of a dark material, add light-reflective strips so they’re visible to traffic. Costumes should be short enough that they’re not a trip hazard.

• Masks should allow a clear field of vision – better yet, forget the mask and use non-toxic face paint instead. If masks are worn, the eyeholes must be large enough that they don’t impede vision, and children should take their masks off when crossing the street.

• If accessories like swords or wands are normally part of a costume (and if your child announces that they won’t be seen in public without said accoutrement), then choose something made of material that isn’t likely to cause injury – like rubber. Your child will maintain street cred and you won’t have to worry about them putting their eye out. Or the eyes of the people around them.

• Children should always be accompanied by an adult or a responsible teenager. Impress upon your little monsters the dangers of wandering off on their own. Threaten to take away all their candy should they stray. That should concentrate their sugar-hungry little brains, at least for one evening.

• Trick or treaters should always walk, not run, stick to sidewalks, and cross the street only at corners or crosswalks. Get them to follow a planned route (no shortcuts), and come home at a pre-arranged time. Make sure the children carry flashlights. These come in handy for making ghoulish faces, beyond merely lighting the way.

• Each child should know how to call home, and should have enough money on them to make that call. Give one child a cell phone and make sure he/she knows how to use it. Make sure each child has his/her name and address on them somewhere.

• Only go to houses with lights on. If no-one answers, go to the next house immediately. Lay down boundaries of acceptable behavior before children leave the house – vandalism is never okay. Treats are good, tricks are not.

• Lit jack o’lanterns and candles can be a hazard. Warn children not to brush against them on walkways or porches.

• Instruct the kids not to eat any candy until they get home and a parent looks it over. Make sure children are full before they go out - they’re less likely to cheat and sample their sugary loot before you can check it. Be suspicious of anything homemade, or which appears to have been opened. Thoroughly wash and cut open all fruit before eating.

Follow sensible safety guidelines and your family will have a spooky, fun Halloween. When your kids go to bed on Halloween night, make they leave their candy takings downstairs. You can then inspect the confectionary again for anything dubious, while doing a bit of discreet sampling yourself. Little Jimmy will never know that his haul of Kit Kats has been mysteriously depleted by one or two bars. Or three or four…

Purchase this content for your website...

Pricing:
Usage:	$20	[Add to Cart]
Unique:	$45	[Add to Cart]
Full Rights:	$50	[Add to Cart]

Downloads: 0
Written by: Alison Braidwood
Available File Types:Text
Words: 549