To help ensure adults and children have a safe holiday, the American Academy of Pediatrics has compiled a list of Halloween safety tips.
Additional safety tips for parents – and anyone who plans to be on the road during trick-or-treat hours:
• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully
• At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing
• Discourage new, inexperienced drivers from driving on Halloween
Trick or treat safety tips:
• A responsible adult should accompany young children on the neighborhood rounds
• If your older children are going alone, plan and review a route acceptable to you
• Agree on a specific time children should return home
• Teach your children never to enter a stranger’s home or car
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and stick with their friends
• Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home
• Children and adults are reminded to put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street
Safety Tips For Checking Halloween Candy
• Wait until children are home to sort and check treats.
• Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any of the following candies that have:
– An unusual appearance or discoloration
– Tiny pinholes or tears in wrappers
– Spoiled or unwrapped items
– Homemade items or baked goods should be discarded unless you personally know who gave them.
When in doubt, throw it out
• Tell children not to accept – and, especially, not to eat – anything that isn’t commercially wrapped.
• Parents of young children should also remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies and small toys.
• Try to apportion treats for the days following Halloween.