Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year. My kids do all the hard work of dressing up and hitting up the neighbors for candy and I get to benefit for weeks by sneaking a candy bar or two from the candy bowl every day. Halloween has always been a fun holiday for our family. We typically head out around 6, pre-order a pizza to be delivered just after we get home around 8:30 and make a night of it.
As my kids get older and start darting ahead of me more than I’d like, I’ve started thinking about making sure they stay safe when we head out for the sacred candy collecting ritual. I’m a little cautious, but here are a few ways we’ve managed to keep our kids safe when we head out the door:
Keeping Kids Safe on Halloween
The costumes fit: An easy way to get injured is to trip up or down the stairs on an overly long costume. My daughters usually insist on dressing up as a princess or a witch of some sort so their skirts and dresses are always long. We simply pin the hem up just above their shoes so they still get the look they want without the tripping hazard.
Also, my girls don’t carry around swords or other annoying attachments that are not only a potential hazard (can you imagine accidentally landing on top of some of those wands?) but they end up in my hands about 20 minutes into trick-or-treating. No thank you.
We stay close to the kids: Our girls are still pretty young so we always go with them trick or treating. They are old enough to go up to the doors by themselves but my husband and I make sure we aren’t far away. The kids also know they are not allowed to go into anyone’s home.
Flashlights: Have your little one carry a flashlight or glow sticks so they are more visible to cars and people on bikes. Halloween is an invitation for dark colored clothing, as the nature of most Halloween costumes lends itself to black or brown fabrics. If your child is wearing a very dark costume, consider adding reflective tape on the back of their costume. It’s a cheap and easy solution.
Candy Check: This habit started when I was a kid. As soon as we come into the door from trick or treating, the candy gets dumped onto the floor. We look through every piece and toss out anything that looks suspicious, including open wrappers. We don’t usually let the kids nosh on homemade treats either, unless we know the neighbor that handed it out. My mom made me a little paranoid about razor blades being hidden in the candy so…
I love Halloween, but I love my kids more. Just take a few minutes before you head out to make sure your kids are visible, know the rules and are ready for a good time!
