Halloween raises a lot of questions. Of etiquette. Of safety. Of decency. Of pumpkin.

Here, we take a noble stab at answering a few.

How young is too young to trick-or-treat?

If you don't have teeth yet, you're probably too young.

Admittedly, there are no age rules. But it's one thing to show off your cute-costumed newborn to the neighbors and quite another to strap a baby into a carrier and lug him across town just so you can get free candy.

A good rule of thumb: Kids should have some understanding of what they are doing and why they are doing it, said Heather Harris, a therapist with Lincoln's Child Guidance Center.

And this year, because of the high rates of H1N1 flu in the community, pediatricians recommend that children under 6 months stay home from trick-or-treating or attending Halloween gatherings, said Kristi Aldridge, a nurse practitioner with Doctors of Children in Lincoln. And if your child is sick, regardless of age, keep him or her home this Halloween.

When are you too old for trick or treating?

When your friends refuse to go with you, Harris said.

For most kids, that time comes in middle school, when kids and their friends decide there are better ways to celebrate Halloween, she said.

Parents need not really fret about this, as long as kids follow some basic etiquette:

-- Let little kids go first.

-- Be polite - that means saying "trick-or-treat" and "thank you."

-- Wear some type of costume.

-- Only stop at homes where the porch light is on.

-- Quit your begging by 9 p.m. or so.

Broken glass, needles, razor blades and poison in Halloween candy: Does this really happen? Has anyone ever died from eating tampered candy?

Yes and no. This is about 99.9 percent urban legend, with only a tenuous root in reality.

The myth goes back to the 1960s, when a handful of candy-tampering incidents were reported. Almost all of those have been deemed hoaxes perpetrated by children and parents. But before they were debunked, The New York Times wrote a 1970 article about the dangers of candy-tampering. A few years later, Newsweek wrote that "several children have died and hundreds have narrowly escaped injury" from tampered candy.

There are a handful of confirmed candy poisoning deaths, but the kids got the candy from their parents, not strangers. In 2000, a Minneapolis man was charged in connection with putting needles into candy and handing them out, but no children were seriously injured.

The peak of the candy scare came in 1982, when several people died of cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules in Chicago. Many communities banned trick-or-treating for fear of poison candy. A few years later, an ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 60 percent of parents feared their kids would be victims of candy sabotage. That fear has since abated.

(Sources: "The Culture of Fear" by Barry Glassner, "Dangers in the Halloween Candy: a Myth" by Michael Pinney, HowStuffWorks.com, "Don't Swallow Your Gum" by Aaron Carroll and Rachel Vreeman)

Should I take my pet trick-or-treating?

This may sound fun, but it's really a bad idea, veterinarians say. Even the most laid-back pets can spook or be spooked.

And if you think it's tough to keep kids from snitching candy, try monitoring a nose-to-the ground dog in the dark when candy, wrappers and wayward costume pieces rain down.

Is it cool to re-treat candy from last Halloween?

No, not cool at all, you cheap loser.

Most candies' shelf lives don't go past a year. And you've got to assume that candy's a little past its production date when you buy it.

According to StillTasty.com, the site that measures shelf life, candy corn, licorice and gummy candies stay fresh from six to eight months, and they'll last a year if you keep them in the freezer. Hard candy, sour candy and butterscotch last about a year.

Chocolate-covered candy bars last 10 to 12 months, mostly, with some variations.

Baby Ruths and Butterfingers last about 10 months, according to their manufacturers. M&M's last up to 13 months.

How much pumpkin-smashing goes on in October?

Quite a bit, actually, especially compared to other times of the year. On his blog, The Chief's Corner, Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady crunched some data, extracting two years of vandalism and theft cases containing the word "pumpkin." In 2007 and 2008, there were 126 pumpkin-related theft and vandalism calls. Eighty were in October, with most of the rest in November. In a lot of the incidents, pumpkins were used to damage other property. They resulted in 77 mailboxes and 27 motor vehicles being hit by pumpkins, causing nearly $14,000 in damages.

Is there an increase in crime overall on Halloween?

Yes, a bit.

Casady helped us out on this one, as well. He said there's about a 7 percent increase in police demand on Halloween.

He determined this by looking at Halloweens of the past five years, which took place on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Halloweens averaged 408.8 dispatches. Other days of the year averaged 381.2 dispatches.

I hate my kid's costume. Should I refuse to let him or her wear it?

As the parent, the decision is ultimately yours, Harris said.

However, these days, gory and risque costumes seem to be more the norm.

If you really disagree with your child's costume choice, talk about why you disapprove, Harris said. Ask your child to think about the image being portrayed. And for older kids who see nothing wrong with being ultra-gross and overly sexy, remind them about social skills and that their costumes shouldn't scare or offend the younger trick-or-treaters they may encounter, Harris said.

Bottom line for parents: You have the final say.

"Parents always outrank the kids," Harris said.

Costumes: When does cutie become sexy? When does sexy become slutty? When does slutty become indecent exposure?

What is slutty? Well, I can't define it, but I know it when I see it.

Everyone draws different lines in the sand on appropriate and inappropriate Halloween costumes. But, regardless of your sensibilities, women's costumes have grown increasingly provocative in the past several years. It's as though each year the costume industry pours a new bucket of sex onto the holiday. But do some girls go too far?

To illustrate the classifications of Halloween costumes, I've found a Rainbow Brite costume that falls into each.

Cutie costume

Not quite sexy. Marketed for kids, younger to tween.

Sexy costume

Like cutie, but adult. And the skirt's hiked up higher.

Slutty costume

There's usually a bare midriff involved.

Indecent exposure

Nebraska law defines this as any person, 18 or older, who publicly exposes their genitals with an intent to alarm a person or publicly partakes in lewd fondling of the body of another person. Cover up the naughty bits, and you're simply slutty.

Should my pet wear a costume?

Should? No. Can you dress it up? That depends on the pet. Some tolerate costumes better than others.

Be sure to choose costumes that are comfortable and do not obstruct your pet's vision, hearing or movement. Avoid tying anything around your pet's neck, and stay away from costumes with dangling pieces that could be chewed or stepped on, causing injury.

And never leave your costumed pet unattended.

Can I share my Halloween candy with my pet?

The tastiest treats can be the most dangerous to our four-legged friends.

-- Chocolate is toxic. The darker the chocolate, the more dangerous, according to the Pet Poison helpline.

-- High-sugar foods - i.e., candy - can trigger pancreatitis, a painful and potentially fatal inflammation of the pancreas. Symptoms sometimes don't show up for days after the candy is eaten.

-- Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in dogs.

-- Eating cellophane and foil wrappers can lead to a bowel obstruction.

-- Liquid in glow sticks, while not highly toxic, can cause pain, irritation, intense drooling, nausea and vomiting.

Other safety tips:

-- Don't dye your pet's fur. Although non-toxic, the dye can lead to intestinal issues if licked.

-- Avoid using candles and flames, which wayward tails can tip or touch.

-- Make sure your pet is wearing a tag - just in case.