The National Safety Council has published the following tips that are essential for keeping children safe while trick-or-treating.
Costume safety:
- All wigs, costumes, and accessories should be fire-resistant.
- Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags if children are out after dark. Have them carry glow sticks.
- Avoid Halloween masks which can obscure vision. Instead, choose non-toxic Halloween makeup.
- Make sure costumes are the right size to prevent trips and falls.
During trick-or-treating:
According to safekids.org, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year.
- Young children under the age of 12 should always be accompanied by a responsible adult.
- Older children going alone should plan and review a route acceptable to you.
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- Agree on a specific time children should return home.
- Teach your children never to enter a stranger’s home or car.
- Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and stick with their friends.
- Children should be reminded to cross the street at corners or crosswalks. They should always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, they should walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
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Children should not eat any treats until they return home, and the candy can be properly inspected. Look for:
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- Ingredients like peanuts, dairy or gluten if your child has food allergies.
- Candy that has strange lumps or foreign objects.
- Candy that’s unwrapped, ripped, has been opened or not in its original packaging.
- Candy that smells funny.
- Candy from any manufacturer you’ve never heard of, is discolored, or stained, or mismatched candy with different colors and pieces.
- Holes or rips in the wrapper that have been resealed.
- Homemade treats that were provided from someone you don’t know.
- If you find candy that has been tampered with, contact your local police department.
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