Halloween posts are starting! What better way to start than to talk about the most important part of Halloween – Halloween safety of course!
It’s easy to focus on the fun aspects of Halloween. I mean, costumes and candy are pretty easy to focus on, right? But don’t leave Halloween safety to the last minute. It’s so important to consider safety as you’re planning your family’s costumes, the candy you pass out, and your plan for the hours of 6:00-8:00 pm on October 31st.
Halloween safety is important even if you’re not planning to trick-or-treat. Of course, there are Halloween safety tips specific to the trick-or-treaters out there, but it’s important for everyone to keep safety front of mind on Halloween night.
Most of these Halloween safety tips are just common sense, but it’s good to have a reminder. Keep these close as you’re prepping for your spooky fun!
Halloween Safety Tips
Trick-or-Treat Tips
In the U.S., the first thing that comes to mind for many of us when we think of Halloween is trick-or-treating. It’s the stuff that childhood memories are made of (unless you lived in a retirement community and were the only kids in the neighborhood), so let’s make sure we keep our kids safe while they trick-or-treat.
Costumes
This far before Halloween, the most important Halloween safety tip to keep top of mind is costume safety.
Fire resistant
Make sure that your kids’ costumes are fire resistant. That usually means made of polyester. If you’re like me and you’re more of a buy the costume mom than a make the costume mom, this shouldn’t be a problem. Most off-the-shelf Halloween costumes are fire resistant.
Light colored/reflective
This Halloween safety tip is a bit trickier, but just as important. It is dark outside when kids trick-or-treat, so it’s a good idea to do whatever you can to make your kids more visible in the dark. The best way to do this is to steer them toward light colored costumes. I understand that this isn’t always possible (I have headstrong kids too!), so if they insist on a dark costume, add reflective tape or a headlamp.
Proper length
With costumes coming in standard sizes, it’s so easy to get one that’s just a bit too big for your trick-or-treater. And although having a costume that’s a little big isn’t the end of the world, it can cause major problems if that means the costume is too long. Costumes that drag on the ground are major tripping hazards, which can land your kid in a world of hurt if he or she isn’t extremely careful walking around the neighborhood or up the steps to your neighbors’ houses.
Luckily, it’s easy to make sure your kids won’t be trip-or-treating this Halloween. Have your kids try on their Halloween costumes well before their first costume event of the season. If the costume is too long, grab a pair of fabric shears and give the costume a little trim.
Weather appropriate
Halloween looks very different depending on where you live, so, naturally, this Halloween safety tip will be different for each one of you, dear readers. The bottom line is that you should make sure that your costumes are appropriate to the typical weather you see on Halloween.
In Florida, where I was a costumed child on Halloween, this meant lightweight. You could sweat to death in some of the mass market Halloween costumes when I was a kid. In Pittsburgh, where I live now, I have the exact opposite consideration for my kids’ costumes. It has been absolutely frigid on Halloween in my kids’ lifetime, so I always make sure that my kids can wear layers under their costumes for extra warmth.
Just know your weather and plan accordingly.
Masks
Many articles on Halloween safety are very firm when they say that masks should not be worn to ensure a safe Halloween. I’m not going to go that far. Sure, masks can impair your vision, so if you pick a costume that doesn’t require one, that’s awesome. But what happens when your kid wants to be Iron Man? There is no way to make an Iron Man costume without a mask. If you are in this situation (like I am – Iron Man did not get plucked from thin air as a hypothetical example), just make sure the mask fits well and that your kid can see out of it.
Makeup
You may be wondering why I’ve included makeup as a Halloween safety consideration. It’s makeup, who cares, right? Wrong! Makeup was off limits to me as a kid when I was considering Halloween costumes because it always broke my out into a horrible rash. And, although I haven’t tried to put makeup on my 2-year-old, I suspect she would react similarly. All this to say, if you or your kid needs makeup to complete the perfect Halloween lewk, do a test patch first. I suggest that you do a little swatch on the inside of the elbow several days before Halloween and see what happens. If the skin erupts, the makeup is a no-go.
Treats
Whether you’re giving out treats or trick-or-treating on Halloween, there are some Halloween safety tips you should follow.
Pre-packaged
Stick to pre-packaged treats in your candy bowls on Halloween. Even if you love to bake. Heck, even if you’re friggin Martha Stewart. It’s just safer that way. Keep the homemade treats for your close friends and family.
Be allergy aware
When I was growing up, people were not sensitive to the fact that some kids were allergic (and some deathly allergic) to certain food items. People would fill their candy bowls with only Reese’s peanut butter cups. Although Reese’s are delicious, this completely excludes all the kids who might be allergic to peanuts. That doesn’t make for a very fun Halloween for them.
When you’re planning what to offer to trick-or-treaters, be inclusive. Make sure you offer lots of different options for kids who might be allergic to peanuts or tree nuts or dairy or gluten. Separate bowls that are marked with who can partake would make you the #1 neighbor.
Inspection
Sure, this might seem far-fetched, but Mom and Dad should inspect the candy before the kids dive in. Although it’s unlikely that you will find a needle or battery acid in your trick-or-treat haul (this is what they told us in the 1990s), choking hazards are way more common. This is especially true if you’re trick-or-treating with a little one under the age of 4. Mom and Dad should remove any choking hazards, such as:
Gum
Round, hard candy
Gummies
Pedestrians
Most kids walk around the neighborhood when they trick-or-treat, but many kids are not well-versed in pedestrian safety considerations. Let’s make sure that all the little pedestrians stay safe this Halloween!
Light
We’ve already gone over the fact that kids should try to be as visible as possible when they’re trick-or-treating, but it’s worth saying again. In addition to kids wearing light colored or reflective costumes, it’s also important for someone in each group to carry a flashlight. Mom or Dad could be that person if you don’t trust your kids not to leave the flashlight in a neighbor’s candy bowl.
Adults
Speaking of Mom or Dad, groups of little kids should be accompanied by at least one grown-up. That grown-up can even be the fun uncle. He counts as an adult, at least for this purpose.
Slow down
Kids are so excited on Halloween that they want to sprint from house to house to get as much candy as they can. I get it, I do, but this could end poorly for them. Remind your kids to slow down and not dart in the road going as fast as their little legs can take them. Slowing down just a tad could save them from tripping into a ditch or, God forbid, worse.
Lit houses only
As kids get older, they understand that you skip the houses without their porch lights on. This can be a bit of a tough convention to explain to the smallest kids in your trick-or-treat party. If the porch light isn’t on or it looks like it’s business as usual at a house, steer your little ones down the street to the next house. This keeps the kids and the passers safe and happy.
General Tips
It’s more than trick-or-treaters who need Halloween safety tips. We should all keep these general Halloween safety tips in mind, whether we are trick-or-treating, passing out candy, or declining to participate in the Halloween festivities.
Drivers
Most towns have trick-or-treating from 6:00-8:00 pm on October 31st for Halloween. If this is the case in your town, try to stay off the roads during this time. If you can’t avoid driving during the trick-or-treat window, be extremely cautious as you drive through residential areas. Make sure your headlights (but not your high beams!) are on, slow way down, and look from left to right as you proceed. Kids are out on the streets, let them have a fun night.
Pets
Halloween candy is not good for pets, but not all pets know that. If you have a pet in your house that gets into anything edible, make sure you keep the candy well out of its reach. You don’t want to have to cut your kids’ trick-or-treat short to take your dog to the emergency vet.
Other posts
If you’d like more tips for celebrating holidays with kids, check out these posts:
I hope you all have a great Halloween. This is just the start of Halloween content here at Sara in Season, so watch out for more great Halloween content. I’d love to see your costumes over on Instagram – tag @sarainseason!