Halloween safety tips

There are many ways to keep children safe at Halloween, when they are more prone to accidents and injuries. The excitement of children and adults at this time of year sometimes makes them forget to be careful. Simple common sense can do a lot to stop any tragedies from happening.

• Help children 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.
• If you set jack-o-lanterns on the porch with candles in them, make sure that they are far enough out of the way so that kids costumes won't accidentally be set on fire.
• Make sure that if children are carrying props, such as a scythe, butcher knife or a pitchfork, that the tips are smooth and flexible enough to not cause injury if fallen on.
• Kids always want to help with the pumpkin carving. Small children should not be allowed to use a sharp knife to cut the top or the face. There are many kits available that come with tiny saws that work better then knives and are safer. It's best to let the kids clean out the pumpkin and draw a face on it, which an adult can carve for them.
• Treating 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.
• Teaching or remind children about 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. These tips will help make them safer when they are out trick or treating.