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Halloween Safety
For
motorists:
For parents:
 | Teach your children to always be polite when trick or
treating - to say please and thank you and to not push other children out of the way.
They should also treat homeowners with respect and never vandalize anyone's
home, yard, yard ornaments or vehicles. |
| Purchase or make costumes that are
flame-resistant, light colored and clearly
visible to motorists. Use reflective tape on the costume
wherever possible. Give your children a small
flashlight (with fresh batteries) or a glow stick to carry (they'll find that fun).
You can give a cell phone to older children who trick-or-treat by themselves
so that they can call you if they need to. They should also have a watch they
can read in the dark so that they know when it's time to come home. |
| Attach your child's name, address and phone number inside
the costume (not outside, where a dangerous stranger could see it and use it to cozy up to
your child). |
| Make sure costumes are short enough so they don't cause
children to trip or fall, and that shoes are comfortable, warm and sturdy.
Make sure that all costume accessories are age appropriate (for example,
flexible plastic, no sharp edges, not toxic). |
| Make sure your child knows about "stop-drop-roll"
in case a costume accidentally starts on fire. |
| Don't sacrifice your child's ability to hear or see traffic
for the sake of a cool costume. Change the costume, if necessary, using
nontoxic makeup instead of
masks, and tie hats and scarves back to keep them from slipping over the child's eyes.
Test the makeup beforehand, though, to make sure it won't be irritating. Keep
it away from eyes and lips, and thoroughly remove all makeup before bedtime. |
| Don't allow smaller children to
trick-or-treat without you. A good age limit to set might
be 12 (remember that children younger than 10 years old are not always able to
properly judge traffic and other hazards). Hold your child's hand and stay on
the sidewalks, crossing only at intersections. If you have a group of more
than 3, consider bringing another adult with you to help keep the children
under control. |
| As your children become
more independent, you can choose to go with them but stay behind at an
inconspicuous distance. You also can wear a costume to help you look less like
a parent and more like a trick-or-treater. |
| When your children get old
enough to trick-or-treat alone, make sure they
trick-or-treat with friends in pairs or groups (set
the rule that no one gets left behind!). |
| If you don't have a good feeling about a house
or the people in the house, don't go there and warn your older children away. Set a route
for your older children to follow -- preferably the
immediate neighborhood -- and make sure they know what time you expect them home.
Set a plan for what to do if they get lost (perhaps stay put, and you'll find them). |
| Teach your children to
never ever to approach a pedestrian or driver of a vehicle who calls to them.
Practice what a stranger might say to get them to come (such as "I lost my
cat. Can you help me find her?" "I know a great house with LOTS of candy!" "
Your mom asked me to come get you." "If you don't come with me your dad will
be really mad!"). If a motorist or pedestrian calls to them for any reason,
they must run away and immediately tell a trusted adult. |
| Teach your children to
avoid dark, empty side streets and dark, unlit houses. |
| When your children are old
enough to go out alone, practice the traffic safety rules with them -- to use
the sidewalks whenever possible, to walk on the left side facing the traffic,
to cross streets in groups, to not dart out suddenly, to look both ways before
crossing the street, to obey all traffic signals and signs. |
| When they're old enough to
be in charge of smaller children, they must never leave the younger children
behind. |
| Teach your children to never enter
someone's home -- not even homes of neighbors they know -- and to never enter
anyone's vehicle, not even for a moment. (Reinforce this with them, when they
are inches away from the prospect of a special treat, it will be hard to
resist someone's suggestion that they just come a bit closer). |
| If they need you to come get them,
they must never go inside someone's house to call you. Instead, they can use
the cell phone you gave them, or go to a store and call you from there, or they can wait outside a
home while someone calls you or the police department on their behalf. |
| Feed your child before trick-or-treating, and set a rule to
not to eat any candy before coming back home. This will
enable you to look the candy over first and discard any damaged or open candy,
inappropriate or damaged packaging, candy with pin pricks in the wrapper, or candy that's dangerous for your little ones (such
as gum, peanuts, tiny toys, gum balls or hard candies). If you just aren't
sure, throw it out. Consider throwing away
treats that aren't commercially wrapped, such as homemade cookies or
fruit. Some hospitals will
X-ray your
child's candy without charge. It's sad, but probably a good idea.
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| If a child becomes ill
after eating Halloween candy, parents should immediately contact a medical
doctor or hospital emergency room. Try to determine what the child ate, and
where it came from. Save all wrappers. |
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Set a date on the calendar on which all uneaten candy gets thrown out. |
| Protect other people's
children. Avoid handing out candy
that is a possible allergen (peanuts) or that can't be consumed by very young
children (such as gum, peanuts, large gum balls, fruit roll-ups or any hard
candies). Avoid handing out things that are potentially dangerous to small
children, such as coins, raisins or fruit rolls. Examine all candy to ensure that it's safe and
wrapped. Consider handing out something other than candy, such as low-fat
crackers and cheese, single serve boxes of cereal, decorated
pencils, shoelaces, stickers, large erasers, plastic rings or party toys that
are large enough for all ages. |
| Remove items from your
lawn, porch and sidewalks that could cause children to trip -- such as hoses,
lawn ornaments and furniture, planters, toys, bikes and sprinklers. Turn on outdoor lights
so that children can see better. |
| If you have steep stairs,
dark, sheltered, intimidating or narrow walkways to your door, consider having
an easily accessible treat station in your driveway or yard. This is
especially helpful for children with disabilities. |
| Keep your pets away from the
front door (even if the dog truly is friendly, you don't want to scare little children or
worry other parents). If he's an outside dog, consider leaving him inside for
the night so that he won't be frightened by the noise and so that little
children won't be frightened by his barking. Make sure he can't escape the
backyard. Keep your cats (especially black cats) inside for the evening. Teach
your children to never feed chocolate to any animal. Even a
small amount can be toxic. |
| Don't allow small children
to help carve the pumpkin (they can draw on a pumpkin instead). Keep lighted
pumpkins away from little hands, little feet and Halloween costumes (some are
large and flowing). Make sure tables are steady and that candles
will not fall over (votive candles are a better choice) or come in contact with
curtains or other flammables. Don't ever leave candles, lighted pumpkins,
pets, children or your front door
unattended. |
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For
children:
| Stay on sidewalks and out of the street.
Keep an eye out for cars that are backing down driveways or coming out of
alleys or parking lots. |
| Only visit houses with the porch light on. It's best to
Trick or Treat from neighbors you know. Don't go down long stairwells or into apartment
blocks, and never go into anyone's home or vehicle, not even for a moment. |
| If you're old enough to Trick or Treat without your parents,
then take along a friend. It's safer and much more fun. |
| Never, ever enter a stranger's home or car - even if the
person at the door looks friendly or offers you toys or a lot of extra candy. |
| Look both ways before crossing the road, obey
all traffic signals and listen for oncoming traffic. Remember that just
because you can see the driver, the driver may not be able to see you. Always
give motor vehicles and bicycles the right-of-way. |
| If someone you see makes
you feel uncomfortable, don't talk yourself out of your feelings or worry
about seeming rude. Trust your instincts and get away fast. |
| Follow the route worked out by you and your parents, and
don't deviate. Also, make sure you're home by the time you said you'd be home. You can
always ask to go out again. |
| Carrying a flashlight with you will help you to see - and to
be seen. |
| Don't run across lawns - there may be some lawn ornament or
a forgotten rake left there. |
| Always walk, don't run, down sidewalks and
then across the street at
intersections. |
| Don't pet or approach dogs or cats that aren't yours. The
noise of Halloween makes them nervous and skittish. |
| Stay away from candles or anything else with open flame. |
| Don't eat any of your candy - not even one piece - until an
adult can check it over. |
| Don't ever feed chocolate
to any animal; even a small amount can be toxic. |
| Always remember to say please and thank you. Don't push
other children out of the way. |
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Other Options
for Halloween Fun:
Other Halloween
Links:
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