Community Corner

Tips for a Fun, Safe Halloween

From sex offender registries to tips about sorting candy, officials provide tips and information this holiday.

When it comes to trick-or-treating, the bag can’t be big enough to gather all the candy given out on Halloween.

Children may be tempted to eat a piece of two as they walk around going from house-to-house. Parents need to remind children that no matter how tempting, it’s best to leave the eating of treats until later. That is just one Halloween safety tip from the DuPage County Health Department.

Not only is it important for parents to check and make sure candy has not been tampered with, they also need to inspect any toys or novelty item a child receives. If a child receives fruit, it should be cleaned and cut open before eating, according to the health department. Also, toys with small parts should not be given to children, because of the risk of choking.

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When inspecting treats, the following items should be discarded:

• All unwrapped or partially unwrapped treats

• Any food that looks homemade

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• Any treats that appear to be stale or spoiled

• Packages that have puncture holes

Smart911, a free service that allows people to store important information that might be needed in an emergency, also has some tips for parents with kids of all ages.

While taking a photo of the kids before they go trick-or-treating is a fun way to keep memories fresh years after the event, it’s also important in case of an emergency, according to Smart 911. A current photo will help provide a detailed description in the event of an emergency. A photo could be critical to helping any emergency efforts.

Smart911 tips for younger children include:

  • If your child is trick-or-treating with a large group make sure there is a buddy system place. A big crowd is fun, but it’s easy for a child to get left behind or mixed in with other groups.
  • Select a meeting place your child knows, such as your home or a neighbor’s home. Tell your child if you get separated to head right to that meeting place.  
  • Scout out neighborhoods in your town in advance and find out which ones are well lit and have sidewalks. 

Older kids need to take precautions as well.

Smart911 offers these tips for parents of teens: 

  • If your child is heading out with friends, make sure you know who they are trick or treating with. Exchange phone numbers with your child’s friends and their parents. In the event of an emergency they will be the first people you probably call.  
  • Create a timeline, discuss what time your kid plans to head out, where they plan to go and what time they will return home. 
  • Make sure you know what your child will be dressed as. If they are dressing at friend’s house or pulling together a last minute costume, it’s important to be able to provide a detail description in the event of an emergency
  • Set ground rules: Number one, make sure your child never enters a person’s house. If they can’t bring the candy out to the doorstep, walk away.
  • If your child isn’t trick or treating in your neighborhood, scope out the neighborhood where they’re headed. Make sure the area looks safe and discuss what streets they plan to target.
  • If your child doesn’t have their own cell phone, lend them your phone or your spouse’s phone for the night or pick-up a pre-paid cell. Make sure all the important numbers your child would need are easily found (9-1-1, Mom, Dad and perhaps a neighbor).

The DuPage County Sheriff has offered links to a list of sex offenders. For that information visit the DuPage Sherriff  or www.mapsexoffenders.com

The city of Naperville and the offer additional . 

The does not have set trick-or-treating hours, but the Naperville Police suggest younger children finish by the time it gets dark and older children by 8 p.m.

 

 

 


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