Halloween should be fun for everyone, with trick-or-treating, giving out candy, decorating your home, and (of course) wearing a costume! We put together this list of Halloween safety tips to keep everyone safe this holiday—and after the tips, we have additional suggestions for making Halloween a holiday for all!
Halloween Safety Tips
- Stay visible with flashlights, headlamps, glowsticks, and reflective tape.
- Wear brightly-colored or light-colored clothing or costumes.
- Avoid costumes and accessories that may pose a tripping hazard. Examples include shoe covers, long tails, inflatables, and anything oversized.
- Wear fire-resistant or fire-retardent costumes.
- Avoid masks that are improperly sized, as they may obstruct vision. If unsure, use face paint instead of a mask.
- Use only non-toxic face or body paint. Test any paints ahead of time on an inconspicuous area.
- Remove any paint before bedtime.
- Avoid realistic-looking weapons. Make sure any toy guns have an orange tip.
- Dress for the weather.
- Stay in familiar areas.
- Walk on well-lit sidewalks and cross streets at crosswalks.
- Be alert of danger, especially moving cars near streets.
- Only visit well-lit homes.
- Never enter a stranger's home or vehicle.
- Children should be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or in a group.
- Plan a place and time for everyone to meet up. Use the buddy system so nobody gets left behind.
- Pay attention to children and your environment, not your phone.
- Keep pets indoors or on a leash.
- Drive slowly, especially at intersections, and keep your lights on.
- If unsure about local trick-or-treating options, watch for events at public places.
- Inspect treats before eating them.
- Use battery-operated or rechargeable lights in jack-o-lanterns instead of candles.
- Keep costumes and decorations away from open flames.
Candy Grab Bags
If you won't be handing out candy at your door this Halloween, you can always set up a self-serve "take a treat" station with candy grab bags. Make them fun by drawing Halloween-themed images on the bags. Add a row of lights leading to the candy station, and make sure to illuminate the station and grab bags, too. Also consider including toy bags for kids with allergies!
You could also turn those fun candy bags into boo bags for your neighbors! Just leave some candy bags at your neighbors' homes, but include a note so they know what's inside.
Colorful Pumpkins
[Source: Teal Pumpkin Project]
You may have seen stories on the news about pumpkins that are painted teal, purple, and other colors. They're all about raising awareness and keeping kids safe, so let's discuss some ways you can help with that!
The Teal Pumpkin Project was started by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) to spread awareness about kids with food allergies. Many candies can be dangerous or deadly to children with allergies, so FARE suggests having non-food options like toys available for kids who want them. You can read more about participating at foodallergy.org.
The Purple Pumpkin project exists to raise awareness about epilepsy. If you'd like to help give out information and raise funds, you can get more details at epilepsy.com.
You may also see children with blue pumpkin buckets this Halloween! This is a recent trend started by the parent of a boy who is autistic and non-verbal. So if a kiddo with a blue bucket doesn't say "trick-or-treat!" on Halloween, please don't give them a hard time. In fact, consider being nice to every kid, as suggested at Scary Mommy. It's Halloween, give that candy away!
Halloween Candy Hunt
If your kiddos won't be trick-or-treating this year, you might want to start a new Halloween tradition: the Candy Hunt! That's right, hide Halloween-themed treats all over your home, backyard, or anywhere else it's safe to let the kids run free. You can also hide clues to a bigger candy cache or make a map for them to follow. The Candy Hunt is a grand Halloween adventure for your children but also an easy way for them to burn off some energy. And remember, even if your kids are trick-or-treating this year, you can still add the Halloween Candy Hunt as an extra fun activity!
Halloween Tips and Tricks from Blippi
We also have some Halloween tips and tricks from Blippi:
What did you think of our safety tips, or the additional suggestions? Did we miss any? You can let us know about it in the comments below. If you're still looking for Halloween safety ideas, we carry flashlights and all sorts of fun masks!
