Halloween is here again! The kids are excited to go to school to show off their latest scary (or cute!) costume and parents brace themselves for the annual onslaught of sugar charged manic little monsters, vampires, ladybugs and princesses roaming the neighborhood! There is no denying that Halloween is one of the most fun and anticipated days of the year for our kids (and even for some of us parents too) but it is important to ensure that our kids remain safe to fully enjoy the holiday. Although rare, there are far too many stories of child abduction, as well as the razor blading and poisoning of candy every year for parents not to pay attention. Here are 10 tips to make sure that your child has a fun and safe halloween!
- Don’t allow your child to trick or treat alone. Always make sure an adult is present or children are traveling in groups (depending on age)
- Instruct your child NEVER to enter a stranger’s home without a trusted adult present
- Make sure your child stays on the side walk or the far edge of the road (if no side walk is present)
- If no side walk is present in your neighborhood fasten reflective tape to your child’s back so cars can clearly see them.
- Instruct your child to always walk between houses and NOT TO RUN (this is the cause of most minor accidents at Halloween!) – Remind them that the candy will still be there when they arrive!
- Ensure that all costumes fit correctly (nothing dragging underfoot) and that your child can clearly see out of their mask to avoid tripping and falling
- Make sure that any weapons are soft and flexible to avoid injury
- Warn your child about standing too close to open flames. Ideally only buy flame resistant costumes.
- Discuss the difference between home-made and factory-made candy with your child and intruct them never to accept or eat home-made candy from someone they do not know.
- Before the kids start tucking-in to their candy, take a look to make sure there are no choking hazards or any other miscellaneous items that need to be removed