Must-Use Halloween Safety Tips
Halloween is every kid's dream; during one special night of the year, they get to run around in disguise, knock on doors, and get candy completely free! As parents, you know that the world is not quite as innocent as children see it; the neighbor down the block can try to hurt them, people will not always be nice to them, and walking around at night can be very risky. To help your children safe and let them enjoy the candy holiday as much as possible, here are some extremely important Halloween safety tips that you must practice:
Choose Safe Costumes
Low-cost costumes may contain harmful materials that can put your child at risk. When picking out a costume, make sure it fits your child properly, and that is not made of flammable detachable parts that can harm your child.
Only Go to Houses with a Porch Light On
Go with your children to well-lit homes where the porch light is on to make sure that the people inside welcome trick and treaters, and that your child will not be in a dark area.
Never Send a Child Trick or Treating Alone
This is a given when kids are small, but as they get bigger, children do not want to be chaperoned by their parents. This does not mean that you should send your child out alone; make sure that your kids go trick or treating with a group of friends, and lay down some ground rules; no going off alone, no splitting into small groups, and no excepting candy from people in your neighborhood that they do not know.
Teach Your Children How to Contact 9-1-1
Hopefully, your children will never have to use emergency services when trick or treating, but just in case, teach them how to call 9-1-1: give your child a mobile phone and program 911 or another emergency number into the phone. Show your child how to call emergency services, and tell them that if they get lost or get in trouble, they should not hesitate to call 9-1-1.
Research Neighbors Before Trick or Treating
Before you go out trick or treating with your child or they go without you, you should plan a route where you can go and come back safely. It is likely that you do not know all your neighbors very well, so to make sure that you only go to safe homes, perform an address search or people search on the people in your area. These directories operated by ProPeopleSearch.com give you access to public records so you can see who in your neighborhood has a violent criminal record and who is a registered sex offender. With a people search, you can plan a safe route for trick or treat and know which houses you may want to avoid.
Never Enter a Car or a Home for a Treat
If someone invites you or your child into their home/car to give them a treat, politely refuse and walk away. You should never go into a home or vehicle of a person that you do not know very well, even if they seem harmless.
Put Reflective Tape on Costumes
Walking around at night to get candy is fun, but seeing kids, especially in costume when it is dark outside is tricky. People riding on bikes or driving cars may not see your child, which can lead to an accident. To prevent this from happening, put your child in a bright and visible costume or place reflective tape on their costume so that other people can see them, even in the dark.
Ask Your Kids to Check In
To make sure that everything is alright, ask your kids to check in with you every 20 minutes or 30 minutes, even if it's just in text. If they do not do so, try to call them instead. Kids tend to lose a sense of time, so text or call your child to make sure that they are alright and having fun.
Halloween is an exciting holiday where children can dress up and get tasty treats from their neighbors. To make sure your children are safe at all times, use the important Halloween safety tips mentioned above, and your kids will be able to enjoy one of the most fun holidays every year.
