10 Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe This Halloween!

 

 

10 Ways To Keep Your Kids Safe This Halloween

10-14-2010

 

 

 

With the Halloween festivities nearly knocking at our door now, (No pun intended), I wanted to talk a little bit about Halloween safety for your little, and not so little ones, and keeping them safe, this coming Halloween. 

 

Halloween can be a very fun day for kids, but also a dangerous one at that.  So we got to keep our kids as safe as we can, by helping them follow, some fairly easy guidelines and rules.

 

 Make sure to discuss all rules, prior to Halloween day.  Likely, your kids will be too pumped and excited, to truly listen well enough, the day of, so plan your speech ahead of time!

 

 

 

 

10 Ways To Keep Kids Safe…… 

 

 

1-  Make sure your kids do NOT eat any candy, before the ‘Mommy’ or ‘Daddy’ inspection, no matter their age. 

You don’t want to freak little ones out, into thinking every one of the doors they knock on, has someone behind it, that may try and poison them, or stick something terrible inside of their candy, but you want to make the possibility known, that it has happened, and to be safe, let mom or dad check out, every piece of candy before eating it.

 

 

2- Stay outside of people’s doors!  Never allow your child to walk inside someone’s home, & advise bigger kids to keep out as well!

 I know I had a major issue with my daughter with this, last year.  She was 4 yrs old, seriously too friendly, and was trying to make her way inside several homes, usually containing a cat or dog, in her range of view. 

 

Tell your kids, strangers are just that… strangers, so unless it’s a friend’s house, never enter into anybody’s home. Stand back away from the door after knocking, collect your candy, say a polite thank you, and make your way to the next home.  Those are words for kids to live by! 

 

 Now is a good time to refresh your child’s memories on the stranger talks, you have had with them.

 

 

3-  Wear brightly colored costumes

Especially if your trick or treaters are a little bit older, and want to venture out with their friends, and are not in your sights.  It not only will make your child stand out to you, and other people walking around, but will also keep them in view of driver’s, especially if they are out after sunset.

 

If your child has chosen a costume, and it happens to not be brightly colored, you can add reflector strips to their clothing and trick or treating bag.  Tweens may think you are crazy, just let them know you have their best interests at heart.

 

 

4-  Keep older kids out, with a group of friends.

  There truly is strength in numbers, and knowing that your child is amongst a group of children their own age, trick or treating, will help keep you more at ease, for certain. 

 

Protect your kids as best you can, to make Halloween, a happy occasion for all.  Make sure ground rules are set, and abided by, for a safe and pleasant afternoon/ evening.  This is a day where the more, the merrier, and the more, the better mom will feel!  Encourage trick or treating with friends if you are no longer ‘Cool’ enough to hang out with.

(We always knew that day would come, didn’t we?)

 

 

5- Teach your kids about the rules of the road. 

Make sure they look both ways before crossing the street.  Even if in groups, if no one is looking, and a car speeds by, it could be tragic, so make sure they know to abide by the rules of the road, by checking out all oncoming traffic in both directions, and stick to brightly lit areas, and use the side walks as much as possible, avoiding walking in the road, except for crossing.

 

 Tell your kids to listen to oncoming traffic, not just the stop signs, and red lights, because not all drivers adhere to the rules of the road.  Encourage them to always be aware of what is going on around them.

 

 

6-  Avoid any houses that are not lit,  and/or don’t seem ‘Halloween friendly’. 

Some houses you can easily tell are Halloween friendly.  They are brightly lit up, and there are decorations all around, but sometimes you see a house, and I remember being a kid, that is dark, scary looking, and sometimes me and my friends would be afraid to walk up to the door, and better off for that.  Don’t bother. 

 

Likely, the people inside aren’t interested in people knocking, and have made their houses look dark for a reason, so why not move along to the next home?  Plus, staying in brightly lit areas only, is the best way to keep your trick or treaters safe.  Skip any house that doesn’t look, or feel right.  Gut feelings are usually correct!  There are plenty of friendly houses to trick or treat at, just encourage your child to move on along.

 

Also be sure and set boundaries.  People don’t appreciate 9:30 pm knocks on the door, come Halloween evening.  A lot of them need to work the next day, so make sure your kids are being courteous.  Plus, the later it gets, the less safe the streets become.  Give your older child a strict ‘Halloween curfew’ to follow, so they stay safe, and are off of the streets when it starts to get real late. 

 

  

7-  Arm your kids with safety equipment

By this I am referring to, flashlights, glow sticks, and even cell phones for the bigger kids, who are out and about with their friends, so you can reach them.  

 

(So much better then back in my day…The day of the ‘Beeper’, but where was the phone, to call back on ? 

Now there is NO excuse not to answer.  This is a definite MUST in my book.  Always better to be safe!

 

 

8-  Escort your little ones to the door, or always have an older sibling do so, if not yourself. 

Never let your toddlers & young children, go it alone.  In today’s day and age, we never want to take any chances with strangers, and also they may not see a hazard in front of them, and fall, injuring themselves, or falling down porch stairs.  Always best to have a proper age escort, bring them up to every door they trick or treat at.

 

 

9- Keep away from baggy clothing, and over sized shoes, or ‘Clunky’ shoes on your kids. 

 They can become stuck on something, a branch, Halloween decoration, or a screen door.  Or your child can trip over their own feet, not to mention large cracks in the side walk, pot holes while crossing the street, and more.  Costume safety is important, make sure your child is properly dressed, and ready for fun!

 

*This warning includes those little princess costume heels, for toddlers & small girls!  Those spell danger in my book.  Forgo the heels on little ones!  I don’t even find those safe, inside of the home*

 

 

10-  As a parent yourself, in choosing the perfect Halloween candy to gave your own trick or treaters, be smart about your candy choices!

Go for a larger piece of candy to dispense, vs. say a small mint, jolly rancher, gum balls etc.  These can pose as choking hazards to very young children, so always buy larger, like mini sized candy bars are always a hit at my home, Reece’s Pieces, Blow Pops, etc.

 

Everybody stay safe, hopefully enjoy pleasant weather this year, and happy trick or treating to all. 

Enjoy!