The following list of dos and don’ts for Halloween fun and safety was condensed from the information provided by the Los Angeles Fire Department (www.lafd.org/hween.htm) and www.halloween-safety.com.  

For a more extensive review of how to ensure a festive but safe holiday for everybody, feel free to visit the above websites. Happy Halloween from all of us at first tuesday!

Decorating and Activities

  • Children may clean out the seeds from a pumpkin and draw on a face, but only adults should be in charge of carving, preferably with the aid of a pumpkin carving kit.
  • Use battery-powered lights or chemical lightsticks inside of Jack o’ Lanterns or other decorations.
  • When decorating the outside of your house, make sure that all walkways are clear. Also place Jack o’ Lanterns or any fire-lit decorations far from areas where children may be walking, to avoid any tripping or costumes catching on fire.
  • Do not overload electrical outlets with decorative lights, and do not block any exit doors.

Costume preparation

  • Costumes should be bright or reflective. Consider putting reflective tape on dark-colored costumes and trick-or-treat bags to make them more visible at night.
  • Make sure costumes are not made of flammable material.
  • Eye holes in masks or in general should be large enough to allow good peripheral vision.
  • Costumes and footwear should fit well enough to avoid tripping.
  • Consider securing emergency information, such as name, phone number, and address on the inside of a child’s costume.

Top 10 Halloween Costumes for 2003

If your children haven’t yet decided what to be for Halloween, this Top 10 list of the most popular Halloween costumes for 2003 might spark some ideas:

  1. Characters from The Wiggles
  2. Superheroes (The Hulk, Spiderman, Power Rangers, etc.)
  3. The Cat in the Hat
  4. Divas (Bratz and other popstars)
  5. Scream
  6. SpongeBob Squarepants and Patrick Star
  7. Wizard of Oz characters (Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch, the Scarecrow, etc.)
  8. Austin Powers
  9. Gothic costumes
  10. 1920s flappers, as seen in Chicago

List taken from iParty, New England’s largest party retailer, at www.iparty.com.

Trick-or-Treating Tips

  • Before letting your children go trick-or-treating, remind them of appropriate holiday behavior.
  • Children should always be accompanied by a responsible adult when going trick-or-treating.
  • Set a time for the children to come back home. The adult in the group should wear a wristwatch and carry either a cell phone or enough coins to make any non-emergency phone calls.
  • Remind the children that 9-1-1 can be dialed free from any phone if there is an emergency.
  • Plan a safe route in a well-lit, familiar neighborhood. Always communicate to others where you are going. Do not take any alleys, short cuts or side streets.
  • Always cross the street in a group, use the crosswalk and obey all traffic signals and regulations. Do not assume the right of way, in case passing motorists cannot see you in the dark.
  • Every child should carry a flashlight or a chemical lightstick. Make sure all flashlights have fresh batteries.
  • Children should wait until they come back home before they eat any candy. An adult should inspect all the candy and throw away any that are unwrapped, old, rotten, or otherwise suspicious-looking. Any candy that could cause choking should only be given to children of an appropriate age.