Halloween
is great fun for children and parents alike but it's even better if you
take precautions to ensure your child's safety.
Here are a few simple tips which will help ensure
that it doesn't become scary for real.
Fright night?
Very young children should only go out if
accompanied by a responsible adult.
Get together with other parents who live nearby
and organise a safe circuit of friends' houses for slightly older kids
to visit. At each house, the resident adult can make a swift head-count
to make sure no child has strayed away from the group, and parents can
keep in touch by phone so you know where your children are at all times.
If children are old enough to go out without
supervision, make sure they go in a group and stick together.
Spiteful tricks are unacceptable. In the run-up
to Halloween, discuss the difference between amusing tricks to play
on friends and cruel and/or dangerous tricks. Children should NEVER
play a 'trick' on a stranger and should NEVER damage property with stones
or eggs.
Before they go...
Parents should make sure their children eat
a proper meal before going out.
Children going out should carry a torch.
Make sure your kids have money to phone home.
Better still, if they have a mobile phone, they should take it with
them and call or text at a pre-arranged time. If in any doubt about
their welfare or whereabouts, call or text them.
Make sure they are wearing a watch, preferably
one that can be read in the dark. Know exactly where your children are
going and when they are due back... and make sure they know it too.
Be careful with costumes. Make sure they are
flame-resistant.
Explain the importance of sticking to familiar
areas and not straying into areas they don't know. Remind your children
not to cut across driveways or gardens.
Out and about
Kids should only approach houses where you
know the occupants and which are lit up.
Road-sense is important. Tell your children
to walk to where they're going - there's no need to run. They should
stay on the pavement if they can or walk on the RIGHT hand-side FACING
the traffic if there's no pavement. Children should remember to follow
the green cross code at traffic lights.
Make sure your child's costume doesn't drag
on the ground. Tell them to take their mask off between houses. Wearing
bright clothing or incorporating reflective markings or tape into the
costume will make them more visible to motorists.
Children shouldn't
go near or try to stroke animals they don't know.
Tell them to bring sweets back home before
eating them. Anything that looks dirty or dodgy in any way should be
discarded.
