Halloween is surrounded with scares and screams galore. As a parent, you want to make sure that your children are not the ones found screaming over a hurtful incident. From properly supervising to ensuring the right safety items are deployed for your special Halloween trick or treating night, here is a listing of great Halloween safety tips to follow this year.
1. Do your kids need supervision?
No child under the age of 12 should go trick or treating without an adult. Make sure your children are familiar with the neighborhood and know safe zones to go to in case they do become compromised.
2. Your costume is your first line of defense.
Choose a costume that is made with fire resistant and bright colored to be easily visible to drivers in the road.
3. Carry identification.
Attach emergency identification to your child’s wrist or costume. Include your name, contact number, and address in case your little one becomes separated from you.
Here is one type of child safety bracelet.
4. Be visible at night.
Use reflective tape on costumes and treat bags so you can be easily seen by passerbys.
5. Don’t drag your costume.
Choose a costume that is not super long or a tripping hazard so your children can be safe walking around the neighborhood.
6. Opt for face paint instead of a mask.
Face masks can pose as a danger to children and block their visibility or make it difficult to breathe.
7. Inspect all candy first.
Make sure your children do not consume any candy until you have visibly inspected it. Some area hospitals may offer services for scanning your candy to check for any objects that can impale your children.
8. Avoid any unsealed candy.
Avoid letting your children consume any unwrapped or unsealed candy in case of contamination.
9. Report any danger to the local police.
If you encountered an incident or danger in the area, report it immediately to your local police. If you have found candy that has been tampered with, contact your police department even if you do not know where it came from.
10. Stay in familiar areas.
Make sure you choose an area that is familiar to you and your children before trick or treating. It is best to know the people of the homes you are going to.
11. Take off masks between homes.
There is no need to hide behind a mask when waking between homes. Take your mask off for comfort and safety.
12. Never have your children enter into a stranger’s home.
Make sure your children understand that they should never enter into a stranger’s home no matter how tempting they make it.
Use these LED solar bat lights to keep your walkway bright.
14. Only go to homes with lights on.
This will help you protect yourself against trip hazards. Plus, homes with lights welcome trick or treaters to come knocking.
15. Do not approach strange dogs.
No matter if the dog is on a lease or not, do not approach any strange animal. Even if they are nice dogs normally, a costume or the environment can make them frightened and attack.
16. Use a flashlight.
Light up your path by using a flashlight. Make sure there are new batteries in it so you do not get left in the dark.
Use this Halloween flashlight here.
17. Use crosswalks when possible.
Avoid crossing in the street between cars or near tree or bushes. Use crosswalks whenever possible and make sure to look at both sides of the road before crossing.
18. Remove any tripping hazards on your property.
Keep your home a safe area to approach by lighting the way with jack o lanterns and making steps visible and known to trick or treaters.
19. Lock up your dog.
Keep your dog safe and secure from approaching kids and an environment that may make them scared or act unpredictably.
20. Turn on your front porch light.
Let trick or treaters know they can stop on by for a treat by leaving your front porch light on and home clearly visible.
Here is a great Halloween safety kit.
Having a safe Halloween is one of the most important concerns to have on this spooky holiday. More than 41 million children were hurt who trick or treated on Halloween in 2010. Halloween night is also considered one of the deadliest nights of the year for pedestrians. A pedestrian becomes twice as likely to be killed if hit by a car traveling 35mph versus 25mph. The most frequent causes of injuries are drunk driving incidents, hit and run injuries, falls, and dog bites. Make sure to stay safe this Halloween night!
