A Quick Safety Guide to Follow for Halloween

It's that time of year again when people all over are starting to decorate their homes for Halloween. Parents are busy taking their children shopping for costumes to go trick-or-treating and people of all ages are enjoying Halloween parties. Safety is important and I have put together a quick guide with some helpful tips and information for parents.

First and foremost, you want to make sure that your child's costume allows them to see properly. In other words, you don't want to have a costume that is two sizes too big as your child will not fit into it properly and therefore, his or her visual range could be affected. This is important due to traffic in neighborhoods that may not be paying attention to trick-or-treaters. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

In addition to getting your child a costume that properly fits, you want to try and avoid facial masks. Yes, there are holes for the eyes, but once again your child's vision could be restricted as well as their breathing. There are many types of face paints and accessories that you can purchase to use on your child's face to complete the costume.

Flashlights are a must-have, especially for areas that get dark between the trick-or-treat hours. You can visit your local retailer or Halloween superstore and purchase flashlights in various forms, such as pumpkins, ghosts, witches, devils, and goblins. Not only does this provide added safety for your child, but it also can be considered as an accessory for the overall costume.

As far as candy is concerned, if you have younger aged children, more than likely, they will go trick-or-treating with an older person. So, you can make sure that each piece of candy is thoroughly checked to ensure that it was not tampered with. As far as older kids are concerned, you can sit down with them and explain the potential dangers that getting candy from strangers on Halloween can hold.

Simply tell your older child to make sure and check the piece of candy before eating it. This should be sufficient! Establish a time that everyone is aware of to be home for the night. Make sure that your child understands how important it is for them adhere to this curfew.

An excellent tip I have is to make sure that you prepare a healthy meal for you and your family to eat prior to taking the kids out to go trick-or-treating. This way, you know they have already eaten a well-balanced meal, and they won't whine to eat a ton of candy before you head back home. This one can be a definite headache saver!

Talk to your older children about never entering a stranger's home when they are out trick-or-treating. The only time this is acceptable is if the child knows the person that is inviting he/she into their home. For example, if my next door neighbor invites my child in to get something to drink, I know that she will be fine.

With older children it is common for many parents to stay at home in order to hand out treats to neighborhood children. Make sure that your child has at least 2 friends that are going to be going with as there is safety in numbers. If your child only has one friend that is going to go trick-or-treating with him or her, then make sure you are aware of the route they will be taking and if possible, give your child a cell phone to have in case of an emergency.

Remember, safety on Halloween is very important, especially in this day and age! By following these simple suggestions and tips, you can be sure to enjoy a peaceful holiday with your children.