Trick or Treat! 5 Tips to Keep Your Kids Safe This Halloween

Halloween 2013 is almost here! In just a few short days, neighborhoods across America will be filled with kids in all kinds of Halloween costumes, trick-or-treating with candy-fueled glee. But while Halloween may seem like it’s all fun and games, it can also be dangerous if kids are unsupervised and don’t follow safety precautions.

Remember, when it comes to Halloween it’s safety first, spooktacular sugar rush second. Here are 5 Tps to keep your trick-or-treaters safe this Halloween and make sure your little vampires and ghouls don’t have a bat time.

Tip #1. Plan a Trick-or-Treating Route in Advance

Plan your Halloween route around the neighborhood with the best decorations.

It’s easy to get lost when you walk around after dark, even when it’s your own neighborhood. Make sure you and your kids have a pre-planned Halloween route, including a safe meeting place, to avoid getting lost.

Halloween trick-or-treating can also mean a lot of walking, and sore legs and tired children is never a good combination.

Plan a route that will get your kids the full Halloween experience that’s still short enough to avoid carrying your children home.

To make the night extra special, take a walk by yourself during the day and scope out the best decorations in your area.

Surprise your kids and their friends with a route that walks past the coolest haunted house or ghostly spider webs!

Tip #2. Bring a Flashlight and Stay Well-Lit

While walking around dark neighborhoods is part of the Halloween charm, keep a light on hand to avoid uneven sidewalks, hidden porch stairs or other potential hazards. When your kids carry a flashlight or wear attire with flashing lights, you’ll also know where they are.

If they don’t want to carry a flashlight or wear a costume with flashing lights, put reflective tape on their costume or buy glow necklaces. This will also let passing traffic know where your kids are.

Tip #3. Avoid Overly Large Costumes

Maybe your child is begging for the Iron Man outfit with fitted armor or a Tinkerbell with giant wings, but extravagant Halloween costumes can get problematic as the night wears on. A costume with a large dress or cape may drag, or get caught on plants or sprinklers and cause your little adventurer to trip.

It’s also important to avoid costumes with anything a small child might choke on when you’re not watching. If your kids’ monster outfit includes a mask or a face covering, make sure they take it off when you’re walking between houses. Anything that interferes with their vision spells danger.

Costumes without all of the bells and whistles tend to be the safest.

Keep the costumes simple and manageable. It’s also a good idea to wear comfortable shoes — as we mentioned before, you’re probably going to be doing quite a bit of walking before the kids are satisfied with their haul of candy.

Tip #4. Stay With Your Kids

Kids of any age should always have a parent or guardian with them, so keep an eye on them as they walk to and from each house. Watch them as they walk up to each door. If your child is a little older and doesn’t want to be seen with Mom or Dad, be sure to set ground rules and make them carry a cell phone in case of an emergency. (Or recruit a responsible older sibling or cousin to be their chauffeur.)

Tip #5. Check Your Child’s Candy

By the end of the night, your kids will almost certainly have a plastic pumpkin or pillow case bulging with delicious candy. But before they dive in, be sure to look through their candy. Keep an eye out for unwrapped candy or anything else that’s not in its original wrapping.

If anything look like it has been tampered with, throw it out. This also goes for homemade candy or other treats made by strangers. The “razor in the apple” story may be an urban myth, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!

What Do You Think?

Do you have any Halloween safety tips of your own? What are your plans this Halloween? Drop us a line in the comments section!