October is Halloween Safety Month. Unfortunately, Halloween is actually a very dangerous time for children. See how you can keep your littles ones safe with our Halloween Safety Tips. 

Halloween is such a fun and exciting time. If you ask most kids, Halloween will be likely in their Top 3 holidays. I mean there’s a lot to love. Kids get to dress up like their favorite character from the past year. There’s candy, hayrides, haunted houses. Laughter. And so much more. What’s not to love?

Truth be told, as fun as it is for kids and parents alike, there is a lot not to love. Halloween Safety Month is all about alerting parents to the dangers that occur during Halloween season and how to keep your children safe.  Many of these Halloween safety tips should be discussed with your children all month long, but especially the week leading up to Halloween.  It’s also important to discuss Halloween safety at your children’s school or co-op if homeschooled, to ensure everyone is always safe.

Quick Halloween Safety Month Facts

• 73% of children participate in Trick-or-Treating
• Children are 2x more likely to be hit and killed by a motor vehicle on Halloween than any other day of the year
• Only 18% of parents use reflective tape on their child’s costume
• 3 out of 4 parents have Halloween safety concerns but only 1/3 speak to their children about Halloween safety tips

Halloween Trick-or-Treating Safety Tips

No matter your child’s age, these Halloween Trick-or-Treating Safety Tips apply to all families:

• An adult should always accompany children under 13 during trick-or-treating
• Carry a flashlight or strobe light
• Only cross the street at corners, on crosswalks, or at traffic signals
• Stay on the sidewalk as much as possible. If no sidewalk is available, walk facing traffic
• Look left, right, and left again before crossing
• Put down any devices and keep your head up at all times
• Teach children to watch out for cars and to never dart into the street
• Throw away any candy that’s not sealed in wrapper
• Avoid homemade treats from strangers
• Remind children how to dial 9-1-1

Halloween Safety Tips for Parents of Older Children

Thing change when you become a parent to an older child. They want to do things on their own and usually with friends.  Due to that, a unique set of Halloween Safety Tips for older children come into play:

• Make sure they have at least one buddy, but preferably a group. Plan a route with them so you know where they will be, and make sure their cell phone is fully charged (if not, give them a back-up phone charger). Also make sure you agree on their time to be back home.
• Tell them to never enter a stranger’s home or vehicle or accompany them to somewhere off your planned route
• Ensure that they know to stay with their friends at all times
• Explain to them why they should not eat any of their treats until they get back home
• Go over distracted walking tips and how important it is for them to have their devices away during Halloween except for in emergency cases

Halloween Costume Safety Tips

Typically, parents ask their children what they want to dress up as, the child tells us, we buy the costume, and that’s the end of it.  There’s not a lot thought provoking discussions around Halloween costume safety. However, you do want to ensure that the costume you choose to buy or make doesn’t pose a safety hazard.  To do that you want to make sure:

• Any masks don’t obstruct vision. If possible, opt for face paint instead.
• If their costume is dark, ensure they can still be seen by motorists by adhering reflective tape to their costumes, buckets or bags. Another alternative would be to give them a flashlight, glow sticks, or strobe light.
• Consider buying a reflective bag instead of a bucket
• When using Halloween face paint or make-up, test for a skin reaction a few days prior to any event where you are dressing up
• Make sure that any paint, make-up, dyes, or perfumes are washed off before bed to prevent irritations to the eyes or skin.
• Pick the right size costume so children don’t trip and fall
• Make sure accessories aren’t too sharp or long
• Do not use decorative contact lenses. They can cause inflammation, infections, and eye disorders

Safety Tips for Drivers on Halloween 

If you plan to be driving during Halloween hours, you’ll want to follow these safety tips for drivers on Halloween:

• Put down any electronics that will distract from driving carefully
• Drive at a speed lower than posted
• Watch out for children on roadways, especially in case they run across the street quickly
• Be on the look out for children in dark colored costumes
• Enter and exit driveways, neighborhood entrances, and side streets with caution
• Be especially alert for children between 4:30pm and 10pm.

Safety Tips for Homes during Halloween 

Lots of decorating happens around your home to get in the Halloween spirit! Don’t miss these safety tips for your home during Halloween:

• Opt to have children paint their pumpkins instead of carving themselves
• If opting to carve, have an adult doing the carving
• Instead of using candles, put glow sticks inside your carved pumpkins
• Keep any props or decorations away from fireplaces or candles
• Make sure if you are handing out treats, that your driveway/sidewalk are well lit and any shrubs or trees have been trimmed back
• Remove any toys, hoses, or decorations that pose a tripping hazard

Safety Tips for Food Allergy Families during Halloween

Food Allergies present a unique situation when celebrating and partaking in Halloween activities. Make sure you have safety tips for food allergy families during Halloween:

• Always food ingredient labels or look up the nutritional facts if the ingredients aren’t listed
• Set aside any treats that may pose a risk to food allergies and consider doing a “switch witch” exchange
• Be aware that sometimes miniature candies are produced on equipment that could pose a risk, even if the food allergy family member(s) has eaten a full size variety in the past
• Teach children with food allergies to never share or take home-baked goods

Also on the note of food allergy families, even if you aren’t a family affected, you should make sure to have a few (or all) of your treats be food allergy friendly. There’s dozens of non-candy Halloween treat ideas available to help.

Hopefully these Halloween Safety Tips were valuable to you! 

Did we miss something?  Let us know in the comments below. 

PIN THIS HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS POST FOR LATER:

*Some Facts and tips come directly from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Safe Kids