Halloween safety tips

Halloween can be fun and safe if you follow these basic safety tips.

General Halloween tips

• Encourage children to attend community or home Halloween parties.
• Use discretion when deciding which Halloween events to attend. If your child becomes frightened while attending an event or going trick-or-treating, stop the activity and reassure the child.
• Light carved pumpkins with flashlights instead of candles.
• Accompany young children who go trick-or-treating. Older children should go in groups and only go to the homes of people their parents know. Children never should go trick-or-treating in unknown neighborhoods.
• All trick or treating should be done during the times established by your community.
• Tell your child not to eat any treats before returning home. Parents should carefully examine all treats, disposing of any that are not sealed or appear to have been tampered with in any way. If there is any doubt, throw it away.

Tips for choosing a costume

• Make certain your child's costume fits properly. Costumes should be large enough to allow the child to wear warm clothes underneath, but short enough to prevent tripping. Do not allow children to wear adult shoes or boots.
• Costumes, wigs, beards and other special apparel you purchase should be labeled as flame resistant.
• Use facial paints and cosmetics in place of masks. If a mask is used, make certain the eye and nose openings do not restrict vision or breathing. Children should remove masks in between trick-or-treating stops.