Halloween Safety!

It’s almost dusk, the children look adorable in their sweet little costumes and you can’t wait to see their faces when they receive their first Trick or Treat! To ensure the evening remains a fun night, here are a few tips and the safety rules and expectations to go over with your little ghouls and goblins.

First here are a few helpful tips on ensuring they have a great head start on safety and spooky fun:

• Ensure your child is in a bright costume so others can see them. If their costume is dark in color, use reflective strips or have them carry a glow stick or bright flashlight.

• Ensure your child’s costume isn’t too long, tripping over it in excitement to rush to the next house can be a big hazard and bound to lead to the night getting cut short.

• Instead of masks, have your kids wear make-up so they can see where they are going. It’s more comfortable too! The masks build up sweat and condensation under it and guaranteed that your annoyed child will be ripping it off quickly. Make-up leads to happier trick or treaters.

• There’s a good chance (unless your child has a home-made costume) that other children are going to have the same or very similar costume and when it gets dark, distinguishing on ghoulish ghost, or cackling witch, from another can get difficult. A great thing to do is alter it in some obvious way to ensure you can see your child at all times. This can be anything from a specific design with reflectors on their back, or glow sticks sewn on the costume, anything that will quickly identify your child from the rest.

• Another tip for really little ones (under 3) is to put them in a stroller or wagon, not only will they last trick or treating longer, but it will also ensure they won’t get run over by bigger children zipping around.

And now the safety rules for the little ones!

• Review road safety rules such as, look both ways before crossing, stay on the sidewalk or close to the side of the road if there is no sidewalk, and use crosswalks when available.
  
• Remind them to watch for other people when hurrying from house to house. Bumps and falls can easily happen when there are groups of children running for candy! Keeping their head up and watch where they are going.
• Remind them to not eat the candy before you inspect it for safety.
  
• Here’s a little song that will easily remind them of the rules!

Trick or Treat

(Tune: I’m a little Teapot)

I am a trick or treater ready to go,

Here is my flashlight, I'll walk slow.

When I get all dressed up here me say,

‘Thank you for my treats today!’

I am so excited, ‘Trick or Treat!,"

I always look both ways across the street!

When I get my candy, can’t eat it, no, no

Until it’s check by people I know!