STAFF REPORT
Halloween is Oct. 31 and for many Central Texas children, that means one thing: Trick-or-Treat.
For parents, it often means thinking about safety issues. What can you do to help keep kids safe on Halloween night?
Here are a few tips for making it a worry-free, enjoyable evening:
• Inspect the candy your children receive when they get home; dispose any you feel is unsafe, presents a choking hazard or where packaging seems compromised.
• Encourage children to stay out of the street; they should use sidewalks or stay on the side of the road if no sidewalk is available.
• Remind children not to run across streets, especially from between parked cars; use crosswalks and have an adult watch for cars.
• Provide them with reflective clothing and a flashlight with new batteries.
• Teach children to go to only houses that are well lit.
• Avoid petting unfamiliar animals, even those that seem friendly.
To make your own home safer for visiting Trick-or-Treaters, follow these tips:
• Clear your yard and walkways of debris such as ladders, hoses, sports equipment, dog leashes and flowerpots.
• Keep pets in an area away from visitors to protect them from cars or from biting a Trick-or-Treater.
• If your jack-o-lanterns have real candles inside, place them away from areas where children will be standing or walking.
In addition, parents should accompany their children while Trick-or-Treating, and drivers should slow down and be on the look out for children that night.
