When caught up in the fun and excitement of Halloween festivities, it’s easy to overlook safety issues. There may be ghosts, vampires, and witches on every corner, but what is truly frightening is the number of preventable accidents that occur each year on this night. You will enjoy this spooky holiday more if you know your children are safe. Here are 5 safety tips for Halloween:
- According to the American Academy of Pediatrics,(Still relevant to Canadians) children should not cross streets alone before they are ten years old. Maturity, danger awareness, and traffic savvy are all required for navigating street crossings and research cautions that even some ten-year-old might not be ready for that. In a Wall Street Journal article, author Andrea Peterson stated, “Research has found that young children walking to school often don’t look for traffic to stop at the curb before stepping into the street.” And the AAP's Policy Statement on this topic is that parents “are likely to overestimate their children’s ability to safely cross the street.” So, if your little princess or superhero is under ten, make sure there is a trusted adult with them to guide them across the streets. Teach them that looking left, then right, then left again is the best way to be sure no cars are coming. Remind them to listen for traffic as well. If your children are trick or treating in a city with busy streets, always use designated crosswalks for crossing.
- Avoid visual impairments, like masks. Face paints are a great alternative for masks for trick or treaters. Incorporate bright colors into the face paint to make your child more visible in the dark. It’s also a good idea to add some reflector tape to dark costumes so that your child can be seen in the dark.
- When trick or treating in an area that does not have sidewalks and you must walk on roads, be sure to walk FACING oncoming traffic. This makes it easier for you to spot cars coming and for drivers to spot you. It’s a good idea to carry a flashlight and point it forward and down. It will not only give you more visibility, but it will also make you more visible.
- Nothing says Halloween like a candlelit jack o’ lantern, but unfortunately, it’s also a fire hazard. Long capes and costumes with trailing material on crowded doorsteps are disasters waiting to happen when exposed to an open flame. Be sure to purchase flame-retardant apparel for your little ones. And to be extra safe, go over the "Stop, Drop, and Roll" procedure with them.
- Set some rules for candy consumption. Don’t allow your child to eat while out trick or treating. It’s too hard to inspect candy properly in the dark and you want to be sure packaging isn’t punctured or previously opened. Don’t let them eat anything homemade unless it’s from a friend or neighbor that you know. Wait until your child is home and you can inspect their loot in a well-lit room and set guidelines for how much they may eat and when. The last thing you want is a tummy ache at the end of a spooktacular night… especially if it’s a school night! How to Check Your Kids' Candy for Potential Hazards This Halloween
Follow these tips and use common sense and Halloween night will be festive but not frightening!
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