BY: Allison Singleterry
Halloween is less than two weeks away, and there are many ways to help everyone have a safe experience.
When dressing up for Halloween, make sure kids are wearing something bright, or incorporate reflective tape so people who are driving in the neighborhoods are able to spot them quickly. It’s also a good idea to make sure not to have really long dresses or things like long sticks or swords where kids can get hit or trip over things easily.
Make sure to go trick-or-treating in an area or neighborhood you are familiar with. You should stay in neighborhoods or streets that are well lit. When walking through the neighborhood, make sure to stay on the sidewalk or to the far edge of the street if there is no sidewalk.
As for the drivers on Halloween, make sure to drive extra slow through neighborhoods, and look extra hard for children crossing the street. It’s also a good idea to turn your lights on earlier than normal to make sure you can see the children clearly.
Make sure your child knows not to go into a house or car to get any candy. Go through the candy with your kids, and throw anything away that’s even slightly opened.
When decorating your own house for Halloween, make sure there aren’t any wires or anything on the walk way that would cause people to trip.
If you want to carve pumpkins with your kids, there are some safer ways to do that as well. Give the younger children opportunities to participate by having them draw faces on the pumpkins, and let the adults carve the designs out.
A safer alternative to lighting the pumpkin is to use a flashlight or fake light rather than an actual candle. If you decide to use a real candle, make sure the pumpkin is on a flat surface and not near anything flammable.
Halloween is such a fun time of the year for children to dress up and eat candy, but it can be really dangerous if people aren’t careful.
For any additional information or safety tips, visit https://www.healthychildren.org/English/safety-prevention/all-around/Pages/Halloween-Safety-Tips.aspx and https://www.safekids.org/tip/halloween-safety-tips.