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A night filled with friends, candy, dressing up, and staying up past their bedtime – what kid wouldn’t love Halloween? For many children, Halloween is one of the most anticipated nights of the year, however, running around in the dark collecting candy can pose some dangers. You want your kids to have a fun and memorable Halloween experience, and taking the right safety precautions will ensure that nothing disrupts their night.
Whether your children are going out, or you want to make sure the children coming to your house are safe, have no fear – below are all the tips you need to make Halloween fun, spooky, but not dangerous.
Create a Safe Path
If you are expecting lots of trick-or-treaters on Halloween night, you’ll want to make sure that the path for them to get from the street to your front door is safe. Young children can be clumsy, and with their costumes on they may be more likely to stumble, trip, and even fall. You don’t want kids getting hurt, or accidentally dumping their candy all over your front lawn.
Trick-or-treaters are counting candy and laughing with friends, so they might not be paying attention to where they’re walking. You want to make sure that there is nothing in your yard leading up to your home that a kid could trip on. Be sure to clean up any loose gravel, pebbles, or moss on the walkway and steps so that no one slips. If you have a sprinkler system, be sure no one is going to get a surprise watering while they’re collecting candy.
Make Sure There is Lots of Lighting
One of the biggest dangers of Halloween is that it happens at night, meaning kids are not only challenged not to hurt themselves but also do it in the dark. Whether you believe in ghosts and goblins or not, the darkness can still be spooky, so you want to have enough lighting that children aren’t going to think you’re not home or trip on something they can’t see. If you are a parent planning to go out with your children, avoid homes that don’t have proper lighting for safety reasons, and to be sure not to disturb anyone who isn’t in the Halloween spirit. It can also be helpful to bring a flashlight for extra visibility.
Choosing a Costume
When you are choosing a costume to purchase online, try to find one that is flame resistant. This way if any candles or fire are out when you go to houses, there will be less risk of any flames catching onto their clothing.
To prevent trips or falls, make sure your child’s shoes fit properly and nothing is hanging in their way for walking. You should also have your child try on the costume a few days before and run around a bit to check for anything that might pose a risk. Adding a few pieces of reflective tape to their costume will also help drivers see them better in the dark. You can also get glowing bracelets or necklaces to increase their visibility, and they’ll likely have some fun with that.
Candy
Arguably the biggest part of Halloween, you want to make sure the candy your children are consuming after the big night is safe. Only let your children eat candy that is in its original wrapper, and you shouldn’t take anything that is homemade from someone you don’t know. Also, make sure to be mindful of any food allergies your children have, and check all of the candy. Your children may not realize that there can be trace amounts of some allergens in candy, so if your child does have a food allergy, you should check their candy before they eat it.
Jenn Walker is a freelance writer, blogger, dog enthusiast, and avid beachgoer operating out of Southern New Jersey. She writes for an independent senior living facility.
