Meal Planning Articles

For most children Halloween is tremendous fun. With all the excitement, children can easily forget normal safety precautions and can be injured by falling or worse yet, being hit by a car. Many Halloween-related injuries can be prevented if parents closely supervise school-aged children during trick-or-treat activities.

Halloween Safety Tips - Trick or Treaters

• Carry a flashlight.
• Walk, don't run.
• Stay on sidewalks.
• Obey traffic signals.
• Wear clothing with reflective markings or tape — or by wearing a glow stick!
• Stay in familiar neighborhoods.
• Plan your route and make sure family know what it is.
• Don't cut across yards or driveways.
• Never trick-or-treat alone; have at least 2 buddies with you.
• Be very cautious of strangers.
• Visit only houses where the lights are on.
• Accept treats only in the doorway; never go inside a house.
• Wear a watch you can read in the dark.
• Make sure costumes don't drag on the ground.
• Shoes should fit (even if they don't go with your costume).
• Avoid wearing masks while walking from house to house.
• Carry only flexible knives, swords or other props.
• (If no sidewalk) walk on the left side of the road facing traffic.
• Stay away from and don't pet animals you don't know.

• Children should eat dinner before setting out.
• Younger children should always be accompanied by an adult.
• If you buy a costume, look for one made of flame-retardant material.
• Although tampering is rare, tell children to bring the candy home to be inspected before consuming anything.
• Look at the wrapping carefully and toss out anything that looks suspect.
• If your older children go on their own, be sure they wear a watch, preferably one that can be read in the dark.
• Children should carry quarters so they can call home.
• Older children should know where to reach you and when to be home.
• You should know where they're going.

Halloween Safety Tips - Homeowners

• Make sure your yard is clear of such things as ladders, hoses, dog leashes and flower pots that can trip the young ones.
• Pets get frightened on Halloween. Keep them inside to protect them from cars or inadvertently biting a trick-or-treater.
• Battery powered jack-o-lantern candles are preferable to a real flame.
• If you do use candles, place the pumpkin well away from where trick-or-treaters will be walking or standing.
• Make sure paper or cloth yard decorations won't be blown into a flaming candle.