Article by Sarah Miller
There are many precautions to take when preparing for your Halloween season. Trick or treating is fun, but it can be dangerous at times. The same goes for carving up your scary Jack O’Lanterns. It’s important to take care when you are preparing for this holiday.
We will start with pumpkin carving. This is a fun activity that gears everyone up for the Halloween season. However, it involves using sharp objects to carve a vegetable with. A child should NEVER be given a knife to cut with. There are many pumpkin kits out there with safety tools appropriate for kids to use if they are the ones doing the carving. Even then, be sure that an adult is around to supervise. Though they are safe, accidents can still happen.
If you are doing the carving sans the pumpkin carving kit, be sure that your child does not jerk the pumpkin or table the pumpkin is sitting on. You don’t want to get cut while carving that pumpkin. Make sure your child is safely seated away from you and the knife.
If you aren’t interested in carving pumpkins, an even safer alternative is painting them. This is an activity that everyone can partake in. You can even get some glue and decorate the pumpkins with sequins or other decorations.
With that said, the biggest thrill of the Halloween season is dressing up and going out trick or treating for candy. This can be a lot of fun, but kids going out should be supervised by a responsible adult.
Make sure your child is dressed in a safe costume. If they are wearing masks, make sure they can see out of the eyeholes. Though some costumes require the person to dress completely in black, this can be dangerous when trick or treating late into the night. Make sure there is a bit of white or something that will reflect light on them. Also, don’t forget flashlights!
Be sure to know your route when taking the kiddies out to gather candy. This will ensure that you don’t get lost in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Also, get on the website and check the neighborhoods you plan on trick or treating in for registered sex offenders.
Make sure your child does not go into any stranger’s house or car. These people could just be being nice, but better safe than sorry. Kids may be confused by this but explain to them that some people aren’t nice and want to hurt others. Then tell them that if anyone tries to coax them into a house or car, or approaches them and tries to grab them, to scream as loud as they can and to kick and flail as much as possible.
Watch your children as they cross streets. Teach them how to cross properly and not just run in front of cars driving by. Make sure they hold your hand as they cross the street.
When taking your kids trick or treating, be sure that they respect the yard they wander through to get to the front door. This means no vandalism! Some people enjoy a little trickery more than treats on Halloween. Some kids toilet paper houses, egg houses or even smash those perfectly carved pumpkins. This is rude and not funny. Though it seems funny at the time, the person who has to clean up that mess doesn’t really think so. Also, be kind to any of the owner’s pets. They may seem loud and annoying, but they’re probably just freaked out that so many costumed individuals have wandered into their domain.
Once the Halloween fun is over, it’s time to inspect the candy! Throw away all candy that has an opened wrapper. Inspect all candy and anything that looks odd, throw it away. It’s also important to make sure your child doesn’t snack on any candy while they’re out trick or treating. As for baked goods, this is a judgment call to be made by the parents. If it came from someone you trust, then you can let your kid eat it. If it came from someone you don’t know, maybe toss it.
Keep these tips in mind when you prepare your child for a night of fun trick or treating on All Hallow’s Eve!