Halloween Safety Tips

Keep Halloween an enjoyable and safe time for your entire family by following Halloween safety tips for the young and the young at heart.

Teach Stranger Safety

From wizards and fairies to ghosts and goblins, for many children wearing a Halloween costume is one of the highlights of the day’s festivities. Whether your child is going trick or treating or attending a Halloween party, choosing a costume with the following safety tips in mind will help to keep children safe throughout the day.

• Choose a costume and costume accessories such as wigs, beards or fake body parts, that are made of material that is fire proof or fire resistant.
• Costumes should be brightly colored so they are easily seen. If a dark colored costume is worn, add reflective tape to the costume and/or the trick or treat bag to make the child more visible. A great product to use is the Halloween Child Safety Kit by Fotolum.
• A child out at night should carry a flashlight or a glow stick to add to their visibility.
• Costumes should be short enough to prevent the child from tripping or becoming tangled in things on the ground.
• If a mask is worn, the eye holes should not limit or block the child’s vision in any way and it should allow good peripheral vision. Using non-toxic makeup if a better choice.
• Make sure your child has emergency contact information secured to their clothing or on the back of a necklace or bracelet. The information should include:
  • Name
  • Address
  • Phone number

Many Halloween costumes seem incomplete without the addition of props. If a prop is part of your child’s costume, make sure to follow these safety tips.

• Props such as guns, knives or swords can be mistaken for real weapons. If one of these props must be used, it should not look authentic. Choose one that definitely appears fake.
• If a prop generally has pointed or sharp ends, choose ones that are made of a soft material such as rubber with tips and points that are smooth and flexible. Examples of these types of props include:
  • Pitchforks
  • Shovels
  • Scythes
  • Butcher knives
  • Swords

Many children love to go trick or treating on Halloween. The following safety tips will help to keep them safe.

• The safest time for trick or treating is during daylight hours.
• When trick or treating younger children should be accompanied by an adult or an older teenager.
• Children, regardless of their age, should not go trick or treating alone. They should go as a group and always stay together.
• If your child is old enough, and responsible enough, to go trick or treating with friends, plan their trick or treat route ahead of time. This allows the parents to know where their children are and that the route they are taking is safe. Plan a time for them to check in or return home. They should be instructed to:
  • Stay in populated and lighted areas
  • Never go into a house of someone they do not know
  • Never get into a stranger’s car
  • Not cut through alleyways or back alleys
  • Not cut through fields or parks
  • Not eat any of their treats until they are brought home and checked by an adult

• Make certain any flashlights being taken out by trick or treaters have fresh batteries.
• A fun way to teach your child about Halloween safety is using a Halloween Safety Kit such as the one by McGruff the Crime Dog
• Make sure your front porch and the pathway to your front door is clear of any tripping hazards by clearing away items such as:
  • Flower pots
  • Yard ornaments
  • Hoses
• Use lights ticks or battery-powered candles in any Jack-o-Lanterns and other decorations that are outside. Children are excited when they are tick or treating and a costume could accidentally catch fire if real candles are used.

Following Halloween safety tips and taking the necessary precautions helps make Halloween a fun time for everyone.

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