Halloween Safety Tips for Your Children

October 27, 2017

Halloween is meant to be enjoyable for children and families, and it’s our job to help keep it that way! Read this week’s blog to be informed and know what to look out for when you hit the pavement this year and in future years.

Choose Costumes Wisely

  • Find costumes that fit correctly and are not too long. There will be traffic and we want to prevent falls.
  • Wear light colors and use reflective tape on bags and costumes.
  • Avoid weapons and accessories to prevent unintentional injuries. Especially high on the list: swords made of hard plastic. By all means, avoid using real weapons as props.

Pro Tip: Place some identifying object on your child’s costume, especially if you can’t see his or her face and/or when it’s a popular costume.

 

Stick to Neighborhoods – and People – You Know

While it’s tempting to migrate toward neighborhoods where the candy is known to be plentiful (full-sized candy bars, anyone?), resist going if it’s unchartered territory.

Why?

  • If your child is separated from you, nobody will know him/her. Even scarier if this happens after dark.
  • Each neighborhood has its nuances and you won’t be familiar with any but your own. You could check the sex offender registry for new neighborhoods, or you can just stick with what – and who – you know.

Pro Tip: Carry a flashlight or affix a headlamp on each of your children so that you can always spot them.

 

Adult Supervision

At some point, your kids will want to branch out on their own. Only you can be the judge of when to let them, but a good rule of thumb is that kids 12 and under should be accompanied by an adult. When they are ready to go it alone, be sure your children trick-or-treat in groups and only in familiar areas. And, it doesn’t hurt to start talking to them about Halloween safety at a younger age so that they are prepared by the time they are old enough to go without you.

Pro Tip: Be in touch with the parents of the other children in your child’s group so that at least one of you knows their whereabouts at all times.

 

Street Safety

Whether or not you accompany your child, they tend to run off. Review street safety before heading out such as looking both ways before crossing (left, right, then left again), using crosswalks, crossing at corners, using sidewalks, watching out for cars, and avoiding electronics. Our Back to School Safety blog covers why not to text while walking.

Pro Tip: If your neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks, instruct your children to walk on the side of the road facing traffic. This allows them to see what’s coming.

 

Candy Check

Before sitting down to watch Halloween movies with your new stash of candy, go through each child’s bag of goodies. You are looking for pieces that appear to have been tampered with or not in their original packaging. This may sound extreme, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Pro Tip: It’s inevitable that your kids will want to dip into the candy along the way; that flashlight will come in handy when checking each piece before it hits your child’s mouth!

Keeping these simple Halloween safety tips at top of your mind will allow for a fun and worry-free trick-or-treating experience for you and your children! For more family safety tips, check out some of our related blogs.