Along with the onset of school, fall, foul weather, and the pending winter, come a few perks too.  One such bonus of this time of year is the annual tradition of Halloween.  All this month, Cackleberries will be pulling out the stops to bring you plenty of Hallow’s Eve themed posts.

You can view all of our expert articles on the right side of the page under the “Expert Articles” category.  If you have a topic you’d like us to cover, feel free to let us know at info@cackleberries.com

Child Safety Tips for Halloween Night

While Halloween can be an absolute blast, it can also be downright bust.  Poor weather, avoidable injuries, fear of vandals, or any number of other concerns can easily turn a night of delight into a night of distress.   To help mitigate any of these potential pitfalls, we’ve compiled a list of tips to make sure your Halloween is as stress-free as can be!

Check and Re-Check your Child’s Candy!

Always go through your child’s candy haul when you get home. Never allow your child to eat opened goodies or treats. While it’s entirely possible that these sweets are fine, it’s simply not worth the risk. The vast majority of packages should be sealed and the few that have to be disposed of won’t affect your kid’s stash. Also, be sure to take some for yourself.

When Out at Night, Make Sure to be Bright!

This tip is especially important when the weather is rainy or foggy. In conditions when it has hard to see and with plenty of dark costumes being worn, make sure your child can be seen! There are plenty of ways to have your child visible without detracting from their costume.

• Attach light reflective strips to their arms and legs – As these appendages are constantly in motion, their reflective capabilities will be maximized.
• Outfit them with glowing light-sticks for their wrists or necks – These glowing accessories will last for hours and are available in a variety of different colours ensuring that even the most picky of children will be appeased.
• Use a Flashlight – Avoid unseen curbs or cracks in the sidewalk, keep better track of your kids, tie loose shoelaces easier, or do pretty much anything else you need light to do!

Avoid Houses with Their Lights Off

These lights are off for a reason – they want to be left alone. If someone does not want to participate in Halloween, that should be respected. Constant annoyance could result in unnecessary confrontation.

Cross the Street Safely

Make sure to cross the roadway from sidewalks or via intersections. It might seem like a minor piece of advice but simple road safety can go a long way, especially for tiny children.

Try to Avoid Firecrackers and Fireworks

While these can be dazzling on the eyes, they are best viewed from a distance or in controlled environments. The power contained in these tiny items is enough to send a child to the emergency room.

Avoid Large Groups and Stick Together

Large groups can lead to confusion and mini-members of your troupe can get lost in the melee.

Wear Appropriate Clothing

Winter is fast approaching. Mix in a little rain or snow, and Halloween can make for a downright chilly experience and we’re not just talking spine chilling scary, we’re talking cold! Make sure you and your kids are wearing warm clothing in layers. You can always take extra clothes off but it’s a lot harder to add clothes you don’t have.

So with that, have a safe and fun Halloween night!

Along with the onset of school, fall, foul weather, and the pending winter, come a few perks too.  One such bonus of this time of year is the annual tradition of Halloween.  All this month, Cackleberries will be pulling out the stops to bring you plenty of Hallow’s Eve themed posts.

You can view all of our expert articles on the right side of the page under the “Expert Articles” category.  If you have a topic you’d like us to cover, feel free to let us know at info@cackleberries.com

Simple, Cheap, and Comfortable Halloween Costumes for your Kids

This week, we’ll cover what is often the most stressful part of Halloween day – costumes for your kids!

Compared to when we were kids, the multitude of costumes available these days is astounding. Long gone are the days of simple cowboys and ghosts or princesses and fairies. Nowadays, you can find every type of costume and accessories imaginable with fully functioning lights, sound effects, basically everything!

As mentioned, with the incredibly diverse selection of costumes out there, it is often hard to know where to begin. A couple good rules to follow are to keep it simple, keep it cheap, and keep it comfortable.

The last thing you want on the hectic night of Halloween is to have to deal with a child bogged down by a cumbersome costume, unable to walk faster than a snail, and in dire need of a bathroom break – this would be a true Nightmare on Elm Street! Joking aside though, if your child is happy, you’ll be happy.

Following these rules of simple, cheap, and comfortable, it doesn’t get any easier than the following costume ideas….

A Ghost

One white sheet and a couple eyes holes and voila! A perfectly mobile, unburdened child with the ability to manoeuvre as fast as their little legs can carry them, thus ensuring that you get as many Kit-Kat’s and Coffee Crisps as your child can obtain.

A Vampire/Dracula 

A white shirt, dark coat, face-paint and a set of fangs. This costume is simple to prepare since you probably have most of these items already in your house. Your child will look like the cutest little bloodsucker around!

Harry Potter

This currently in fashion costume idea is actually quite simple to do. All you need is some prep school type clothing, a pair of round spectacles, anything that resembles a wand, and enough facepaint to make a lightning scar. I guess brown hair would help but regardless, people will easily recognize a costume that includes a lightning bolt on the forehead.

A Robot 

Your best bet here is cardboard boxes.  Just cut out arm and or leg holes and draw on the surface.  Also, not only are boxes easy to come but they are also very flexible, durable and lightweight.  All very important things if your child is walking around for a couple hours.  If you don’t have any boxes available, try using scrap metal, flashing lights, LED’s, even a kitchen strainer, and a bit of silver face paint and you’re child will be good to go.  Just remember, avoid heavy metal and sharp corners!  Failing any of this, you can also take out the old role of aluminum foil and start wrapping.

Raggedy Ann/Raggedy Andy

For this costume just use simple denim for the blue part of the outfit and try to include plenty of red and white for accessories such as socks, blouses, and shirts. Be sure to paint on some cute red freckles, and your child will have been transformed. While many kids may not know or appreciate the costumes, rest assured that the parents will. Who knows, you might even get some candy for your nostalgic imagination!

A Princess 

The key to this costume is in the tiara. Anything after this is just window dressing. Basically any dress will do, just make sure that they wear warm clothes underneath, otherwise it may be a touch chilly!

A Mummy

If you don’t mind sacrificing a roll or two of toilet paper, you can have a ready to roll mummy in a matter of minutes.  “Wrap” up you child until they are completely covered, just make sure to allow them some mobility.  For mother natures sake though, make sure to watch for lost costume parts over the course of the evening!

Athlete / Member of a Sports Team 

If your child plays any type of organized sport, you have a ready-made costume just sitting in the dresser or the laundry bin. Done and done!

So that’s it, costumes on the cheap, easy, and comfortable side – You’ll look like a stress free genius.  Good luck and happy Halloween!

Along with the onset of school, fall, foul weather, and the pending winter, come a few perks too.  One such bonus of this time of year is the annual tradition of Halloween.  All this month, Cackleberries will be pulling out the stops to bring you plenty of Hallow’s Eve themed posts.

You can view all of our expert articles on the right side of the page under the “Expert Articles” category.  If you have a topic you’d like us to cover, feel free to let us know at info@cackleberries.com

Ideas for Having Some Halloween Fun Yourself

Each and every time Halloween rolls around, are you left wondering how to go about feeling more connected to this primarily child related event?  Do you ever find yourself looking for ways to have some Halloween fun yourself? Well, Cackleberries has taken the time to create a list of ideas that can help spruce up Halloween for the grownups involved. 

Following are some ways you can incorporate a little entertainment into your night.

Dress Up Yourself

Get into the Halloween spirit by wearing a costume yourself, whether answering the door or marauding around with your kids. The night is bound to be more fun by getting a little nostalgic and joining in on the festivities.

Bring Along a Mug of “Coffee”

Note – said mug does not necessarily have to contain coffee. Pour yourself a thermos full of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, baileys, or whatever you want. Make sure your happy, comfortable, and warm while out for the night

Put on a Fireworks Show

So long as you know what you’re doing (and it is legal), lighting a few fireworks off for your family and neighbours always provides some good fun and entertainment for everyone. Who doesn’t have memories of when they were a child watching fireworks on Halloween? Kids and adults alike always seem to find these dazzling displays a joy to watch.

Trick or Treat in a Group

By going around in a group, you can pal around with adult companions of yours. Time always flies when you’re socializing with friends.

Allow Your Child to Have a Sleepover

Whether at your house or a friend’s house, either way their occupied. This allows you some time for yourself to do what you please – downtime with your significant other, drinks and appetizers with your friends, or basically anything that strikes your fancy.

Remember, have fun, be safe, and have some more fun!

Along with the onset of school, fall, foul weather, and the pending winter, come a few perks too.  One such bonus of this time of year is the annual tradition of Halloween.  All this month, Cackleberries will be pulling out the stops to bring you plenty of Hallow’s Eve themed posts.

You can view all of our expert articles on the right side of the page under the “Expert Articles” category.  If you have a topic you’d like us to cover, feel free to let us know at info@cackleberries.com

Keep Your Pet Safe on Halloween: 6 Safety Tips for Halloween Night

Halloween can be a scary time. Every October 31^st, the loud crack and bang of fireworks, spooky costumes, large groups of masked and marauding youths, and dark, hazy, smoky conditions add up to a mysterious, somewhat frightening night. Now imagine how your pet would feel with all this activity going on. Pretty spooked I’m sure. With all the chaos and unnatural events happening all around them, pets will be faced with uncertainty and are likely to react in unexpected ways to these new events unfolding before them. In order to keep your pets as safe as possible on this hectic night, we’ve compiled a list of measures you can take to make certain that your pets come through Halloween unscathed.

Leave Your Pets at Home and Indoors

This tip is especially important when it comes to cats. Since they are notoriously independent, outdoor cats will not enjoy being cooped up indoors but it is definitely for their own good.  Cats are more likely to get spooked and run off given all that’s happening around them.  If your keeping your dogs at home it would be best to bring them indoors to limit their anxiety. If they are left in a fenced backyard, they still sense and experience everything going on around them and it is possible they’ll go stir crazy and bark continuously.

Place Your Pets in a Separate Room

Even if you keep your pet indoors during Halloween, it may not be enough of a preventative step to ensure they are out of harms way. Pets are easily excitable as it is, but with all the loud noises and constant stream of strangers visiting the house, they are even more likely to be jumpy and may react unpredictably to all the chaos going on around them. On top of that, with the door constantly opening, it is possible for your pet to escape out into the wild night. To prevent this, simply place your pets in a separate room or in the basement for the few peak hours of activity.

Put Bright or Reflective Materials on Your Animal

If you do plan to take you pet out with you on Halloween, be sure to make them as visible as possible. Items such as reflective vests or L.E.D collars are a great and simple way to make sure your pets are noticeable and distinguishable. Although your pet may not like it, with so many people out, vehicles on the road, and the likelihood of bad weather, it is much safer for your pet to be easily identified.

Use a Short Leash

There are sure to be other people walking their pets as well, and with the heightened anxiety your pet will be experiencing, the likelihood of animals quarrelling is greatly increased. To try and minimize pet interaction and potential conflict, use a short leash and pay close attention when around other animals so you’ll have better control over your pet.

Don’t Allow Anyone to Feed Candy to Your Pets

Little children may think they are being nice and kind but candy or chocolate for an animal is not a good idea. In fact, chocolate can be fatal to a pet if ingested in large enough quantities. Make sure your pet does not receive any “treats’ on Halloween and that goodies are kept away from your pet’s prying paws after Halloween.

Make Sure Your Pet has a Licence Tag

If your pet is let outside, runs away, or becomes separated from you somehow, having a licence tag on their collar could make all the difference in having them safely returned home.  Make sure that your pet is registered and is wearing their licence tag at all times. It is well worth your time.

Following these tips should mitigate any of the dangers your pet may face and help ensure that you have a safe and fun Halloween!

With our regular Wednesday feature, Cackleberries.com has another expert article to help parents solve those tough child rearing dilemmas.  The Cackleberries How-to feature provides great parenting tips, tricks, and techniques to help you deal with any sort of situation that may arise throughout the process of parenthood.  You can view all of our expert articles on the right side of the page under the “Expert Articles” category.  If you have a topic you’d like us to cover, feel free to let us know at info@cackleberries.com

Safety tips for your Children to Follow while using Social Networking Websites

We’ve all heard about the new and highly popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. However, just because your aware of them doesn’t mean you necessarily know how dangerous and harmful social networking sites can be to your children. These websites offer an opportunity for people to create their very own web page full of personal information, photos, and any other content they wish to share with the world. That’s all good and well if the user is a responsible and educated adult. If, on the other hand, your child or teenager is the one attempting to use these sites, the situation and repercussions of posting private content may not be so clear. It is important to educate your child about the dangers involved in using social networking websites.

While many of these websites try to enact decent privacy policies and safety features, the Internet can still be a dangerous place because there is no foolproof system to protect your children when using these networking sites. The people that can cause harm online rely on naivety and inexperience to do their damage. Here are five key tips to make sure your child follows while using social websites.

1 – Don’t List Personal Information

The number one thing you can teach your child is to never give out or post personal information on the Internet. Information such as your home address, phone number, enrolled school, and even email address shouldn’t be shared online. Depending on your child’s stipulated privacy settings, anyone logged in to the website your child is using could obtain this information. With this information in hand, child predators or scam artists can use it to build trust with your child and attempt to garner even more private information and even attempt to meet your child.

2 – Never Agree to Meet an Online Friend in Person

While your child may feel like their mature and grown-up by meeting new people and making new friends online, it is very important that they know never to meet an online friend in person without your knowledge, approval, and attendance at any potential get together. Even if it is a real friendship, you can’t afford to take chances when it comes to online predators. Many times, people pretend to be someone they’re not in order to gain access to potential victims.

3 – Never have Conversations of an Inappropriate Manner

Your child may feel invincible online and may be compelled or coerced into discussing things they otherwise wouldn’t speak about. Racial, sexual, belligerent, crude, or otherwise inappropriate topics should not be discussed online. Not only is this content not acceptable but it is also apparent to everyone viewing your child’s web page that they are saying these things. This does not present a good impression for your family, possible employers, or your community and society on a whole.

4 – Maintain Honesty

Many children and teenagers like to partake in practical jokes and this is no different when they’re online. Due to its simplicity and effectiveness, your child may find it entertaining or humorous to pretend to be someone else online in order to play a joke or spread a rumour. However, identity theft is never harmless and can result in serious repercussions for the individuals involved. The seriousness of such a prank can be seen when you consider that many online scam artists and predators use this type of tactic to prey on potential victims. Make sure your child always uses the Internet and social websites in an honest and respectful manner.

5 – Never Divulge Passwords

A password to your child’s social web account can be a ticket to identity theft and could create a huge problem for your child socially. If the wrong person gains access to your child’s account, they can use it to distribute nasty messages, pictures, and other content. Much like the safety tip above, if someone is dishonest in using your child’s account, it can create a situation much bigger than anyone intended.  If your child’s account becomes compromised, make sure to let their school administration and their friends’ parents know.

Obviously it would be ideal to trust that your child could handle all these situations on their own but unfortunately with today’s technologies, that isn’t always the case. People with more knowledge and experience can prey on those unaware of the hazards or consequences of actions taken while using social networking websites. Be sure to keep your child informed of these dangers so they can make the right decisions while online.