October 14, 2019
It is almost Halloween and your kids are already dreaming of all that delicious candy goodness, but how prepared are you for navigating all the chaos?
Follow these trick-or-treating safety tips for a safe Halloween:
• Make sure the costumes you create or buy don’t have any built-in safety hazards like long hems that can cause your child to trip and fall, or masks without sufficient eye, nose and mouth openings. You don’t want your pint-sized ghost to have trouble seeing or breathing.
• Choose costume colors and materials that are bright and reflective, or if that is not possible, add reflective tape so you can better spot your goblins in the dark.
• When buying Halloween makeup, go for the products clearly labeled non-toxic. Always test them on a small patch of skin in case your child has a reaction to it.
• Kids younger than 12 should always trick-or-treat with a parent. Have a safety plan in place for any unexpected emergencies.
• Older children trick-or-treating with their friends should keep their cell phones on them and check in with you regularly. But emphasize the dangers of walking around with their heads buried in their phones.
Before your tweens and teens head out, set clear boundaries where they are allowed to roam and where they are not. It also is a good idea to remind them to stay in well-lit areas and to cross the street at crosswalks.
Set a clear policy to not eat any Halloween candy until you have a chance to inspect it carefully.
One final note on driving around on Halloween night: Be extra vigilant, especially in driveways and at crosswalks. There will be plenty of excited children running around.
For more helpful tips, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics, Safe Kids Worldwide and the Mayo Clinic.
