Here are a few tips to keep yourself, your kids, and your pets safe on Halloween. Remember, I want to see you back here after Halloween, and I want you back unharmed.

These tips (except the pet tips, which are all mine) are from Women's Day Special: Halloween Celebrations, October, 2001, with a few of my own added in as well. I suggest picking up this magazine. There is a lot of great tips for costumes, goodies, decorations, ect.

Yourself and Your Kids

Costumes

  • Purchase costumes with flame-resistant labeling.
  • Add reflective tape or patches to costumes and treat bags to ensure visibility at night.
  • Consider using nontoxic, hypoallergenic makeup instead of masks for better vision and ease of breathing. If you do choose a mask, check for fit and make sure eye-holes are large enough to easily see through.
  • Don't let children wear long costumes - they may trip over. Also, avoid high heels and oversized footwear.
  • Swords and knives, if necassary parts of an outfit, should be soft and felxible with blunt tips.
  • Makeup and masks may be irritating to the skin of a child under 4 years of age. You should pick costumes that are comfortable and off the face for children under 4, and refrain from using makeup or masks on them.

    Decorating

  • For pumpkin carving, have children draw faces on the pumpkins with magic markers. An adult (never the child) can cut out the designs.
  • Excersise the utmost caution with candles. Use votive candles (the small ones that do not require candelabras), glow sticks, or battery operated light sources. (my family always put glow sticks in Jack-O-Lanterns...they work really well, last long, and are not dangerous to small children)
  • Clear pathways to your home to prevent accidents.
  • If you are planning a haunted house display, consider purchasing extra insurance.
  • Also, if you are planning the haunted house deal outside your house like I usually do, be prepaired to go down your steps or walkway to give candy to young children. They will not come up to the house. Parents are usually too tired to walk them up, and the kids won't go near scary houses alone, so you have to go to them. Also, if you are wearing a scary costume, also like I usually do, approach children slowly and talk to them softly. If they back away, explain it is only make-up and you won't hurt them. This sounds silly, I know, but I have this problem every year.

    Treats

  • Never let your children eat Halloween treats without checking out the candy first.
  • Serve dinner before trick-or-treating to forestall snacking until each child's loot has been examined. (Watch your children's bags closely so they don't sneack un-examined treats)
  • Be watchful of treats that might cause choking.
  • Don't let your child eat unwrapped candy or fresh fruit. Unfortunetly, there have been incidents of tampering in the past, so you need to be cautious (seriously, my mom found a razor in an apple I got one year, so this isn't a joke).

    Tricks

  • Remind your children that not everyone celebrates Halloween and they should respect the rights of those who choose not to take part in such activities.
  • Tell your kids that "egging" and other acts of vandalism can be dangerous and are illegal (plus, eggs hurt! Physically and mentally! Have you ever gotten egg all over a costum you spent days making?!)

    Trick-or-Treating

  • Always accompany young children as they make their rounds, preferably during daylight hours.
  • Make sure that older children travel in groups and visit houses in neighborhoods known to them. Having a cell phone is an extra form of security.
  • Adult partygoers should appoint a designated driver (or do what I do - take a cab to where you are going instead of your own car. This way, you can't drive even if you want to!)
  • Review rules regarding strangers, rides, fires, stop-lights, and curfews with kids (kids tend to take all that as null and void on Halloween, so reenforce it so they know it still applies).

    Pets Just Wanna Have Fun!

  • When buying a pet costume, make sure it is the right size and it isn't too tight around the neck. Animals have feelings, too, and they need to breath and see. If they paw at it, take it off of them, they are not comfortable and are more likely to bite while out.
  • Remember that pets do not understand what is going on and will be frightened (not to mention, a lot of kids are scared to death of dogs). Use a leash at all times so you don't lose your pet, and also so you have control. They may bite if kids run at them and they are scared.
  • Leave smaller pets at home, such as cats, dogs under 60 lbs., rabbits, gerbils, birds, hamsters, ginea pigs, ferrets, ect. I even saw a kid one year carrying around a small fish bowl with a goldfish inside. This is a HUGE no no.
  • Don't give pets candy. Chocolate can be lethal to some animals, especially dogs, and some animals are also diabetic. Sugar is not good for them.
  • Protect your pet the same way you would protect a child. Remember, it's confused and maybe scared.
  • Keep dogs on a short leash, and if children come to pet it, hold it in close so it can't jump. Many kids are very afraid of dogs!
  • If you have a very large dog, or one that is considered aggressive (whether it is or not) such as a Great Dane, German Shepard, Pitbull, Rotweiller, Doberman, Irish Wolfhound, ect., either leave it home or put a muzzle on it's snout. They are more apt to bite, since they are confused, whether they are usually aggresive or not. Don't take a chance; dogs that bite strangers and get reported are usually put to sleep. Don't chance losing your baby because it got scared.

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