Halloween Safety Tips

Halloween is just over a week away (can you believe it?!)!  A week from tomorrow, there will be children walking up and down the streets in cute and scary costumes acquiring goodies that will have them trading candy riding that sugar high late into the night (Halloween does fall on a Saturday this year, after all!), and sharing stories with their friends at school into the next week.

Naturally, as always, keeping our kids safe is always a number one priority for all of us, so I have compiled a few tips for making sure that the only scariness you or your children see this Halloween are costumes and decorations.

- Trick or treating is a really fun tradition, but my family has actually skipped it for a few years now, and instead visiting "trunk or treats" and our church's Annual Fall Festival instead. Using this as an example, it's mostly indoors, they have potluck dinner and we bring home just as much candy as we would roaming the streets.  This is a great option.

- You can easily and creatively add reflective tape or strips to almost any costume to make them safer when out in the dark at night.  This will help cars, and other trick or treaters see them coming and going! A flashlight or glow-stick will be helpful in making sure they can see where they're going also. Make sure that any costume is well-fitting to avoid any tripping or other possible hazards. Make sure any sword, knife or similar props are the flexible kind.

- Make sure you and your children are watching where they're going. You wouldn't have them thumbing through their new-found treasures while walking down the street on any other day.

-Walk with your kids!  Again, especially if you wouldn't let them roam the streets alone on any other night.  If they're young enough to get excited to dress up and go, than they're probably young enough to need you there.  (I know this is most likely a given, but I remember being allowed to go by myself with friends at a far younger age than I'd let my own.)

- Make sure, if you're driving that night, that you're extra cautious of little people in the streets.  Preach this to your teenage drivers as well!

-If your child has autism or another sensory processing disorder, check out this post from Richmond Mom for some costume tips!


Did I miss anything?  What are some tips you would share to keep our kids safe this Halloween?

Most importantly, have a safe, fun and Happy Halloween, however you celebrate!