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Halloween is a lot of fun! Goblins, ghosts, witches and monsters lurk about this night. Children spend a lot of time planning for Halloween. They are busy choosing just the right costume and are waiting impatiently for the night when they can go out and collect tons of candy.
It is important for parents to make their plans for Halloween as well. We must be sure to keep our children safe on this night. The following tips will show you how to keep your little monsters/witches/ghosts/or goblins safe and sound without compromising their fun.
1. Allow your child to choose his/her costume him/herself. Offer your child a choice between costumes with the following attributes:
a) brightly coloured
b) make up (instead of a mask)
c) warm (in case it gets cold)
d) short enough so your child doesn't trip on it
e) comfortable
f) made of flame resistant material
2. If you have a dog, keep it at home. Dogs can get frightened and may bite if they see many people in costume.
3. Make sure your child goes trick or treating with friends. (An adult should always be present when the children are very young)
4. Cross the streets at the corners. Never criss cross streets or go between parked cars, no matter how tempting it is to take the shortcut.
5. Stay in well lit areas and where there are lots of people. Avoid cutting through dark alleys and dark side streets.
6. It is better to go Trick or Treating at the homes of people you know as opposed to people you don't know. If you do go to people you don't know, don't allow your children to eat any of the candy until you check it.
7. Check all the candy before your child eats any of it. Discard unwrapped, shabbily wrapped, and discoloured candies. If you are not sure if a candy has been tampered with or not, throw it away.
8. Don't eat apples. If your child received an apple, cut it pieces to make sure there are no foreign objects in it, then give it to the birds or simply throw it away.
9. Prevent choking. Remove any candies that are not suitable for your child's age, for example, if your child is three years old or under, remove small hard candies.
10. While eating candy is a lot of fun, it is important to set limits. If your child eats too much, he/she will almost certainly wake up with a tummy ache.
11. If your child has allergies, be especially careful with imported candies. The ingredients are not always listed on the wrapper.
12. If you believe that in spite of the previous tips you would prefer not to take your child Trick or Treating, then have a Halloween party. This way you will have peace of mind knowing that your child will be safe.
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