Halloween Safety Ideas

Halloween Night: The Scariest Night of the Year!

Remember back to Halloween night when you were a kid—pumpkins lit up on neighborhood porches, candy flowing like water, and everywhere you look scary witches, goblins, and monsters, with a little Cinderella thrown in, parading the streets? This is one of the most exciting nights of the year for most kids, right up there with Christmas and birthdays.  Yes, Halloween is a time of more than trick-or-treating; it is a time of pumpkin patches, October fests, carnivals and spooky things.

The big question for most kids, however, is; What will I be this year? Perhaps a monster, a princess, or a pirate? Tough question, for sure, and the older you get the tougher the decision. The reason is simple; as you get older you want a costume that is not only a thrill to you and your friends, but a costume that will bring forth loads of candy, the big candy. Who doesn’t remember roaming the stores looking for the perfect outfit, or rummaging through your parent’s closets?

Go for the Candy—Not the Danger!

All of the costume choices we have make Halloween a magical night. But as exciting as the costumes are, some, it appears, are more dangerous than others. You’ve got your long, Phantom of the Opera outfit dragging along behind you, it gets caught underfoot and you trip, falling in the street and hurting yourself.  Make sure your child’s costume is safe, as well as your own. Since Halloween does appear on October 31st with autumn fully underway, it’s dark by the time you begin the tramp through the neighborhood. Motorists are unlikely to see you or your child if dressed in black, especially with the large number of children and adults who are out on the streets. That’s only one example of a danger to avoid on Halloween night. Keep it simple; keep it safe, that’s what Halloween is all about. Don’t take any chances.

As you might suspect there are many more dangers than just wearing dark clothes. Remember trying to breathe through those thick rubber masks until you felt you might suffocate, or what about those hard, plastic masks, and masks that fit over the whole head? Make sure your child can see through the holes in the mask. One of the biggest dangers on Halloween night is not being able to adequately see what’s ahead. There are alternatives to that and one is as simple as face painting.  Make a pirate outfit and paint on the mask—there are countless ideas, Explore!

Practice Some Halloween Safety Tips.

It’s as easy to be safe on Halloween night as it is to have fun. Besides being well suited, there are a number of other safety tips to go over before sending your children out the door.  Talk to your children about safety, even if you’re planning on going door to door with them. That brings up another safety tip—never go trick or treating alone, travel in a group. As they say, there is safety in numbers, and on Halloween that couldn’t be truer. Avoid dark streets and unlit houses, and never enter a stranger’s home no matter how much candy they offer you. These are all common sense things, but not so common for a child who hasn’t had it drilled into his head.

Anyone who’s ever gone trick or treating will remember how fun it was to dip your hand into your heavy bag, or pillowcase, and draw out a big chunk of candy and pop it in your mouth while running to the next house for more loot. Well, there are two reasons not to allow your children to do this. One is that running while eating candy can cause choking. The other—probably the most important reason—is because we don’t know where that candy came from. 

Explain to children that candy needs to come home and be inspected before anything goes into the mouth. In my own generation, there was no scare about poison candy, razor blades or other such monstrous things that could be in the candy. But recent generations of children have grown up hearing about these things.  Some call it nothing more than an urban legend, while others say it is realistic and if nothing else will put the scare into trick-or-treaters. Most evidence, however, suggests the tampering with candy is unfounded, according to Joel Best, chair of the department of sociology and criminal justice at the University of Delaware. But regardless, let’s just take a few minutes and inspect the goods. It’s all about safety.

What to do with Fido?

Pets are in as much danger during Halloween as unprepared children are, but there are things we can do to keep them safe. Never let a pet stay in the yard Halloween night, even if it is fenced in. Instead, keep your pet in another room and away from the door when trick-or-treaters come knocking. Pranksters have been known to tease, injure, or even take a dog on this night. It’s also a good time to make sure your dog is wearing identification tags, just in case he should get out and get caught up in the festivities.

It’s not uncommon for your pet to gobble down your child’s candy while she’s sleeping. This is not a good idea since chocolate is poison for dogs, and the wrappers—which a lot of dogs would just as soon swallow whole—is a good way for the dog to suffocate.  Cats, as well as dogs should be protected. Avoid letting your pets around burning pumpkins and candles that they could knock over.

Keep the Dangers in Mind—but have fun.

These are happy times for children as well as adults. Keep the holiday safe, as well as the memories. Follow some simple safety rules, share them with your children, and have a happy and safe Halloween.

About the Author: Angela Lytle is a self-employed mother of four and publisher of Christmas Decorations Online featuring holiday items like Artficial Christmas Trees.