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Tips For A Safe Halloween

EranB
/
Wikimedia Commons

Halloween is just days away and young trick or treaters are ready to put on their costumes and get some candy.

Darin Hickey is the public information officer of the Cape Girardeau Police Department. He says it is important for parents to know the neighborhood they trick or treat in. Hickey explains parents should know the route they will take, how safe the neighborhood is and what the traffic is like.

“Traffic is one of the biggest concerns because there is a lot of foot traffic in neighborhoods sometimes, and so when cars are passing by it can get very dangerous,” Hickey said.

He recommends carrying flashlights to make your groups more visible and making sure the candy is safe before anyone eats it.

Pediatric dentist Jayne Scherrman says it is safe to let children indulge and eat candy on Halloween if it is done in moderation.

“It’s not what we eat, it’s how often we eat it,” she said.

She explained if parents let their kids eat candy for 20 minutes one night and 10 minutes the next, they will eventually tire of it.

“Eating Halloween candy is a treat that comes once a year, and I would let the kids have the candy as long as they all brush their teeth and floss their teeth before they go to bed at night,” Scherrman said.

She says it is important for them to brush and floss their teeth at least twice a day. She explains one night of candy will not cause decay, but letting the sugar sit on their teeth for long periods of time could.

Jessica Penland was an intern reporter for KRCU in 2014.