Halloween Child Safety Tips

Nancy McBride: This is the time of year when child safety is really important. It is every day of the year. But this is the time when kids are out and about. They are taking candy from people they may not know very well and it's important that you as the parent or guardian or a trusted adult, supervise your younger kids and for older kids that they stay in groups and they know when they need to be home and they know which neighborhoods they can visit. Children should never go trick-or-treating alone and they should not approach homes that are not well-lit and they should make certain that they stay within a safe distance between themselves and the person in the house and that they are with other kids when they approach the home. It's really not okay for children to go into homes in the neighborhood just because somebody appears to be nice and wants the child to come into the home. It does not mean that the child forgets all their safety rules and goes in. So it's really up to us, the adults, to set the rules for our kids about trick-or-treating and where they can go. If someone scares the child or makes the child uncomfortable, the child should tell a trusted adult or tell whomever they are with, their parent or guardian and let them know because this is not a situation where we are trying to scare children to death. We just want them to have a good time. If a parent or guardian is a little bit concerned about kids going door to door for treats, check out your community. See what's going on as far as organized events, whether it's at a mall or some sort of a community center, many times they will organize an event where kids can come, have a good time, do different things besides just getting candy and the parent or guardian can supervise a little bit better because they are in an enclosed environment. So there are a number of things you can do so your kids still have fun, but they give you a little bit better control over the environment and where your kids are going.