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Halloween Safety Tips For Safe Kids
Here's some GREAT Halloween Safety information
from my friends, Joyce Jackson and Preston Jones
from Keeping Kids Safe Today

Total child safety means safe kids no matter what they do. This month, in America, we are approaching a major kid fun day, Halloween. Many places celebrate this or something similar and it is the exciting, fun times that add to a lifetime of great childhood memories.

We can guarantee the real threats to kids on this pure party and fun day are things most parents aren’t aware of; most kids will face threats that aren’t from poisoned candy or predators lurking in the bushes.

The biggest danger on Halloween for kids is - injuries from tripping and falling. We don’t ever want to minimize the danger of child abuse but on Halloween, the majority of injured kids will end up in the Emergency Room with broken arms or wrists, broken teeth and cuts and bruises from falling or tripping in the dark.

On Halloween night kids will be running out of shear excitement. They’ll cut across lawns and alleys in their excitement and ignore the safer paths of the sidewalks. They’ll dart out in front of cars with their bags full of candy.

Moms and Dads will be caught up in the excitement and laughter and chat endlessly with their neighbors as they make their way around the block. As parents, it’s your job to make sure they are safer from these trips, stumbles an falls in the dark. Here’s how you can do it.

#1 Injury on Halloween: Falling Down
As kids fall unexpectedly they fall hard, fast and without a lot of natural defenses such as arms or hands for protection. Since it’s also dark, they can’t see what they are falling onto in order to try to cushion their fall, either.

First, the best thing you can do as a parent is come from a perspective that your child will be the one that trips and falls. If you do, you can prepare them ahead of time for little or no injury.

To do this use only soft props for Trick-or-Treating costumes. Rigid props such plastic guns or swords are absolutely out. Better yet, leave the props at home or for the in-house parties. When kids fall, they’ll fall on these rigid objects, such as guns or pirate swords and can injure or even puncture their little bodies.

It’s also a good idea to leave the jewelry beads and long necklaces at home, too. This way the chance of catching them on a low tree branch at night is zero.

Next, use only soft treat bags such as fabric bags. Pillow cases, the old cheap, inexpensive standby, is terrific. Rigid , hard pumpkins or cauldrons look great but again are no better that the rigid props above.

Costume Masks
Kids in the dark need to see well. Most masks do not allow kids to see and breathe very well, at all. We recommend painting the face with the great, sophisticated face painting kits out there.

Flashlights
Kids need flashlights to negotiate their dark paths. You as a parent can assume your child will not follow the safe sidewalks on Halloween. A small, bright light that fits nicely in their hands is best. Large, powerful flashlights for adults are too big and unsafe for smaller Trick-or-Treaters.

The pumpkin and black cat lights that are cool for kids are ineffective and illuminate poorly. They can also cause injury when a child falls because they wrap around the top of a kids hand and increase the chances a child will fall on it. Make sure any flashlight has fresh batteries in it and carry one yourself, as well.

Cars
The biggest danger here is with kids dashing into the street in their excitement and not looking where they are going.

We recommend placing reflective tape on sides and back of shoes, plus a strip around each ankle. The motion of the feet and legs are unique to humans and will hit a subconscious note with drivers when they see it. In other words the motion of kids feet is the key to being seen in headlights, not just simply wearing reflective tape on the costume.

Finally, make sure your child’s shoes fit for the night of fun and are tied well. Keep costumes above the ground by a few inches so your youngster doesn’t trip on it.

Halloween is one of those times that adults remember fondly as a child. Help your child build those memories, too with a safe, fun evening!

THANKS JOYCE AND PRESTON!! - Great information for Parents and Kids!!

Be sure to visit Joyce and Preston's Blog - click here

· Keeping Kids Safe, Parenting Tips For Safer Kids, Child Protection, Child Safety