by Dixie Thomason

Created on: September 21, 2009   Last Updated: September 23, 2009

From ghosts to ghouls, chills and thrills, and tricks to treats, Halloween is a favored holiday for adults and children alike. Halloween has become a day of fun, fantasy and make-believe, filled with frightful fun. However, amongst all that fun, it is important to stay safe and especially to keep your children safe. There are a few simple guidelines your kids should follow to stay out of harm's way.

For starters, be sure your child's costume fits well. Your child should be able to walk freely in the costume without stepping on and/or tripping over the bottom of it. If mask or head gear of any sort is worn with the costume, it should not obstruct the child's vision. During trick or treating or any time your child might be tempted to run, while in costume, they should not carry any props with them that could cause them to trip and fall or that would harm them if they were to fall on it. Secure reflective stickers or patches to your child's costume to make them more visible to traffic. Also, be sure that your child's costume is flame retardant, especially if they will be near lit jack-o-lanterns.

Plan your trick-or-treating route out ahead of time. You should only allow your children to trick-or-treat in familiar neighborhoods. Younger children should have adult supervision while trick-or-treating. It is advisable for older children to trick-or-treat in groups. You should never allow your child to trick-or-treat alone. Remember there is safety in numbers! Never allow your child to go inside anyone's house whom you do not know.

Feed your child a fun, festive Halloween dinner right before trick or treating. This way your child will be less tempted to eat any of their treats during trick-or-treat time. Be sure to check over your child's candy and treats well, in order to pick out anything that looks like it might have been tampered with, before allowing your child to eat anything they get during trick-or-treating. Throw out any unwrapped candy or treats.

If your child will be attending a Halloween party, be sure your child knows not to leave the party early without permission from you. Make sure that the party is supervised. Also be sure that the child's costume is appropriate for the party that they are attending.

Halloween is a lot of fun for both children and adults. Just be sure to keep it safe for everyone, especially your children. A child tragedy on Halloween would bring a whole new meaning to the words "Halloween fright", that I am sure nobody wants to experience.

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