Halloween Safety
Between the Harvest Festivals, Halloween parties and social
gatherings, this Halloween season could be very busy for you and
your family. This is why all parents should make safety the
number one priority while having fun. It also never hurts to be
reminded of the precautions all Halloweeners should take while
gathering candy.
Before leaving the house, every person going out to
Trick-or-Treat should be dressed appropriately. Begin by making
sure attire is weather appropriate. The cooler the temperature,
the more layers needed to keep warm. These layers should be
easily removed as not to interfere with the costume if it gets
too warm. Any masks being worn should fit so that vision is not
obscured in any way. Children can't be expected to be completely
safe if surroundings can't be seen easily. Batman and Darth
Vader costumes are popular this year, and their dark cloaks can
make seeing trick-or-treaters almost impossible after the sun
has set. Take the ultimate safety precaution by purchasing
reflective tape and place it on the back of the costume, which
can be done without changing the appearance or effect of the
costume. It also helps to add reflective tape to the side of
shoes to add extra reflective surfaces. If a car approaches your
child from any direction, enough reflective tape will give your
child shape and the driver will be able to see the children.
Glow sticks and other accessories are also great ways to make
sure you and your child can be seen in the dark.
When moving from house to house, children should refrain from
walking in-between parked cars and ideally, should only cross
the street at crosswalks. Some neighborhoods are easier to
navigate than others, but it is always better to visit houses on
one side of the street at a time. Keeping on sidewalks and
driveways and refraining from grass and other soft areas will
help prevents slips, trips, and falls. Holes and dips in the
ground are hard to see in covered areas. Blacktop and concrete
surfaces should be used for navigation as much as possible.
Only visit houses that are inviting. Houses without a light at
the door or front porch, or without any light from
jack-o-lanterns or other means or decoration should not be
included in the list of houses to visit. Not only is it not
safe, but obviously the tenants do not want visitors.
Although neighborhoods with larger houses in prominent areas are
more appealing, it can be tiresome for smaller children. These
houses take longer to go from door to door, ultimately causing
small children to tire more quickly. If you drive to a
neighborhood to visit, try to pick one with houses that are
closer together to make the trip more productive with less
walking.
Some of the best places to trick-or-treat isn't necessarily in a
neighborhood going from door to door. Churches, malls and
shopping center strip-malls often offer treats to those who stop
by. Churches often offer forms of entertainment like
"Trunk-or-Treating," where the parking lot of the Church is
filled with vehicles where drivers give out candy from their
decked-out truck beds and lawn chairs next to their cars. These
are wonderful places to take children because the people giving
candy may already be a friend, therefore giving parents a more
trusted source of treats. Parents are also able to socialize and
have some fun themselves, too!
We all know of the importance of screening the candy our
children receive during Trick-or-Treating. Some communities
offer free screenings with X-ray devices, which is an ideal way
to make sure the stereotypical metal object hasn't been inserted
into your child's candy. In addition to screenings, parents
should check each piece of candy thoroughly before consumption.
All candy should be wrapped or packaged well without any tears
or punctures. Make sure the wrapper on the candy is still secure
and bags are free of puncture marks or tears. If candy looks
like it has been tampered with in any way, be sure to discard
immediately.
Whether you decide to stay home and give out candy, or take a
stroll or drive to your favorite haunts, be sure safety is
first, no matter what! Enjoy your Halloween!
(c) Copyright 2005 by Rachael Towle, The Parent Station.
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