Apps, Tips, and Costume Tricks For A Safer Halloween
One of the most popular holiday’s for kids — Halloween — is just around the corner. Before they head out out in search of candied treasure. Here are a few safety tips to help ensure a Happy Halloween Holiday!
It gets dark early. If you’re going to be night-time treating, reflective tape and stickers are a great way to accessorize costumes with safety-inspired accents.
All costumes, wigs and accessories should be fire-resistant. Another safe option is face-paint and make-up which wont obstruct your child’s vision like an ill-fitting mask when they cross the street.
The most popular trick-or-treat times are between 5pm and 8pm, which is right around the time it starts to get dark. Flashlights and glow sticks are great way to stay visible and fun way to stay safe.
- Never — EVER — go inside the home of someone you don’t know. No “treat” is worth the safety of your child.
- Avoid any homes where you can’t see the front door from the street. If the front door is hidden behind hedges or disguised by decoration, exercise caution and move on to the next home.
- For the older kids, try to have them stay in neighborhoods they know, and try to avoid ever being too far away to run home. If they will be too far to run home, take a drive with them this weekend to identify safe-havens — those places where they know they can go to find safety. Make sure they have a plan, know where to go, and know how to get there. There are even some apps that help neighbors connect.
- Put your business card or emergency contact information in your child’s trick-or-treat bag in case they get lost. It’s also a good idea to have them practice dialing 911 from your mobile phone in their costume. (In airplane mode, please)
- Empower your child with practical self-saving actions like, “Stranger Danger Is A One-Way Street” and the 3 F’s of Food, Flags, and Families to easily identify places to go for help.
Finally, do a little bit of background checking:
Take a look at the local offender registry and share your findings with your neighborhood network. These will be the homes you definitely want to make sure you and your child avoid. Better to be safe than sorry.
Stay safe. Have fun. And Happy Halloween!
