Halloween safety tips

This year, Belize’s little trick or treaters are in for an added treat since Halloween falls on a Sunday night, giving them a full weekend of candy gathering this year. But while the candy hunt can be good fun, it poses certain safety risks. To help parents help their children stay safe, the American Academy of Paediatrics recommends parents accompany their children, or set certain guidelines:

1) Older children who go unaccompanied should travel in a group, carry a cell phone, plan their route beforehand and return home at a specified time.

2) To help drivers see the children on dark streets, wear bright costumes or add reflective tape and carry flashlights. To make sure the kids can see, face paint is recommended instead of masks. Accessories like swords, canes or sticks should not be too sharp to avoid injuries.

3) Children should try to stick to the side of the road. Drivers need to be aware that children might come out from behind parked cars unexpectedly or not paying attention to traffic due to their excitement. Young or overweight children should not be allowed to eat sweets to excess, but given a few at a time, perhaps over several days. As always, children are encouraged to visit only those homes with lights on, to stay off dark streets and stick to areas where there are lots of other people.