TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Trick or Treating should be one of the great adventures of Halloween for kids! When else can get dressed in scary costumes and go door to door, asking “Tricks or Treats!” from neighbors or at the local mall? It should be a fun time, without trouble and pain. With witches, goblins, and superheroes descending on neighborhoods across America, heed these safety tips and prepare your children for a safe and enjoyable trick-or-treat holiday:
-Help your child pick out or make a costume that will be safe. Make it fire-proof; the eye holes should be large enough for good peripheral vision. Use face paint rather than masks or things that will cover their eyes. Dress them in light-colored or reflective-type clothing so they are more visible. (And remember to put reflective tape on bikes, skateboards, and brooms, too!)
-Young children should go out during daylight hours only or be accompanied by a responsible adult. Younger children should never be allowed to go out alone, make sure an older sibling or an adult accompany them at all times.
-Treating your kids to a spooky Halloween dinner will make them less likely to eat the candy they collect before you have a chance to check it for them. Instruct your child not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you.
-Teaching your kids basic everyday safety such as not getting into cars or talking to strangers, watching both ways before crossing streets, and crossing when the lights tell you to, will help make them safer when they are out Trick or Treating.
-Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars.
-Stay together as a group if going out to Trick or Treat without an adult.
-Visit homes that have the porch light on. Stop only at familiar houses in your own neighborhood unless they are accompanied by an adult. Remind them to accept their treats at the door and never go into a stranger’s house
-Plan a safe route so parents know where their older children will be at all times. Set a time for their return home. Make sure that your child is old enough and responsible enough to go out by themselves and have them take a cell phone and carry a flashlight.
-Do not cut through back alleys and fields. Make sure they know to stay in populated places and don’t go off the beaten track. Stay in well lighted areas.
If you would like more information on Halloween safety tips visit the Food and Drug Administration Safety Tips for Halloween: https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/halloween-food-safety-tips-parents.
Lets be safe out there!