Halloween is finally here and the streets will be filled with witches, goblins, and ghosts. If you are going to be trick or treating tonight, here are a few tips to keep your family safe while having a ghoulishly great time!
Make Sure Your Child is Visible
In the majority of towns, trick or treating begins as soon as the sun goes down. And while costumes are such a fun part of Halloween, many are made of dark colors which makes it even harder to see children once the night falls. If your child’s costume is dark colored (or even if it is not), consider finding some of those glowstick necklaces and bracelets for him/her to wear. You can easily find them for less than a dollar and they glow brightly. You can also toss a few of them inside their treat bag – which not only looks cool, but helps others see your child as well. Another option is to use some reflective tape on both their costume and their bag. Carrying a flashlight is yet another option that not only helps your kids see where they are going, but it makes them more visible as well.
Wear Fitted Costumes
While this may not be the first thing on your mind when buying costumes for your kids, making sure that their costume fits properly is very important for your child’s safety. Large costumes that drag on the ground can easily trip your child causing scrapes and bruises, or even causing them to trip in front of a car. Costumes with big, baggy legs and arms pose a fire danger when playing near a candle-lit jack o’ lantern, and can also easily snag on branches, car doors and more. The easiest solution is to make sure their costume fits properly. If the costume is supposed to have a long skirt, tail or train, consider pinning it up out of the way of their feet before they head out.
Skip The Masks
While masks may look cool, you may want to consider using make up instead. Masks are notorious for slipping down and covering kids’ eyes. This can block your child’s vision which is extremely unsafe when walking on the sidewalk and crossing the street.
Plan A Route
Before heading out to go trick or treating make sure you plan your route ahead of time. If you plan on staying in your neighborhood, plot out the easiest route and consider gathering a group of kids to go together. If new to the neighborhood, or if you are planning on going outside of your neighborhood, be sure to ask friends and family where the best and safest place is to go trick-or-treating. Also make sure you can see the door of the house from the street before your kids head up the sidewalk.
Stay with the Group
If your children are old enough to walk around and trick or treat without adults, make sure they are going to do so with a group of friends. Stress the importance of staying with that group and not going off by themselves. Also, make sure your children know not to go to any houses that do not have their front lights on.
Only Eat Sealed Candy
When I was a child I couldn’t wait to dig in to my treasure trove of treats. Sometimes I’d eat some candy while still walking around. In retrospect this was not very wise. Not only does it pose a choking hazard, but no candy should be consumed until an adult has thoroughly checked to make sure the original factory wrapping is still on the candy. Make sure you stress to your children the importance of letting you check all of the candy before they eat it. In addition, never let your kids eat homemade treats since you don’t know what’s been added to them or how clean the cook’s kitchen is.
What are some of your best tips for Halloween night?