10

10-24-01

Just The “FACS” Safety Notes

McGruff and Scruff's Safe Halloween Tips for Parents

Halloween may be a fun holiday for kids, but for parents, trick-or-treat time can be a little tricky. Concerns about children's safety – especially in light of recent national events -- can darken the day more quickly than a black cat. The Richardson Police Department, as in Halloween’s past, suggest you either restrict your trick-or-treating to people that you know or take your children to a Halloween party. Many Churches and other groups offer safe, organized events for children on Halloween night as an alternative. Children still dress in costume and engage in various games. However, if you do trick-or-treat we recommend the following safety tips.

Make sure your kids dress up safely

Check that the costumes are flame-retardant so the little ones aren't in danger near burning jack-o-lanterns and other fire hazards.
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, more importantly, they can obstruct a child's vision -- a dangerous thing when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps.

Make sure kids wear light colors or put reflective tape on their costumes.

Make trick-or-treating trouble free

Trick-or-treaters should always be in groups so they aren't a tempting target for real-life goblins. Parents should accompany young children.
Make sure older kids trick-or-treat with friends. Together, map out a safe route so parents know where they'll be. 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 and pick well-lighted streets.
Make sure kids know not to enter strange houses or strangers' cars.

Treats

Kids need to know not to eat 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.
Check out all treats at home in a well-lighted place.
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 awhile!

Halloween can be a lot of fun for parents and kids alike -- if everybody remembers the tricks and the treats of playing it safe.