There are many ways to keep your child 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 your child pick out or make a safe costume. Make sure the costume is fire-proof and that the eyeholes are large enough for full peripheral vision.

- If you set candle lit jack-o-lanterns on your porch, make sure that they are out of the way so that kids' costumes don't accidentally catch fire.

- Make sure that if your child is carrying a prop, such as a scythe or a pitchfork, that the tips are smooth and flexible enough to prevent any accidental injuries.

- Kids always want to help with the pumpkins; however, small children should be closely supervised when participating. Many different carving kits are available that include carving tools as a safer alternative to using household knives. Please keep in mind, however, that these tools are still sharp enough to penetrate the skin. It's best to leave the carving to the adults, and leting the kids clean out and draw the face on the pumpkin.

- 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.

- Teaching your kids everyday safety, such as not getting into cars or talking to strangers, looking both ways before crossing streets, and obeying crosswalk lights, will help keep them safe when they are out Trick-or-Treating.

- Make Halloween a fun, safe, and happy time for you and your kids, and they will carry on the tradition with their own families some day!

Tips for Adults

Having a safe and happy Halloween is what everybody wants, but as adults we need to make sure our children know that even though Halloween is a fun, magical and happy holiday, it can have a bad side as well. Some kids and adults think this is a time to do harmful, bad things, destroy property and harm animals. Please make sure your kids know that this is not acceptable behavior! Keep Halloween a fun happy and safe night that your kids will never forget, and encourage them to keep the tradition going for years to come.

- Know the route your kids will be taking if you are not accompanying them.

- If at all possible, make sure that an adult is going with your children. If you can't take them, see if another parent or a teenage sibling can go along.

- Know what other activities your child may be attending, such as parties, school, or mall functions.

- Make sure you set a time for your children to be home by, and that they know how important it is for them to be home on time.

- Explain the difference between tricks and vandalism. If they are caught vandalizing, make sure they clean up the mess they've made.

- Explain to your kids that animal cruelty is not acceptable; Halloween should be a safe holiday for animals too.

Tips For Throwing A Halloween Party

Having a Halloween party for both adults and kids is definitely a lot of fun! Here are some tips that can be used to make your party even more enjoyable.

- When using dry ice in a punch bowl, make sure that the person serving the punch keeps any dry ice chips out of the drinks! Failing to do so can cause severe injury if ingested.

- If you are a house party, make sure that you move any breakable or valuable items to another room where they cannot be damaged or tampered with.

- To keep things moving for both adult and child parties, make sure that you have some games planned in advance, like a scavenger hunt or a murder mystery.

- If you are planning a party for your kids and their friends, see if you can get some of the other parents to help out with the planning, baking and what ever else needs to be done.

- Make a batch of Halloween cupcakes the day before and have the kids help you out. Any treats or party food that can be made in advance is always a big help!

- Having a pumpkin party on the night before Halloween can be a great way to start off the festivities. Adults and kids can have a wonderful time and get all of the pumpkins carved at the same time!

- Set up a table with treats, punch and other goodies in your front yard if you live in a small neighborhood. You can invite the children and their parents to stop by for refreshments and start a small party right in your front yard! Just make sure you set up a nice yard haunt, too!

Tips For Pet Safety

- Leaving your pets outside on Halloween is not recommended. Unsupervised pets are just as unsafe as unsupervised children. Keep your cats or dogs inside for the night if you don't already do so.

- Always remember that feeding your pet chocolate can be very harmful and even deadly to them in certain amounts.

- You can find a number of recipes for making home made dog and cat treats for Halloween.

- Remember to keep candy wrappers in the garbage or out of reach from your pets.

- Keep all candle lit pumpkins away from areas where animals can come in contact with them.

- If you are going to dress your pet in a costume, keep in mind that unless the dog or cat is used to wearing clothing you may be causing it discomfort and stress.

- If you put a mask of some type on your animal, make sure that the eye holes are big enough for them to see peripherally.

- If you are having an indoor party, make sure that you put your dog or cat in a room where they won't be disturbed.

Safety Tips For Trick-or-Treating

trick-or-treating is a great Halloween activity for kids! Following some easy tips can keep your child safe every Halloween.

- Children should go out during daylight hours unless they are accompanied by a responsible adult.

- Plan a safe route for the kids to go, so the parents know where their kids will be at all times.

- Set a time for their return home. Make sure that children are responsible enough to go out by themselves.

- Make sure your children know to stay in populated and well lit areas.

- Stop only at familiar houses in your own neighborhood unless an adult accompanies them.

- Small children should never be allowed to go out alone on Halloween. Make sure an older sibling or adult is with them at all times.

- Instruct your children not to eat any treats until they have been examined by you.

- Instruct your children to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car.

- Make sure your children carry a flashlight, glow stick or have reflective tape on their costumes to make them more visible to cars.

- Let them know that they should stay together as a group if going out to Trick-or-Treat without an adult.

Tips For Costume Safety

Whether store bought or home made, Halloween costumes should be fun and scary yet safe. Below are some ideas to hazard-proof your Halloween fun. Costumes should be scary to those who see them, not those who wear them!

- Costumes should be made of flame retardant material.

- Costumes should be bright enough to be seen at night.

- Make sure you work into your child's costume reflector strips, a flashlight or light stick to make them more visible at night.

- Do not include high heel shoes or long dangling pieces of costume that your child could trip over.

- If they are carrying a prop such as a scythe or sword, make sure they are made out of a flexible plastic that will bend if fallen on.

- If your child is wearing a mask, make sure that the eyeholes are big enough for them to see not only in front but peripherally as well.

- If you and your child are going out with a group, make their costume a unique one so you can spot them easily in a crowded area.

- If you have more than one child, save costumes from year to year to pass down or to exchange with friends.

Tips For Running A Safe Yard Haunt

When planning a yard haunt there are some things that you want to keep in mind for safety reasons. You want to make your haunt scary, possibly bloody and gory but when it comes to your visitors, you don't want the blood to end up being real. Here are some ideas that might help you make it safer.

The number one item is to get extra homeowners insurance for the nights that you will be allowing people to view your haunt. Nothing can spoil the fun more than a law suit because someone tripped and fell down. Most insurance companies can help you with the problem of extra insurance for the time needed, even if it's for a night. The expense of a nights insurance will far out-weigh what it could end up costing you with out it!

When building your haunt, make sure that the walkways are far enough away from things so that people can't trip over them or hurt themselves. This also is good for you, this means that your visitors won't be able to ruin your props and sets. Some people just have to vandalize at this time of year and ruin it for others.

If you have a lot of Jack-O-Lanterns, you might want to try a battery powered light source or light sticks to light them instead of candles. This cuts down on the fire hazards, such as catching costumes or props on fire.

If you do use real candles, make sure there is no chance of anything blowing into the flames, no cloth, crepe paper streamers or anything that could start a fire.

If you are using fake blood, make sure that it won't be coming in contact with anything stainable like visitors, pets and children. Not only is fake blood sticky but it can stain like crazy!

If you have a particularly gruesome haunt set up, make sure you have warning signs up so that those with a weak stomach can be forewarned.

If your haunt is going to be publicized, make sure that you get some volunteers to help with crowd control and public safety. Off duty police and fireman are often willing to help out.

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