Halloween can be an unsafe holiday because there are kids dressed up in costumes and wandering the streets at night. How can you keep your family safe? The first thing that I would tell parents (and older siblings) on Halloween to keep kids safe is to check the candy. You have to be sure that the candy has nothing dangerous in it before actually giving it to them. It’s probably not a good idea to let kids go out alone. At a minimum, they should be traveling in groups–with at least two or three other kids just to keep each other safe. Also, I would tell the parents to stay with the kids just so they can stay even safer.
Another thing that I would tell people to stay safe on Halloween is to set rules for street safety like reminding kids to look both ways before crossing streets and use crosswalks. Teach them to stay on the sidewalk and avoid cutting across yards or driveways. Instruct them not to run between houses or into the street. Kids should have a cell phone in case of an emergency; make sure that it’s charged. Another thing that would be very helpful to keep kids safe, especially now, is using phones trackers like my iPhone or Life360. If older kids are trick-or-treating alone, use location and sharing apps to track their whereabouts.
Another thing that I would tell people to keep an eye out for, in terms of Halloween safety, is to check that your kids’ costumes fit well to prevent tripping; face paint or make up may be preferable to masks that obstruct vision. Also, make sure that the costume is made of flame-resistant materials in case of fire. Also, never go inside of someone’s house, even if they invite you in. Remember that we’re trying to stay safe on Halloween.
