Keeping Kids Safe On Halloween

Expert From Consumers Union Offers Advice

(CBS)  Halloween may be a lot of fun, but it can also pose hazards for kids as they go door-to-door trick-or-treating.

On The Early Show Halloween morning, a safety expert offered pointers to help parents to help their kids return safe and sound.

Don Mays, senior director of product safety and consumer sciences at Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports magazine, told co-anchor Hannah Storm the first thing is to "look for costumes that are flame-resistant. Things like nylon polyester are naturally flame-resistant, but if you use cotton or, you know, those pure materials, they have a tendency to be more flammable. Cotton gauze is extremely flammable and you have to very careful of it. We advise against it."

Costume length is also a concern, Mays said.

"(A costume) can be a tripping hazard," he explained. "You don't want it to be too long. Make sure you shorten it up appropriately. You also have to worry about the masks. Masks that cover the full face or a hood that covers the face can obstruct vision, and a child could fall, because they can't see where they're going. It's better to use makeup."

Shoes also come into play.

"You have to (make sure your youngsters) wear good shoes and watch where they're walking. I think parents can do a good job to prevent tripping hazards."

What about accessories, such as broomsticks?

"Make sure they're not sharp," Mays suggested. "Quite frankly, we recommend against carrying any long object because … tripping on the swords or broomsticks can be a problem."

With daylight-saving time over, it's going to get dark early, so what can parents do to make sure kids are spotted by motorists, Storm asked.

"Well," responded Mays, "reflective tape on the clothing. If the clothing isn't bright to begin with, you can always buy reflective tape at a hardware store. That way, drivers can see children at night. In fact, (the) pedestrian accident (rate) at Halloween time is extremely high. So, you have to know that tonight is a very dangerous night for kids to be out in the dark.

"Carrying a flashlight is important. One other thing we advise, for older children in particular, is for parents to lend their child a cell phone so, in the event of any kind of emergency, there's a way that the child can reach home or vice versa. If parents want to check on the child, they can call the cell phone."

Mays also had suggestions for anyone expecting lots of trick-or-treaters: "Make sure you clear all the tripping hazards in your front yard, the garden hoses, the lawn ornaments, and particularly be careful of lit candles and jack-o'-lanterns on the front doorstep, because they can be flammability hazards."