keep your family safe this Halloween. We have some of the top Halloween safety tips for you today, so you can get prepared for tricks and treats alike.
- Always accompany minors.
Whether you have a three-year old or a seventeen-year old, it is important for parents to make sure that their children are not unaccompanied on nights like Halloween. The rules for supervision might change as kids get older, but you should always make sure that your family celebrates with a responsible adult present.For young children who are trick-or-treating, talk with the parents of their friends. If your kids want to go out together to collect their candy, then you can create a parent group who supervises them during the night, either in shifts or together, to make sure they’re always safe.For older kids who might want to have a slumber party or watch scary movies, then make sure that wherever kids are getting together, they have an adult present. This includes your own house, even if you have a younger trick-or-treater in the house.For teenagers, who might be going to high school parties, then make sure you talk with them about party safety and check that parents will still be supervising and present.
- Wear reflective clothing.
This safety tip is most applicable to all kids who are going to be trick-or-treating. Even if kids aren’t staying out late, this time of year means early sundown, which makes many neighborhoods risky areas for children to be walking around in costumes. Depending on what their outfit looks like, they might accidentally blend in with the shadows and be difficult for drivers to see.If your child’s costume is not already brightly colored and eye-catching, then try attaching some reflective tape to their shoes, trick-or-treat bag, or any props they might have. If your child doesn’t want anything to ruin their spooky look, then getting reflective tape on these parts of their trick-or-treat ensemble can be a good way to make sure they’re always visible by cars, and still looking cool.
- Stick to the Sidewalks.
No matter how brightly colored your child’s costume might be, when walking through neighborhoods at night, it is never safe to walk in the street. Adults and children alike should stay on the sidewalks to avoid any traffic risks. Parents with young children can use hand-holding and buddy systems to make sure no child is wandering alone and might be in danger.If sidewalks aren’t available in your neighborhood or you find that you need to cross the street, then take precautions. Streets should be crossed at crosswalks, and kids should know to look both ways before crossing. If you need to walk in the street, then the safest way to do that is to walk close to the curb on the left side, walking towards traffic. When you walk towards any on-coming traffic, it is easier to see approaching cars so you can move as need be.
- Don’t go to dark houses.
It is common Halloween courtesy not to knock on the doors of anyone who isn’t prepared to greet trick-or-treaters. To make sure you don’t disturb your neighbors, you and your children should only approach houses who have porch lights on or some kind of decorative sign that welcomes trick-or-treaters.For extra safety, pay attention to each house you pass by. Halloween decorations can often dress up regular houses to look spooky, but if you see any signs of risk, then do not approach that house. You should also make sure your children know never to go inside of someone’s house when trick-or-treating, and to never speak to anyone who might try to talk to them from a car.
- Check your candy.
We have all heard the reports of dangerous things in Halloween candy. Rumors spread every year about people tampering with candy, but these cases are extremely rare. The risk of your child’s candy being intentionally altered are very low. However, this doesn’t mean that parents shouldn’t be concerned about their child’s candy haul.Make the household rule that kids can only eat their candy after they get back home. Once they’re home, spread out all the candy they collected that night, and check for any open wrappers or expired candies. You can double-check for any tampering, but you also want to pay attention to any spoiled treats your child might have gotten. Sometimes these are overlooked and can make your child sick later. As Halloween approaches, we are all excited to celebrate with new costumes and delicious treats, but we want to make sure our families stay safe over this fun holiday.
Wylie ER is here to provide concierge-level emergency care for all ages, even on Halloween. If you find yourself or someone you love needing emergency care, then our staff of board-certified physicians will be ready to give you the best care possible.
This blog is written by Maggie Berardo, content writer at Nutex Health.Nutex Health, Inc supports you and your family’s health. You can depend on Wylie Emergency Room or any one of our concierge-level, freestanding emergency facilities to deliver the emergency care you deserve, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.]]>
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