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Only Treats, No Tricks
Have a Happy Baby-safe Halloween
By Shannon McKelden
- Cross streets safely while trick-or-treating. Cross at a corner, using traffic signals and crosswalks. Try to make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them. Don't assume that because you can see the driver, the driver can see you. Look left, right and left again when crossing, and keep looking as you cross. Walk, don't run, across the street.
- Walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible. Walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.
- Only trick-or-treat in areas with good lighting.
- Be a safe pedestrian around cars. Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Never dart out into the street or cross in between parked cars.
Using reflective tape and light-colored clothing for costumes will also add to the visibility of your child on Halloween night.
Donahue reminds parents that being outside in the dark might be disorienting to toddlers or babies. "One idea might be to take them outside a few nights beforehand to get them used to being in the dark," she says. "Also, try to keep them away from older kids whose voices or actions might otherwise startle a baby or toddler. Keep a close eye on toddlers who are unsteady on their feet. Their visibility will be limited on dark sidewalks and they can be more prone to falling." And a frightened child may decide to run, putting him in harm's way.
There are alternatives to trick-or-treating, too, for little ones, who won't know the difference if they participate in the fun from home instead of going door-to-door.
Tammy York's oldest child didn't trick-or-treat until she was 3. "Before we trick-or-treated with our oldest daughter, we made decorations and her costume and picked out which candy we wanted to give away and then sat in lawn chairs at the end of the driveway and she gave out the candy," says the mother of two from Ohio. York says they had a blast. This year, she took both her young daughters trick-or-treating. "They wanted to go back home after about 10 houses so they could give out candy," York says. "They both seem to like giving out the candy more than getting the candy. Go figure."
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