Halloween can be scary And safe

Most children love Halloween — they can’t wait to get dressed in their costumes and “prowl” the neighborhood. But what’s fun for the kids can be scary for the parents — are the kids safe; are their “treats” safe and so on? Below are some tips to help make the festivities fun and safe.

Tips for trick-or-treaters

• Go along — Accompany trick-or-treaters younger than age 12. In case you get separated, pin a piece of paper with your child’s name and your name, address and phone number inside his or her pocket. Encourage older kids to trick-or-treat with a group and make sure someone in the group carries a flashlight with fresh batteries.
• Stay close to home — Don’t allow your child to go door to door in an unfamiliar neighborhood.
• Set ground rules — If your child will be trick-or-treating without you, establish a route and set a curfew; review safety rules and make sure your child knows to never go inside anyone’s home. You may want to give your child a cell phone for the evening, in case he or she needs to contact you.
• Inspect carefully — Feed your child a healthy snack before he or she heads out. Upon return, carefully inspect all treats before they’re consumed. Discard all choking hazards and anything that’s not sealed, has torn packaging or looks questionable.

Be sweet on the home front
You may want to consider a trick-or-treat party with a couple of neighbors instead of house-to-house door knocking. You can decorate the garage, have a costume contest, and plan games and prizes.

If you’re expecting trick-or-treaters, make sure you’re ready:

• Clean up — Look for and remove all tripping hazards such as garden hoses, toys, bikes and lawn decorations. Clear away wet leaves, snow or other debris from the sidewalk.
• Light up your area — Replace any burnt out bulbs to ensure good visibility around the walkway and your front door.
• Control your pets— Pets may become frightened by the unusual activity and might chase or even bite a child at your door, so consider restricting pets to another area of the house.
• Consider non-sugar treats — Instead of candy and baked goods, consider handing out stickers, glittery pencils, rubber insects or colored chalk.

Goblin or ghoul, vampire or witch 
Halloween festivities are lots of fun and kids typically get excited. If you’ll be driving, be especially careful entering or leaving driveways, and watch for children who might pop out from between parked cars. Kids may also be running in and around your home — while we can’t always prevent the unexpected, we can prepare for it. Call me so you can be sure you have the coverage you want.

Fun facts

• Halloween is a shortening of All Hallows’ Evening and is observed in many parts of the world on October 31, the night before All Saints’ Day.¹
• Ireland is generally believed to be the birthplace of Halloween.²
• One quarter of all candy sold annually in the U.S. is purchased for Halloween.³
• The first Jack O’Lanterns were actually made from turnips.²
• The largest pumpkin ever measured was grown by Norm Craven, who broke the world record in 1993 with a 836 lb. pumpkin.²

¹Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween
²Source: http://facts.randomhistory.com/halloween-facts.html
³Source: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween