5 Trick or Treating Safety Tips For Halloween Night

Your kids are ecstatic with Halloween spirit! Although you are too, you do have some concerns. Halloween and its delights do not have to be spooky! Following these five trick or treating safety tips will keep your family safe during the holiday festivities!

1.  Ensure Costumes Meet Safe Standards

Costume precautions are crucial trick or treating safety tips.

• Visibility: Car accidents involving children increase on Halloween. Light or brightly colored costumes make trick-or-treaters easier to see. Reflective tape for costumes and treat bags promote distinguishability. Glow sticks and flashlights are useful too!
• Size: Properly fitted costumes eliminate possibilities of tripping and injury. Tight fits prevent the use of warm under layer clothes. Although finger space is good, costumes should not easily get caught on objects or flow into open flames.
• Fire resistant: Ensure any purchased costumes or additional materials are marked “flame resistant”. Keep children away from open flames, like in jack-o’-lanterns, since resistant does not substitute for fire proof.

2. Don’t Forget about Accessories

Accessories rightfully belong in trick or treating safety tips!

• Masks: Masks can limit vision and decrease situational awareness. Improper fits influence distractions or scrapes to the face and eyes. Mouth and eye holes should be big enough for seeing and breathing.
• Props: Examine props for potential choking hazards. Flexible materials in props like swords and wands help discourage eye, head, and face injuries. Props requiring cords are dangerous because they can strangle.
• Face paint: Nontoxic paints are ideal. Test the paint on a small patch of skin for signs of allergies. Call your pediatrician if allergic reactions appear! Generously apply makeup to prohibit face and eye irritation. Irritation may occur if makeup or paint is not completely removed before bed.

3. Safe Candy is Good Candy

Trick or treating safety tips all incorporate the element of candy.

• Inspect: Examine candy before consumption. People have placed foreign objects in candy. Look for torn wrappers, pinholes, missing wrapping, or anything suspicious! Fruit or hand-wrapped cookies are untrustworthy. Children should not taste test without approval. Dinner or snacks beforehand curb temptations. Toss out candies posing allergic or choking hazards.

4.  Pumpkin Carving Cautions

Although scary, pumpkin carving can be safe and fun!

• Choking: Dump out seeds and pulp that can cause your child to choke. Keep them out of reach if you wish to bake the seeds later. Supervision is essential to make sure children follow directions.
• Tools: Some carving tools can scrape, burn, cut, or do worse to children. Talk to them about tool safety and supervise them while they use carving utensils. Some tools come with safety bars to prevent accidents. Children who are too little to carve can alternatively draw on pumpkins with markers.
• Area: A well-lit and leveled surface for carving pumpkins will decrease the likelihood of accidents occurring. It will also help make monitoring easier for you. If decorations or accessories used involve fire, follow fire safety protocols.

5. Plan Ahead

The most import aspect to trick or treating safety tips is planning ahead.

• Communicate: If children are old enough to trick-or-treat alone, provide communication devices, such as cell phones. Teach children to stay in groups and not to leave with strangers. Supervise children under twelve years old. Set a curfew.
• Directions: Plan a route your kids can remember. Go over established rules. Label costumes with your name, address, and phone number in case if your child becomes separated.
• Street safety: Remind children to look both ways before they cross the street. They should only proceed around corners when you are with them. Children should stay on sidewalks! Cutting across yards is prohibited.