On October 31st, kids all around the world will go out at night to trick or treat. If your kids will be participating in this holiday tradition, you may be wondering if there are any tips for keeping your kids safe as they trick or treat. As fun as it is, trick or treating can be dangerous. According to the Utah Department of Health, twice as many kids are hit by a car and killed on Halloween than any other day of the year. After all, kids are crossing streets in the dark, which makes it hard for drivers to see them. Kids can also get sick from candy that has open wrappers and is beyond the expiration date. Today, I’ll be going over some Halloween safety tips for kids to keep your kids safe as they go trick or treating this year. Trick or treating can be a fun event as long as you watch out for cars and follow this Halloween safety guide.
Stay with Your Kids
One of the best ways you can ensure your kids stay safe is by sticking with them. Kids are often so excited about the candy that they forget to look both ways for cars. But with you staying with them, you can remind them to look both ways before they cross the road. Once your kids are 12 years old or older, they should know to look both ways for cars. But even then you may want to stay with them just to be sure that they stay safe.
Wear Reflective Clothing
Another one of the best Halloween safety tips is to wear reflective clothing. Reflective clothing allows drivers to see children crossing the road. There are many reflective clothing options for your child. Kids can wear reflective bracelets, reflective stickers on their buckets, or costumes that have reflective fabric. You could also bring a flashlight with you instead.
Wear Light Colored Clothing
Even though your kids may be disappointed, it is safer to wear lighter colored clothing because drivers can see it better than dark-colored costumes. In addition to light-colored clothing, try painting your child’s face instead of having your child wear a mask. Masks can make it more difficult for your child to see cars. Wigs that cover your kids’ eyes should also be avoided.
Dress Your Kids Only in Costumes That Fit
Once again, this is more of costume safety tips. Before you think of letting your little girl wear an oversized gown, you must realize that this can be a safety hazard. When your kids wear oversized costumes, the chances of them falling are increased greatly. And this can result in them falling in the middle of the road, which can lead to serious injuries or even death if a car hit them. Before your kids go trick or treating, make sure all of their costumes fit properly. If they don’t, either get another costume in a smaller size or sew the costume. Also, make sure your kids’ shoes fit so that they don’t trip and fall. You’ll be glad you did this extra step later when your kids go out to trick or treat.
Remind Your Child About Traffic Safety
Before your little ones walk out the door, remind them about traffic rules and safety that they should follow. Even though you should still go with them, there is a better chance of them following these safety rules when they are reminded. Teach them about looking both ways for cars and making eye contact with drivers. Remind your kids to walk only on the sidewalk and to cross at crosswalks. Also, make sure your kids do not use their phones while trick or treating. Although most accidents are caused by drivers who are texting and driving, accidents can also be caused by people who cross the street while looking at their phone. Make sure you aren’t on your phone either, because you should have all attention on watching your kids.
Don’t Let Your Kids Walk into Someone’s House
Even if you live in a nice neighborhood, you should never let your kids walk into somebody’s house. For younger kids, go to the door with them so that if the person asks them to come inside to get the candy, you can tell them “no”. If you have older kids trick or treating, remind them that they should not walk into somebody’s house. Even if kidnapping is rare in your town, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Only Go to Familiar Houses That Are Well Lit
Avoid houses that are dark and houses that you’ve never been to before. Not all strangers are happy people giving out candy to kids. There are many cases where people kidnap children on Halloween, so it is best if you only visit lit up homes and houses you know. Also, sometimes the lights are out because the people ran out of candy. It is best to avoid dark houses.
Check Your Child’s Candy
Not all the dangers of Halloween are on the road. Some of them lie in the bucket of candy your child brings home. Before your kids eat any of the candy, look through the bucket to make sure all the candy is safe. Discard candy that has tears or holes in the wrappers or other signs of damage. You’ll also want to get rid of homemade treats. If you have young children, it would be wise to get rid of any candy that could cause a choking hazard. Make sure you check all the labels to see if your child has a food allergy.
Halloween Driving Safety Tips
The number of kids injured and killed on Halloween can be decreased if drivers are more careful when driving on this date. Although it is important for kids to look both ways, drivers should always be prepared to stop for kids crossing the road. To help make Halloween a safer day for kids, here is a list of Halloween driving safety tips that all drivers should follow.
Drive Slowly
The best way you can keep children safe is by driving slow. Go especially slow when you make turns and when there are a lot of trick or treaters on the sidewalk.
Focus Only on the Road
Texting and driving shouldn’t be done on any day, but it is especially important that you put your phone down on Halloween. All your attention should be on the road and watching out for kids. Any other distractions should be put away as well.
Never Drive When Drunk
Not only do you risk killing the life of you and others, but drunk driving is also illegal. Whether it is any other day or Halloween, drunk driving should never be done.
Tips for Keeping Kids Who Knock on Your Door Safe
Whether you’ll be home or not, you must prepare for the trick or treaters who will knock on your door. Here are a few safety tips to keep in mind:
- Put anything away that could cause kids to trip. Now is the perfect time to declutter your yard so that kids don’t get hurt.
- Keep your dogs inside. Even if your dogs are friendly with you, it is best to bring your dogs inside.
- Keep the lights on outside. Keep your porch light on for Halloween so that kids know you have candy. By keeping your light on, kids will also be able to see where they are going and therefore will not fall.
- Put away candles that could cause costumes to catch on fire. So many kids will be walking up and down your walkway, so put away any candles that could cause a costume to catch on fire. There are battery operated candles that you can buy to light up your walkway instead of fire lit candles.
- Make sure you only give out candy safe to eat. Avoid giving out candy with open wrappers. Don’t give out homemade treats either. If possible, avoid giving out candy that could be a choking hazard to young kids. Some parents may forget to check their kids’ buckets of candy, so only give out candy that parents would approve of.
Final Thoughts on Trick or Treating
Trick or treating, also called guising in some countries, is a time when kids go out on Halloween to trick or treat for candy. If you are wondering what time you should trick or treat, most trick or treating times are from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm. Check your local town or city web page to be sure. Although trick or treating can be a fun time when kids go out to receive candy, it can also be a very dangerous time. So many kids are killed on Halloween due to drivers not being careful and kids not looking both ways for cars. Today, I went over some Halloween trick or treat safety tips that will hopefully keep your kids safe this year. Remember to stay with your kids if they are younger than twelve years old, and when you get home make sure to check all the candy to make sure it is safe to eat. I also went over some Halloween costume safety tips so that your child doesn’t trip on his or her costume. I hope this article has helped you understand more about Halloween safety tips for kids. Have fun and be safe on Halloween this year!
