Trick or Treat Safety Tips

Before your little ghosts and goblins trick or treat this year, parents should keep in mind these trick or treating safety tips to make sure the only howls are those of fun. Here are some tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics

• Make sure children under 12 are supervised by an adult or teen chaperone if you can't take her around yourself. Teens should have a curfew.
  
• Round up a group. It's best for kids of any age to travel in groups of three or more—there is safety in numbers., Plan a route with your child, making sure he knows to call you if she deviates from the plan. Keep his route to familiar streets and houses, working up the street then back down without criss-crossing. Set a time limit when he should come home or call you.
  
• Tell her to visit well-lit, familiar houses. Make her promise to stick to the stoop — and never go inside unless she knows the grown-ups very well. Remind her to say "thank you" for her treats.
  
• Remind him of police and fire safety. Practice the principle of "Stop-Drop-Roll," just in case his clothes catch on fire. Encourage him to talk to a policeman or call you if anything makes her uncomfortable or upset.
  
• Review pedestrian rules. It's easy to overestimate your child's ability to remember to cross at corners, wait for walk signals, and stay on the sidewalks. Between the evening's excitement and the novelty of being out at night, reviewing traffic-safety is a good idea. Remind her to walk — not run — between houses.

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