Halloween is such a fun night for kids, but going house to house at night, hopped up on sugar and excitement can lead to distraction. 🙂
Here are some basic safety tips for Halloween:
1 – Make sure to have something reflective or glow in the dark. That’s an easy one, kids think it’s fun and it really makes them more visible to drivers, but also to pick them out in the crowd.
Especially if your kid is going to be Elsa this year, you don’t want to lose them in the sea of Elsa’s 😉
2 – For the kids, make sure to be very aware when crossing streets and across backlanes. As drivers, really keep an eye out for them. I was amazed last year to receive a delivery super late at night – didn’t realize they did that on Halloween with so many kids out. And watch for kids, and warn kids about darting out from between cars.
3 – If you’re wearing a long costume, watch out for candles in pumpkins on steps. Same with crazy long wigs (like Elsa) – lots of Halloween costumes are very thin material and seem to be pretty flammable. If you’re not a parent it sounds weird, once your kid wears a super long princess dress and you smell some singeing you’re a little more careful. Same with walking up steps to the door. If the costume is too long, just pin it before you head out the door. Saves a lot of hassle later and it’s a lot safer.
4 – For older kids who are parent free, go as a group and stay as a group. A good idea for any outing really.
For us, we make sure to have a very sturdy bag – kiddo’s favourite is a nice big king size pillowcase. When she was younger we brought a backpack to lighten her load while walking. It’s cold out – if you don’t have gloves to match their outfit, check out the dollar store. Stretchy gloves in lots of colours and styles.
Have fun, be polite, meet your neighbours and maybe get scared. Those are my best tips for Halloween! Also, buy treats you don’t mind extra of in case you don’t get many trick or treaters.
What is your best advice or tips for trick or treaters and their parents? Which candy are your kids (or yourself) most looking forward to?
And the big question – do you stay in your area to trick or treat? Or head to another area, either for popularity or friends and family?