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29th October 2015
04:02pm GMT

Fire and flames
In fairness, NO child should be anywhere near a candle, tealight or real flame fire that is not completely contained. Lanterns can become hot enough to scald, and paper lanterns can be hazardous for hair and outfits. Even a tealight inside a carved-out pumpkin can cause serious damage if it falls over. To be safe, stick to battery powered LEDs.
"Novelty Halloween lighting similar to Christmas lights are now popular to buy", explains O’Leary. "All electrical products sold in the EU must comply with safety standards and have a visible CE mark."
Sweets
For younger children, sweets and especially eating them on the go can be a massive health hazard. Be sure to inspect the sweets your children are given, and remove anything you don't like the look of, especially sweets not in their original wrapper.
Why not do a trade deal with your children? They give you some sweets (that you can bin) in return for a small gift, games time or even a trip to the ice skating rinks that are starting to open around the country these days. It's a win-win.
The dark
Many children and their parents will walk around roads after dark this evening, so opt for bright colours and reflective material. Reflective armbands are great too. Another smart trick to stay safe is to hem shop-bought costumes to the correct length for the child.
Masks can be pretty obstructive for a child's vision, making non-toxic face makeup a better choice.
Also, don't let your child bring anything out or into someone's home that could injure another child, including long pointed sticks, devils forks, solid swords, blades or authentic looking weapons of any kind.
The area
Agree which streets and estates your children are allowed to walk into to before they set out, and always accompany younger children. Bring a torch to light the way, especially if you are walking streets that are less than well-lit. Give instructions on where to meet and what to do should someone get separated from the group.
Stay on the pavements, and in rural areas be extremely careful when walking on any unlit roads.
If older children are going out unaccompanied, appoint a leader and keep repeating until they KNOW the rules. Remind children and teens to stay on the streets they know and to only knock on doors where the house is lit.
Also inform your kids to under no circumstances enter the house of anyone, but close friends and family sanctioned by parents — instead stay in the group on the step.
Do NOT perform any ‘prank’ on householders, regardless of what they give or don't give out.
Fireworks and bonfires:
Fireworks are illegal in Ireland, but every year children are still injured as a result of them. Misuse rather than malfunction is usually to blame. Bangers, although very common, are also illegal – and packed with explosives. The potential to burn and harm children is vast, so make sure you talk to your children, especially tweens and teenagers about these.
Illegal bonfires are often organized locally, despite great efforts made by the Gardai to avoid these. Take a stand and bring the family to a legal firework or bonfire event instead.
Now, here's to a happy, fun and SAFE Halloween all around!Explore more on these topics: