Happy Halloween Safety Tips for the Whole Family

It's always a good idea to review Halloween safety tips. Staying safe lets everyone focus on the fun of the season.

Halloween is one of the best nights of the year. Kids get to dress up as their favorite characters and walk around collecting tons of delicious candy. However, Halloween night can pose a lot of safety hazards. This year, make sure everyone in your family stays safe with these simple Halloween tips.

Talk To Your Kids

Before you embark for trick-or-treating, it's important to talk to your kids about taking proper precautions. Tell them to walk, not run, from house to house. Make sure they understand not to dart out between parked cars and to always look both ways before crossing the street. Discuss never entering a home, even if someone offers a treat, and only visiting well-lit houses. If your child is going out without a parent, map out a route where they're allowed to go and discuss any off-limits areas. Stress the importance of a buddy system and make sure they keep a fully-charged cell phone with them at all times.

Practice Costume Safety

Make sure your children wear only well-fitting costumes without long capes or long dresses that could cause trips or falls. Any swords, knives, or other costume accessories should be short, flexible, and easy to carry. Ensure your child's mask is well-fitting and doesn't obstruct their line of vision. Even better: leave the mask at home and do face paint instead.

Be Seen in the Dark

Improve your children's safety at night by increasing their visibility. If possible, try to pick a light-colored costume for your child that's easier to see in the dark. If they have to have a dark costume, add some reflective tape on the sides and back so their outfit shines in the light. You can also have your child wear or carry a glow stick, like the Life Gear Glow Stick. And, don't forget—bring a Duracell flashlight to light the way for your little ones.

Check Your Candy

Most kids want to dive into their candy before they even make it back home, but it's important to visually inspect each piece before they eat it. When you get home, check for any that's not in its original package or that may have been opened. Keep in mind any allergies your child may have and remove offending items from the pile. Most chocolate contains nuts, milk, and gluten, so be sure to read all ingredient lists thoroughly, and heed the "made on shared equipment" warnings for severe allergies. If you can't read the tiny labels on those tiny wrappers, head to the Internet. If your child is under the age of three or four, it's best to remove all hard candies and items that are hard to chew as they may pose a choking hazard. Keep the kids in good spirits by replacing any candy you remove with fun and inexpensive trinkets that are age-appropriate.

It's easy to stay safe and still have fun trick-or-treating with these simple Halloween tips.

By Rebecca Desfosse

Sources

The Ecology Works, Top 3 Ingredients Found in Chocolate Candy that Cause Allergic Reactions in Children

These articles are not a substitute for medical advice, and are not intended to treat or cure any disease. Advances in medicine may cause this information to become outdated, invalid, or subject to debate. Professional opinions and interpretations of scientific literature may vary. Consult your healthcare professional before making changes to your diet, exercise, or medication regime.