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You probably already know a lot of these Halloween safety tips. But, I wanted to write them out for you in case you hadn’t thought of some or a few slipped your mind.
I remember Halloween being so much fun. Aside from Christmas, it’s my favorite holiday. Every year I would make my kids’ costumes.
We still talk about “the year of the mummy” or the “year of the garbage can”. Oh yes, I made my daughter into a garbage can. We should have won awards with that one!
And, every year we went over Halloween safety with them. We inspected candy, had very specific parts of the neighborhood they could go to, and made sure they wore some type of reflector so they could be seen by cars.
It was just something we did every year. And, so I recommend these Halloween safety tips to you.
Halloween Safety Tips (Please feel free
to print this out)
Printable Version.
Getting Ready:
- Have your kids eat dinner before they go trick-or-treating. If they are full, hopefully, they can stay away from the candy until they get home.
We had a rule that no candy could be eaten until they brought it home for my husband and me to inspect.
- Always have adults do the carving of the pumpkins. Your child can help, for sure, but do all the cutting yourself.
 - If you decide to buy your child’s costume and accessories, look for the labels that show they are flame resistant.
- Use soft or flexible “props” like knives, guns, and swords. I know your child may want something more “real,“ but the soft or plastic accessories are the safest way to go.
- Use face paint instead of masks, ideally. Masks can easily shift and cover your child’s eyes and put him in unsafe situations.
- Make sure your child’s shoes fit well so they can really get some good walking in….put in that trick-or-treating commitment!
Also, shorten his costumes enough so he doesn’t trip, get caught up in something, or have his costume catch on fire from a candle on someone’s porch.
- Have your children wear some type of reflective tape on their costumes or reflective-type clothing so they are visible to others and cars. If you allow your children to ride bikes or skateboards, put reflective tape on those as well.
- Find a place within your child’s costume to put his emergency information like name, address and phone number. You could make a bracelet for her to wear with the same information on it.
Trick-or-Treating:
- Talk to your children about what you consider appropriate and inappropriate behavior during Halloween. Let them know what is acceptable behavior when they are trick-or-treating and on your neighbors‘ property.
 - Always go with your children to go trick-or-treating.
If they are old enough to go on their own, discuss what areas they will be in, the time they will be home, and what group of kids they will be with.
- Use flashlights with working batteries. Have your children take the flashlights with them. And, take one with you, as well, when you trick-or-treat with them.
- Have your kids trick-or-treat in areas where there are a lot of people. Tell your children not to take short-cuts through alleys and parking lots.
- Have your children go only to the homes that are lit and, preferably, have Halloween decorations on the front porch. Tell them NEVER go into a neighbors or strangers house. They must get their candy while on the porch.
- Remind your children to be careful of animals and strangers when they are out trick-or-treating.
- Have your children look both ways before crossing the street, cross the street at corners, and walk on the sidewalk.
- Teach your children not to hide or cross the street between parked cars.
- Make sure your child knows his phone number and how to call 9-1-1 from either of your phones or any phone. Provide them with the security that they know what to do if they are lost or have an emergency.
- Follow the above Halloween safety tips so you have peace of mind about your kids on a night that may, at times, be dangerous.
Decorating and Home Safety:
- Check around your yard for anything that might hurt someone walking through your property in the dark on Halloween night.
Kids are excited and running from house to house and are not paying attention to hazards on the ground.
- Consider using battery powered lanterns or light sticks instead of candles in Jack o’ Lanterns and costumes. Click here for more information on candle safety.
- Consider using this time to replace the old batteries in your smoke alarms.
- Keep your Jack O' Lanterns and any other hot lamps, etc away from curtains, decorations, costumes, and any other flammable materials. Keep the areas where children and/or pets will be walking or standing clear.
These are important Halloween safety tips to remember because kids are excited and focused on candy…not things that could hurt them.
- Remember fire safety when you are decorating. Be careful not to overload your electrical outlets. Click here for more information on electrical fires.
- Go over "Stop-Drop (Cover Your Face)-Roll" with your children in case their clothes catch on fire.
- Learn CPR to help if your child, or any child, is choking.
Additional Halloween Safety Tips
Halloween Candy Safety:
Alternatives to Trick-or-Treating:
- Find a party or start a party in your neighborhood where the kids know they can go.
- Check your local community centers, shopping malls, or churches for parties or events.
- Choose an event that makes you feel comfortable and safe.
For more information on general holiday safety including safety when you are visiting and food safety, click here.
Hopefully, these Halloween safety tips will prove helpful to you now and in the future. It’s important to teach your children all about Halloween safety and then have a good time!
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