Trick or Treating Safety Tips

Do you have children that will be Trick or Treating this Halloween?  Although Halloween is a fun time of year for kids, sometimes people can play tricks on them. Make sure their safety is your top priority by reviewing this list of essential safety tips.

• If your children are too small to go Trick-or-Treating by themselves, make sure you go with them. If they are old enough to go out without you, make sure they go in a group. Or you can always follow along at a distance to keep an eye on them.

• Make sure your children know to walk and not to run when going from house to house.

• Remind them how important it is to stay on the sidewalk.  If there are no sidewalks in your area, make sure they know to walk facing traffic on that side of the road.  The only time they should cross the road is at a corner or at a designated cross walk, and not before looking both ways and making sure that it is safe to cross.

• Children need to stay in well-lit areas.  If a street doesn’t have its lights on, they shouldn’t go down it.

• Only visit homes that have their outside lights on.

• Each child should carry their own flashlight and have extra batteries. They should have their flashlights on at all times to maintain visibility.

• Tell children not to eat their candy before you can look through it.  When they get home with their loot, look for any wrappers that may have been damaged or punctured, and throw them out.

• Serve your children dinner before they head out, making it less tempting for them to eat candy before you check through it.

• Send them along with a backpack so they can store their loot if it gets to heavy.  This is a good place to put anything else they might need, like a cell phone and extra batteries for their flashlights.

• Look for small toys that might not be good for small children.  If a toy has small parts, make sure that anyone under the age of 3 doesn’t get a hold of it.

• If your child is wearing a mask as part of his costume, make sure that he can see out of it well, and that it doesn’t make it difficult to breathe.

• Your child’s costume should not have anything dragging on the ground as he or she walks as it might cause it to get caught on stairs or railings.

• If your child’s costume is dark in color, add some reflective tape to it so they can easily be identified by passing motorists.

• Plan out a route with your children and agree on what time they should be home.  Make sure they have a way to tell the time.

• Let them know not to take short cuts through alleys, parks, or people’s yards.

• Make sure they understand never to accept invitations into a car, house or other secluded area.

• Give them a loot bag that can easily be carried with one hand.  This will allow them to catch themselves easier if they trip or fall.

Following these tips will create a safe environment for your kids this Halloween, ensuring their memories will be great memories!