Skip to main content

SAFETY STEPS FOR SPOOKY FUN

(Family Features) Traditional family activities like trick-or-treating create fun moments and memories, but the effects of COVID-19 on this Halloween will bring about change for the spooky excitement.

You can still ensure a special night for your little ones and all the ghouls, goblins and ghosts in your neighborhood by following safety measures aimed at keeping everyone healthy on All Hallows’ Eve. Consider these tips for safe trick-or-treating from the experts at the National Safety Council and leading candy maker, Mars Wrigley.

Before

  • Buy individually wrapped candy to hand out to trick-or-treaters. Fun-size packs are one of the easiest forms of candy for trick-or-treaters to grab and go.
  • Create fun, individual candy goody bags for a no-touch option for trick-or-treaters.
  • Make sure your yard is well-lit; replace any burnt-out light bulbs.
  • Create signs encouraging trick-or-treaters to stay 6 feet apart and display them in your yard.
  • Don’t hand out treats if you are not feeling well.
  • Consider socially distanced options such as “trunk-or-treating,” during which prepackaged goodies are handed out, or a virtual costume parade. Alternately, you can use a tool like Mars Wrigley’s “TREAT TOWNTM,” an app-based digital experience for families to virtually trick-or-treat for real candy. It offers Halloween fans of all ages the ability to create personalized spooky avatars, customized decorations for your in-app “door” and the ability to “knock” on the doors of friends and family across the country. Visit Treat-Town.com to find more information.

During

  • Make trick-or-treating care packs with hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and extra face masks.
  • Help little ones clean their hands throughout the night.
  • Maintain a distance of 6 feet from other groups of trick-or-treaters, allowing one group to collect candy at a time.
  • Wear face masks and reflective tape or clothing and carry flashlights or glow sticks if you’re walking in the dark.
  • Do “mask checks.” Stop in a safe place and make sure young children’s masks are covering their mouths and noses.
  • Use sidewalks and crosswalks. Don’t cross the street between cars and be as visible as possible as drivers may be distracted.
  • Consider setting up a grab-and-go “candy corner” for visitors, inclusive of hand sanitizer and treats.

After

  • Wash your hands when you get home.
  • Sanitize candy wrappers before eating or let it sit for 24 hours.
  • Follow the “when in doubt, throw it out” rule. Throw away any candy that is open, ripped or has torn packaging, an unusual appearance or pinholes. Discard any homemade items made by people you don’t know.
  • Watch for choking hazards. If you have a young child, make sure candy he or she collected isn’t a choking hazard. If it is, discard it.
  • Keep candy away from pets, especially chocolate and sugar-free gum, which can be poisonous for your furry friends.

Handing Out Treats from Home
If you’re staying home to hand out treats to the superheroes, ghosts, princesses and other little guests that arrive on your doorstep, consider these ideas to encourage safety and fun:

  • Minimize the number of hands reaching into a bowl. Find fun, hands-free ways to give candy to trick-or-treaters. You can place candy on your lawn or driveway, so trick-or-treaters don’t have to crowd around your front door, touch handrails or knock.
  • Move out of the way any items that children could trip over and keep pets inside.
  • Stand outside when handling treats, wear a mask and use hand sanitizer often. Consider keeping a large bottle of sanitizer near you for visitors to use as well.
  • Allow one small group at a time at your door.
  • Give out one set of treats at a time to minimize hands reaching into a common bowl. For example, fun-size packs of treats like M&M’s and SNICKERS offer plenty of options and are easy for trick-or-treaters to grab and go.

 

Photos courtesy of Getty Images

SOURCE:
Mars Chocolate North America

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

4 TIPS FOR A PRODUCTIVE 2021

  4 Tips for a Productive 2021 (Family Features) This year has taught many workers a thing or two about being productive when offices and homes blend into one. As the calendar turns to 2021, consider these key products and processes to stay productive next year. Find a system (and stick to it): Creating an organizing system is an easy way to ensure your at-home workspace is ready for optimal productivity. Designate space to house all your work items – a drawer, cabinet or box – and keep work items organized by type (pens, papers, computer gear, etc.) At the end of each day, transitioning to “offline hours” can be easier when you have a place to stow your work items. Start your day clean: Studies have shown cleanliness has a direct impact on productivity. Yet, many people struggle to find the time and energy to clean, especially at the end of a busy day at home. An option like The DEEBOT T8 from Ecovacs provides a hands-free cleaning experien...
Post a Comment
Read more

UNDERSTANDING HOW POCKET LISTINGS WORK

Have you ever wondered what a “pocket listing” is?  Learn a little bit about this trend in hot markets and how an agent familiar with pocket listings can help you sell your home faster or find homes which haven’t hit the market yet. If you’ve been searching for a home or have been considering selling your home, you may have heard the term “pocket listings” from real estate agents or even friends and family. What is a pocket listing? Where did the term come from? How are pocket listings being used today to buy and sell homes? Pocket listings are homes which are for sale but not yet widely advertised or entered into typical MLS databases. Often an agent will enter into an agreement to sell a home, but will first reach out to their personal and professional network to see if anyone may be interested in a quick, private purchase. Ideally, the agent knows someone or another agent who has a client interested in the home and the whole process of listing and marketing the ho...
Post a Comment
Read more

UNDERSTANDING MULTIPLE OFFER SITUATIONS

In a seller’s market, multiple offers are not uncommon. But what does that really mean?  And how should you and your agent work together to generate the most interest in a multiple offer situation? Find out more in my post…  When inventory is tight and a market heats up, sellers often dream of finding themselves in a multiple offer situation. In a multiple offer situation, more than one potential buyer submits a written offer on the home. With multiple offers on a property, the listing agent can then try and “shop the top offer” in order to try and get the best deal possible for their client. If you live in a hot market, how do you structure your listing in such a way that you get the best possible offers in a multiple offer situation? One strategy for cultivating multiple offers is letting buyers know that the seller will only entertain offers on a certain date. Rather than deal with offers dribbling in one at a time, there’s a deadline for offers. When thi...
Post a Comment
Read more