Halloween Safety Tips
As Halloween night creeps closer and closer, it’s important to keep safety in mind while your kids trick or treat. Here are five tips to ensure you and your little goblins have a safe night of trick-or-treating!
- Travel Together. Before your little ones head out for the big night, make sure there’s a plan in place for an adult or two to supervise the festivities. It can be challenging to identify young ones in the dark wearing similar looking costumes. Make sure there’s an established plan beforehand to meet at a familiar location in case your child or someone under your supervision somehow strays from the group during the trick-or-treat trek.
- Stay on Track. Remember, kids have been waiting for this night to arrive and will be tempted to run from house to house and take the quickest possible route. Make sure they understand the potential dangers of dark alleys or unpaved areas. It’s best to travel on a well-lit path or street with people around so you and the children can be better aware of your surroundings. Explaining simple traffic rules can also go a long way, so review how to look both ways before crossing a street or how to wait for the proper cross-walk sign to stay safe.
- Don’t Go Inside. If there’s a house that tries to entice kids to come inside in exchange for candy, make sure they know to turn down the invitation – even if it’s for their favorite chocolate bar. If the homeowner won’t give away treats until they head inside, tell your children to leave the house and head to the next spot.
- Dress to Reflect. Cars pose one of the biggest dangers to everyone roaming the streets on Halloween. Make sure your children have flashlights or glow sticks in hand to help lead the way. Even better, put reflective tape on their costumes so drivers can more easily see them.
- Check Treats. Remind your little ones that it’s only safe to eat candy after it has inspected by an adult. Have your kids wait until the end of the night and spread it on the floor as a fun way for them to see what their hard work has turned into. When digging through their pile, closely look at everything for choking hazards and broken packaging. If you think your children will get hungry during the neighborhood voyage, bring your own snacks to give them that extra energy to finish strong.
Source: Envolve, Inc., a family of health solutions, working together to make healthcare simpler, more effective and more accessible for everyone. www.envolvehealth.com
