Halloween safety tips for trick or treat

  • Published
  • By Regina Coffey
  • Air Force Flight Test Center Safety Office
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Children look forward to Halloween for many reasons. They like dressing up in costumes, but more than that they like it for the candy and treats! Who doesn't? Even some adults still like going out trick or treating. It makes them feel young and happy again.

While this commentary addresses guidelines mainly for children, they are useful for adults as well.

Some parents like to have first choice on some of the candy that the children have received during the night. It's their reward for taking their children from house to house.

But, instruct your children NOT to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by their parents first. This way their parents can check for any candy that may have been tampered with and of course get the pick of the best stuff.

Make the children's Halloween a pleasant and safe event and they'll have fond memories that last a lifetime!

Parents should get into the Halloween spirit as much as their children do. They can get dressed up in scary costumes and go door to door begging "Trick or Treat!" from neighbors. Trick or treating should be one of the great adventures of Halloween for children! Going door to door is the stuff childhood memories are made of! It should be a fun time, without trouble and pain, so following some easy tips can keep your child safe every Halloween. Parents taking children out for the night should dress up as well.

When planning for such an outing, keep the following in mind:

· A responsible adult should always accompany children going out trick or treating. If you have a group of children going, the parents should choose two or three responsible adults to go along and keep an eye on things
· Plan a safe route so parents know where their older children will be at all times.
· Set a time to return home.
· Make sure that your child is old and responsible enough to go out by themselves, if they do so.
· Make sure that they have a cell phone.
· Make sure they know to stay in populated areas.
· Let them know to stay in well-lit areas with lots of people around.
· Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on his or her costume to make them more visible to cars.

Let them know they should stay together as a group if going out to trick or treat without an adult.