Spooky season is here again! For one night, children and adults alike can dress up as their favorite cartoon character, animal, or other funny something to express themselves as they enjoy Halloween parties, trick-or-treating, hayrides, haunted houses, fall festivals, and so much more.
When it’s time to suit up for trick-or-treating on Halloween night, it’s best to stay safe by following these tips. Safety always comes first, even when you are having fun.
Especially as a parent or guardian taking your kids trick-or-treating, you will want a relaxing break after all that walking around. Jump into a game of slots online for a fun and thrilling end to your Halloween night…if you dare!
Costume Safety
Be sure your costumes are safe with how they fit. Accessories such as masks and headbands should fit on your body snugly so as not to get snagged on anything in your travels. Masks should allow you to see clearly as you walk. Face painting a mask might be much safer if the real mask you want doesn’t give you the best visibility.
Wear short capes so it does not pose a choking hazard because of length. If possible, try to find a flame-resistant costume in case you fall into a fire emergency.
Consider your costume’s color. If you are wearing a dark costume, wear glow sticks or carry flashlights to enhance visibility for motorists and other pedestrians nearby. If you are already wearing a bright-colored costume, then that’s more brownie points for you in the costume safety department!
Travel Guidelines
Go trick-or-treating in a neighborhood where you are the most familiar. This will help in case your phone dies and you cannot route GPS back home. Ensure the neighborhoods you choose are well-lit and trustworthy. Don’t travel on any busy streets.
During your travels, teach your children how to use crosswalks. Instill street smarts by reminding them to look both ways before they cross the street. They should also look for the walking symbol, if applicable, if they are crossing any streets near stoplights.
Avoid Other Distractions
We know the temptation is there to want to check your phone in between your children stopping at houses for trick-or-treating. Save the texting and phone calls for later unless you are meeting up with other family members and friends and need to know one another’s location. Otherwise, live in the moment and enjoy the trick-or-treating experience.
Save the candy for when you get home. Digging into the bag to find a piece of candy to munch on could distract from the general route, therefore wasting time during the experience.
If you meet new friends and families along the way, keep interactions brief. Getting into long conversations could be distracting and reduce how much time you have left for trick-or-treating. Try not to snap so many pictures while walking around. Snap a picture with everyone before trick-or-treating and maybe a couple of images in between houses. Otherwise, keep picture-snapping to a minimum.
Emergency Preparedness
You never know when an emergency can happen that can separate you and your party. Ensure everyone knows where to meet if you all get separated. Ensure your phones are charged before trick-or-treating so you can all get in contact with one another if this happens.
One of the adults in the party should carry a first aid kit. Kids can get excitable and trip and fall if they are not careful while trick-or-treating. Alternatively, you never know if an adult will have to run after their child who is jumping out in the middle of the road, whereas the parent may face an injury from being too hasty to save the child.
Conclusion
Don’t forget one of the most crucial safety rules of trick-or-treating: check the Halloween candy. Ensure all the candies are closed and safe for eating. If the packaging seal is ripped, discard that piece of candy. If the treats have suspicious packaging, get rid of them in case they were tampered with. Discard anything with allergens that don’t agree with your children.
