Always a blast with Holly Morris from FOX Morning News (D.C.) – I wanted to share that segment along with some more Halloween safety tips – and treats – that we didn’t have time to cover.
Halloween could be the “perfect storm for disaster” – kids sprinting around in the dark, sugar highs, etc. But with some careful planning, you can have a fun and safe Halloween! Here are some quick highlights of some of the safety tips we covered along with some treats you may not have heard about…
- Checkpoints – For older kids who venture out alone, set up times to check in via phone or text.
- Go hands free – Avoid Halloween costumes that require constant adjusting; carry a backpack so your kids can “dump” and continue!
- Dog Safety – LOVED Camp Bow Wow’s doggie safety tips – in addition to trying on the costume in advance, making sure it doesn’t restrict movement or scare them, CEO Heidi Ganahl suggests leaving the pet at home that night to and being REALLY careful about chocolate – can be toxic to dogs.
Also, Halloween seems to be recession-free — spending is expected to be UP by $1.1 billion (!) – we scare up $6.9 billion in consumer spending, according to Ad Age.
Here are some more treats we didn’t cover on TV:
- Easy costume ideas – I have to give Real Simple magazine the award for continuing to come up with creative, punny & EASY do-it-yourself costumes. Online and in the magazine…my favorites are…Raining Cats & Dogs (umbrella with stuffed animals on top), Fork in the Road (black shirt with road dots in the middle and a plastic fork), Split P (zip up sweatshirt with a P taped in the middle) – adorable!
- The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons – Noting that Halloween is a busy time in the ER, the AAOS said that only parents should carve pumpkins with specially designed carving tools (NOT regular kitchen knives); and to be careful when lighting pumpkins and consider glow sticks or non-flammable lights instead.
- Face painting – I caught up with the experts who said to always use water-based, hypoallergenic, non-toxic paint (NEVER acrylic); to remove, use baby oil or eye make up remover.
- IHOP gives away a FREE Scary Face pancake for kids on Friday October 28 from 7a-10p. Parents can even sign up for a FREE wake-up call that day from “Count Spatula” with a fun reminder about the free give-away. Cute!
Many thanks to Edible Gifts Plus for the delicious (and very spooky!) Halloween treats we showed on TV – I was particularly impressed with how fresh their candy and cookies were…especially the ghost marshmallows!
Happy Halloween!
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[…] Safety tips and easy do-it-yourself costumes — including formulating checkpoints to stay in touch, going “hands-free” with elementary costumes and a trek for Mom or Dad to lift additional waters, flashlights and candy crawl and where to find giveaway “scary” pancakes before Halloween. See them during http://momtinilounge.com/mom-fun/holidays/halloween-safety-tips-easy-costume-ideas. […]
Well done, Amy! Love the Raining Cats and Dogs idea. Maybe I’ll do that next year. It is clear that dressing up your pets is a happening these days. Some are really clever but really… guess I am old fashioned when it comes to pets. We had a safe, fun and delicious Halloween. After trick or treating, all candy was reviewed with some thrown away – no dyes. The rest has been put away for special treat consumption times. We find that eventually, the kids starts forgetting about it. Out of sight, out of mind. Now its on to the holidays – more treats!
Thanks! I also thought the raining cats & dogs was really cute with those stuffed animals spilling over the umbrella!! Glad you & a good Halloween! How much did you have to throw away? Didn’t realize they still used red (?) dyes – thanks for the heads up! What was your kids’ favorite candy?
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[…] highlights with you so you can enjoy a fun, yummy, and SAFE Halloween with your kids. We did a segment with FOX News a while back that has some great safety tips, including ones for older kids (checkpoints, etc.). Here are some new […]