Halloween Safety Tips

Keep your family safe this Halloween with these simple suggestions.

Treats

• Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has carefully examined them for evidence of tampering.

Choose Safe Costumes

• Costumes should be short enough to prevent children from tripping and falling.
• Children should wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes. Mother’s high heels are not a good idea for safe walking.
• Hats and scarfs should be tied securely to prevent them from slipping over children’s eyes.
• Apply a natural mask of cosmetics rather than have a child wear a loose-fitting mask that might restrict breathing or obscure vision. If a mask is used, however, make sure it fits securely and has eye-holes large enough to allow full vision.
• Swords, knives, and similar costume accessories should be of soft and flexible material.
• Costumes should be Flame Resistant. When purchasing a costume, masks, beards, and wigs, look for the label Flame Resistant. Although this label does not mean these items won’t catch fire, it does indicate the items will resist burning and should extinguish quickly once removed from the ignition source. To minimize the risk of contact with candles or other sources of ignition, avoid costumes made with flimsy materials and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts.

Pedestrian Safety

• Be safe, be seen. To easily see and be seen, children should also carry flashlights.
• Young children should always be accompanied by an adult or an older, responsible child.
• All children should WALK, not run, from house to house and use the sidewalk, if available, rather than walk in the street.
• Children should be cautioned against running out from between parked cars or across lawns and yards where ornaments, furniture, or clotheslines present dangers.
• For greater visibility during dusk and darkness, decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car’s headlights. Bags or sacks should also be light colored or decorated with reflective tape. Reflective tape is usually available in hardware, bicycle, and sporting goods stores.

Choose Safe Houses

• Children should go only to homes where the residents are known and have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.
• Children should not enter homes or apartments unless they are accompanied by an adult.
• People expecting trick-or-treaters should remove anything that could be an obstacle from lawns, steps and porches.

Smart Jack-o’-lanterns

• Use a flashlight, battery tea light or flameless candle to light your jack-o’’-lantern.

Additional Halloween Resources

• Making Halloween Safer: Tips for Protecting Your Little Monsters
• Let Them Eat Candy—But How Much?
• Halloween Doesn't Have to be Scary for Your Diet