Halloween is a magical season full of costumes, candy and happy delights. To help make it a safe season, Party City of Atlanta and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta offer parents the following tip sheet to ensure children have a safe and enjoyable Halloween.

“We want children to have a terrific time this Halloween,” said Jennifer Car of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Safe Kids Georgia. “Parents should review the following checklist with their children before their night of trick-or-treating to help ensure safety.”

“We sincerely care about the safety of everyone that celebrates Halloween,” said David Supple, CEO of Party City of Atlanta. “ Party City carries dozens of inexpensive safety items, including flashlights, glow sticks/bracelets/necklaces, flashing safety reflectors and reflective tape, that can help ensure a safe Halloween.”

SAFETY CHECKLIST FOR TRICK-OR-TREATING

• Make sure costumes fit properly. Hem skirts and pants so that children don’t trip.

• Make sure masks fit properly and that eyeholes allow your child to see fully. Don’t wear a mask that is too loose; it can slip and block your child’s vision. Even better, paint your child’s face instead of wearing a mask.

• Avoid costumes with excessive flowing fabric, such as capes or sleeves. Loose clothing can easily brush up against a jack-o-lantern or other open flame, causing your child’s costume to catch on fire.

• Before applying make-up to a child’s face, test the product on a small patch of skin on his/her arm or leg to avoid the possibility of an allergic reaction.

• To increase visibility in the dark, add safety accessories such as glow sticks or clip-on flashers to children’s costumes.

• Walk a pre-planned route through a familiar neighborhood so your children know when they are allowed to trick-or-treat.

• Encourage children to walk slowly on sidewalks and driveways and to cross streets only at street corners and crosswalks.

• Make sure your trick-or-treaters carry flashlights and only visit homes that are well-lit.

• Warn children not to eat candy or treats they receive until after they return home and an adults has examined the collection carefully. Children should never eat anything found unwrapped.

• Urge children not to run from yard to yard when trick-or-treating. Many children sustain injuries from tripping over curbs, bushes or other landscaping.

SAFE HALLOWEEN DECORATING

• Remove anything from your yard that can cause children to trip or fall, such as garden hoses, toys, bikes and lawn ornaments.

• Always use adult supervision and use a flat surface with good lighting when carving pumpkins. Party City offers Pumpkin Carving Kits to make this tradition a safe one.

• Place lit pumpkins away from flammable objects. Never leave a lit pumpkin unattended.

• Use bulb-lit or fiber-optic decorations and light sets for indoor decorations.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta , one of the leading pediatric healthcare systems in the country, is a not-for-profit organization that benefits from the generous philanthropic and volunteer support of our community and state. With 430 licensed beds in two hospitals and more than 400,000 annual patient visits, Children’s is recognized for excellence in cardiac, cancer and transplant services, as well as in many other pediatric specialties. To learn more about Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, visit www.choa.org or call 404.250-kids.

Party City of Atlanta Inc. is the largest franchisee in the country for New Jersey-based Party City Corporation, the nation’s largest discount party goods retailer. The company owns and operates 25 retail stores throughout Georgia . For more information, visit www.partycityonline.com.