Halloween is a time for tricks, treats, and costumes, but it’s also a day where kids are running wild on sugar and excitement in the streets. Practicing a few safety measures can keep your Halloween safe and sane! Employ a few of our top tips for keeping your kids safe on the spookiest and sweetest night of the year.
- Keep trick or treating age appropriate. Kids under 12 should never trick-or-treat alone. Even then, children on their own must have demonstrated responsibility before they can be trusted to roam the streets unsupervised.
- Walk safely. Even though Halloween seems like a special night, there are no exceptions when it comes to obeying the law! Cross at crosswalks, always use the sidewalk, and don’t jay-walk.
- Double check your surroundings. As a pedestrian, try to be in places where a vehicle is expecting to see you. The sidewalk is a safe bet but the middle of the street is not. Use extra caution around driveways, alleys, and corners, and if you’re crossing the street, try to find a place with a streetlight to be as visible as possible.
- Make communication easy. Give your kids a cell phone or a pair of walkie-talkies to facilitate communication if anyone gets lost or separated. This is especially important if your kids are trick-or-treating on their own.
- Program a treat route. Either with a smart phone or on a physical map, make sure your kids know the route they should follow. It’s a good idea to take them on a walk of the route during the day so they know where they’re going.
- Remove dangerous costume elements. If your child’s costume has sharp edges, plastic weapons, or vision-obscuring masks, make your kids leave them at home the night of Halloween. These can be dangerous when combined with youthful energy, and masks can make it harder for kids to see oncoming traffic.
- Use reflective tape. Affixing some reflective tape to your children’s costumes and candy buckets helps drivers see them far better. This tape is inexpensive and has a lot of purposes to keep pedestrians safe, and it’s incredibly easy to apply. If you don’t have any, adding some glow sticks to a costume is a fun alternative.
- Have a code word. Talk with your kids and decide on a simple phrase or word they can say to you to indicate that they’re uncomfortable. This will let them alert you either over the phone or in person that they need help, without revealing to the people around them what they’re feeling.
- Talk to your kids. This final tip is maybe the most important. Have a simple conversation about the route, the curfew, and the expectations you have for them. For younger kids, this is a great time to talk about what is appropriate behavior from strangers and what isn’t, and for older kids it’s useful to set boundaries and expectations. This gives everyone a little more peace of mind!
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