Halloween is almost here. Are you and your children ready to celebrate the spookiest night of the year? Start off by reviewing some basic safety tips that every trick-or-treater needs to know!
7 trick-or-treating safety tips:
- Brighten up your kid’s costume: Many parents are hesitant to let their children go trick-or-treating because they don’t want them walking near busy streets. To help reduce the risk of a pedestrian accident caused by a negligent driver, you should make sure your child’s costume is bright and noticeable. Use brightly colored cloth, paints, stickers, and accessories to make them really stand out. It will be fun for your kid to create a bright costume, too.
- Bring a flashlight: You can’t entirely depend on your child’s costume to increase their visibility, though. In case they trick-or-treat along a street with poor lighting, all children should have a flashlight in their pocket or candy bucket. Check the battery and bulb before leaving your home to start the night.
- Chaperone little monsters: Young children and teenagers who are not familiar with the neighborhood should be chaperoned by at least one adult when trick-or-treating. If you can’t walk with your kids, then see if any trusted family friends are going trick-or-treating in your neighborhood who can take them.
- Plan a route: For teenagers who don’t necessarily need an adult chaperone while trick-or-treating should still be thinking about safety. Before any teens head out to trick-or-treat, you should discuss a preplanned route for them to follow. The route should be specific, so you can estimate how much time it will take to complete the circuit.
- Cross at crosswalks: Trick-or-treaters should only cross the street where there is a designated crosswalk. If there are no crosswalks along the route, then crossing should only be done where there is ample lighting and a good view of the street in both directions. Proceed with caution, check both ways twice, and cross quickly.
- Obey all curfews: Most cities have a curfew that disallows unattended children from being on the street past a certain hour, even on Halloween night. Make sure your kids know about the curfew hour and how they can reach you in case they are still out while the curfew is approaching.
- Inspect all candy: Once trick-or-treating is done, there is still one more safety step to take – the candy haul inspection. Look for any candy that might have been torn open or damaged while your child was walking around. Damaged candy wrappers are probably not a sign of intentional tampering, but the candy could still be dirty and unsafe. Look carefully for any allergens that could harm your child based on their allergies. Small children should not be given any candy that poses a choking hazard.
Remember these seven trick-or-treating hints, and you are sure to have a great holiday. From everyone at Palmisano & Goodman, P.A., we wish you and your family a Halloween that is so fun and so safe, it’s a little spooky!