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KRNV News Channel 4 and REMSA present...
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Airdate: 10/27/2003
QuickTime plug-in required
Everyone wants to have a safe and happy Halloween. Using the following safety tips and common sense will help you make the most of your Halloween season and make it as enjoyable for your kids as it is for you!
Make Halloween a fun, safe and happy time for your kids and they'll carry on the tradition that you taught them to their own families some day!
Help your child pick out or make a costume that will be safe.
- Costumes should be fireproof.
- Avoid using masks by using facial make-up instead. If masks are used, the eyeholes should be large enough for good peripheral vision.
- When buying special Halloween makeup, check for packages containing ingredients that are labeled "Made with U.S. Approved Color Additives," "Laboratory Tested," Meets Federal Standards for Cosmetics," or "Non-Toxic." Follow manufacturer's instruction for application.
- Costumes should be loose so warm clothes can be worn underneath. Additionally, costumes should not be so long that they are a tripping hazard. (Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries on Halloween.)
- If children are allowed out after dark, outfits should be made with light colored materials. Strips of retro-reflective tape should be used to make children visible.
- Knives, swords and other accessories should be made from cardboard or flexible materials. Do not allow children to carry sharp objects.
- Bags or sacks carried by youngsters should be light-colored or trimmed with retro-reflective tape if children are allowed out after dark.
- Carrying flashlights will help children see better and be seen more clearly.
Parents can pick up reflective Halloween bags for their children at REMSA’s headquarters located at 450 Edison Way in Reno or at the Reno Family YMCA at 1300 Foster Dr. in Reno.
- If you set jack-o-lanterns on your porch with candles in them, make sure that they are far enough out of the way so that kids costumes won't accidentally be set on fire.
- Make sure that if your child is carrying a prop, such as a scythe, butcher knife or a pitchfork, that the tips are smooth and flexible enough to not cause injury if fallen on.
- Kids always want to help with the pumpkin carving. Small children shouldn't be allowed to use a sharp knife to cut the top or the face. There are many kits available that come with tiny saws that work better then knives and are safer, although they can cut you as well. It's best to let the kids clean out the pumpkin and draw a face on it, which you can carve for them.
- Treating your kids to a spooky Halloween dinner will make them less likely to eat the candy they collect before you have a chance to check it for them.
- Teaching your kids basic everyday safety such as not getting into cars or talking to strangers, watching both ways before crossing streets and crossing when the lights tell you to, will help make them safer when they are out Trick or Treating.
Trick or Treating should be one of the great adventures of Halloween for kids! They can get dressed in scary costumes and go door-to-door, begging "Tricks or Treats!" from neighbors or at the local mall. It should be a fun time, without trouble and pain, so following some easy tips can keep your child safe every Halloween.
- Children should go out during daylight hours only unless accompanied by a responsible adult.
- Plan a safe route so parents know where their older kids will be at all times. Set a time for their return home. Make sure that children are old enough and responsible enough to go out by themselves. If not an adult should accompany them.
- Let your children know not to cut through back alleys and fields. Make sure they know to stay in populated places and don't go off the beaten track. Stay in well-lighted areas.
- Stop only at familiar houses in your own neighborhood unless an adult accompanies them.
- Small children should never be allowed to go out alone on Halloween. Make sure an older sibling or adult is with them.
- Instruct your children not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you.
- Instruct your child to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car.
- Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars.
- Let them know that they should stay together as a group if going out to Trick or Treat without an adult.
- Know the route your kids will be taking if you aren't going with them.
- The best bet is to make sure that an adult is going with them. If you can't take them, see if another parent or a teenaged sibling can go along.
- Know what other activities a child may be attending, such as parties, school or mall functions.
- Make sure you set a time that they should be home by. Make sure they know how important it is for them to be home on time.
- Explain to children the difference between tricks and vandalism. Throwing eggs at a house may seem like fun but they need to know the other side of the coin as well, clean up and damages can ruin Halloween. If they are caught vandalizing, make them clean up the mess they've made.
- Explain to your kids that animal cruelty is not acceptable. Kids may know this already but peer pressure can be a bad thing. Make sure that they know that harming animals is not only morally wrong but also punishable by law and will not be tolerated.
450
Edison Way 
Reno,
Nevada 89502 (775)858-5700 Fax
(775)858-5720
Schwartz