Are you ready to head out for an exciting night of trick-or-treating with your kids? I am! It’s our son’s first Halloween – but when I started thinking about all the safety hazards involved, I got hesitant to send him our there (even with us by his side). So here are some important tips to keep everyone safe on Halloween.
1. Choose a good location.
Ideal neighborhoods for trick-or-treating are brightly lit, with good sidewalks and houses that are closely spaced together so that children can walk easily between them. If your neighborhood doesn’t measure up, don’t despair. You can simply trick or treat in another neighborhood with better conditions, or you could bring your children to a trick-or-treating event at a local mall or school.
2. Travel in a pack.
When trick-or-treating, young children should always be escorted by an adult, even in the safest of neighborhoods. If you decide to let your older children go trick-or-treating without an adult, they should never venture out alone. Make sure that they buddy up with at least one other child, and have them carry a fully charged cell phone, in case of an emergency. Unaccompanied children should never go inside homes when trick-or-treating.
3. Bring a flashlight.
Flashlights can help trick-or-treaters negotiate dim walkways and unlit steps. Flashlights also make the trick-or-treaters themselves more visible to vehicles, reducing the potential for pedestrian-related traffic accidents. Camping-style headlamps are a good choice for children who want to keep their hands free to carry their candy.
4. Stick to brightly lit houses.
If a house is completely dark, this is a good indication that either no one is home or the occupants don’t welcome trick-or-treaters. On Halloween, people who do want trick-or-treaters will turn on their porch lights and other outside lighting. Visit those houses, and skip the unlit residences.
5. Choose costumes wisely.
Halloween costumes should be comfortable and easy to move freely in, with no trailing or dangling parts that someone could trip over. You could add strips of reflective tape to costumes in order to make them more visible in the dark.
6. Inspect all “treats.”
Thankfully, the stories of tainted candy and other Halloween horrors are mostly urban myths. Still, you should inspect all the candy that your children receive before allowing them to eat it. Discard any “treats” that aren’t factory-sealed in a wrapper. If a piece of candy shows signs of having been tampered with, throw it away.
These easy tips will help you and your children have a fun and safe Halloween. Get your costumes ready, and prepare for an unforgettable Halloween adventure!