Even if your kids are too old to be scared of anything that Halloween throws at them, reading my new book, Taking the Scary Out of Halloween is still a good idea. Because, no matter how old a child is, Halloween can be one of the most hazardous of all of the holidays.

In Taking the Scary Out of Halloween, I put forth ten Halloween safety guidelines that can help to ensure that October 31 will be a day that ends with fun memories instead of bad ones.

Here are the ten guidelines:

SAFETY GUIDELINE #1 - Avoid wearing Halloween masks or costumes that cover your face and make it difficult for you to see or breathe.

SAFETY GUIDELINE #2 - Avoid wearing Halloween costumes that are too big or too long and might cause you to trip and fall.

SAFETY GUIDELINE #3 - Wear comfortable shoes that will not hurt your feet or cause you to trip and fall while you are trick-or-treating.

SAFETY GUIDELINE #4 – Wear some kind of light or reflector while trick-or treating so that people driving cars or bikes can see you and avoid running into you.

SAFETY GUIDELINE #5 - Be sure that an adult is with you at all times while you are trick-or-treating.

SAFETY GUIDELINE #6 - Use a flashlight while trick-or-treating to light your way in areas that do not have lighted streets or sidewalks.

SAFETY GUIDELINE #7 - Obey all of the laws for pedestrians while trick-or-treating.

SAFETY GUIDELINE #8 - Eat a nourishing meal before you begin eating any of the Halloween treats that you collect.

SAFETY GUIDELINE #9 - Have an adult examine all of the Halloween treats that you collect to make sure that they are safe for you to eat.

SAFETY GUIDELINE #10 - Avoid making yourself sick by eating too many Halloween treats.

I hope these guidelines can help your child and you have a safe and fun Halloween this year!

Recently I was updating a colleague about the status of my company when he asked, “Why so much emphasis on potty training?”

He’s a confirmed bachelor. No kids. So, it’s no wonder why he would ask such a question. But anyone who has struggled with dirty diapers for over two years knows exactly why a company that is dedicated to helping parents solve parenting problems would start with potty training.

For example, there’s no bigger inconvenience than a dirty diaper away from home, and there’s no bigger buzz kill than a dirty diaper on a family outing.

That’s why huge corporations have spent millions of dollars trying to find a magic bullet that can end the problem once and for all. But after all is said and done, there doesn’t seem to be anything more effective than waiting for a child to be ready to potty train, and following the tired-and-true steps of potty training that have been working for years.

I’ve featured these no-fail steps on a potty training app that I was telling my friend about. I so hope it will be helpful to the beleaguered parents who are knee deep in smelly diapers. But even more, I hope they walk away with one very important message…this too shall pass.

This might be hard to believe, but it really happened. When I lived in Scottsdale Arizona, I was introduced to a man who had invented a battery-operated device that could be attached to a diaper. According to the sheet of instructions written by the inventor, “small electric pulses will vibrate when the diaper gets wet and cause a slight bit of discomfort.”

The first thing that came to mind when I read the instructions was the electronic fences that people install around their yards to keep their dogs from running away. Since I would have a hard time subjecting my dogs to electric shocks, I was hard pressed to recommend shocking young children.

“What next?” I thought to myself at the time.

Then just the other day I heard about special diapers that turn very cold when they get wet. This is definitely a step in the right direction because it addresses the main motivation for a child to use the toilet—which is the discomfort caused by dirty diapers. However, while I’m all for anything that is safe and can make potty training easier, I’ve found that there simply is no device that can replace the two most important elements of successful potty training, and that’s consistent perseverance and patience.

Not long ago I sat next to a two-year-old girl on a subway train. She was playing with an I-Phone and I was amazed at her adeptness—especially since I’ve barely gotten the hang of turning my I-Phone on and off.

When I asked her what she was doing, she showed me a game she was playing.

That catapulted my mind into overdrive. Oh, the incredible possibilities!

So when one of my partners suggested that we put together an I-Phone app, I was more than ready to rock and roll. The end result of our joint endeavor was our new potty training app.

Our efforts were affirmed when we put our new app on display at the recent BEA Convention. The app was like a giant magnet that pulled parents and children into our booth. I got a huge kick out of one little girl in particular who was especially drawn to the app. She was about two years old and had a blond ponytail exactly like the one worn by the girl in the app.

“Look, Mom!” She squealed with delight. “It’s a picture of me going pee pee on the toilet! Pretty great, huh?”

The mother nodded her head and looked at me wishfully.

“Ahhhhh” I thought to myself. “Reviews just don’t get better than that.”

I read about the Arizona child abuse trial involving Raul and Trica Varela and my heart sank—first for the child, and then for the parents. The broken bones and bruises inflicted on the Varela’s 4-year-old daughter during a “potty-training war” speaks to the frustration parents often experience when attempting to toilet train their children.

While there is likely a lot more to the Valera situation than two parents trying to potty train a child, and while most parents would never allow their emotions and their behavior to get as out of control as these two parents did, much can be learned from this cautionary tale.

Toilet training often causes parents to act in ways that are far beyond what is normal for them. The tipping point is often the complete exhaustion and exasperation that builds up after two years or more of dealing with the constant hassle and aggravation of dirty diapers.

If you hope to potty train your child, it is crucial to avoid setting yourself up for failure. Wait for your child to be physically, intellectually, and emotionally ready to use the toilet. Avoid setting deadlines. Instead give the process many months to produce the desired results. Expect and accept normal accidents and setbacks. Praise any amount of progress no matter how small it is. And find comfort in the reality that this too shall pass. (Do you know of a normal kindergartener who still wears diapers? Probably not.)

With a solid strategy and a healthy amount of patience, I promise you that dirty diapers can and will indeed be a thing of the past.