• Avoid costumes with excessive fabric, such as capes or sleeves. Loose clothing can easily brush up against an open flame, causing your child's costume to catch on fire.

• Make sure costumes fit. Oversized costumes can cause a child to trip and fall. Avoid hats that can slide over eyes.

• Accessorize with flexible props, such as rubber swords or knives. Inflexible ones can cause serious injury in a fall.

• Apply only non-toxic and hypoallergenic paint or cosmetics to the face. Masks should fit securely, with full vision eye holes.

• Choose bright colors that drivers can spot easily.

• Supervise children under age 13. Attach their name, address and phone number to their clothes in case they get separated from adults. Older children should travel in a group, and have a curfew. Each child should carry a cell phone.

• Children should only go to well-lit houses and remain on the porch within street view. Teach your child to cross only at crosswalks or intersections; never between parked cars. Remind your child to stay on the sidewalk, if possible, and to walk facing traffic. Use flashlights.

• Remind your child not to eat any treats before you've had a chance to examine them for holes and punctures. Throw away all treats that are homemade or unwrapped. To help prevent your children from munching, give them a snack or light meal before they go trick-or-treating.

• Parents of food-allergic children must read every candy label in their child's Halloween bag to avoid a potentially life-threatening situation for the child.

- Gracie Bonds Staples, Cox Newspapers