Child Safety
6 Rules You Need to Know to Keep Your Kids Safe While Trick-or-treating
It’s the season for dressing up, decorating and indulging in Pumpkin Spice everything. While you’re prepping your little ones for a night of ghouls, ghost and being candy wasted, don’t forget to speak to them about staying safe. Whether you plan on trick or treating with your little ones, or letting them roam free, arm them with some ground rules that will ensure that they are making good and safe choices during Halloween.
Trick or Treat Path
Create and discuss a route for Trick-or-Treating. Do a run dry if possible a couple of days before so that you’re little ones are familiar with the route. If you have older kids going out on their own, create a simple map for them to follow. On this map, you can identify areas that they need to stay away from, such as a sex offender’s home. Remind your kids to stay on sidewalks. Stay away from crossing busy highways.
Dress for Safety
When it comes to dressing up, encourage your kids to dress for safety. Opt for toxic free make-up instead of a mask. Masks have the potential of obstructing a child’s vision. Choose flame retardant and bright easy to spot costumes. Wear fun glow sticks as necklaces and/or bracelets. You can also obtain attachable reflector lights for their costumes. Try to avoid trick or treating with sharp objects such as swords, sticks, or any other pointy props. Carry a flashlight.
Safety In Numbers
There is safety in numbers. Your child should never trick or treat alone. Remind your child to ‘Just Two It’. Don’t approach a home alone. Don’t allow your kids to go up to the house alone while you wait for them more than 5 feet away. It only takes a second for anything to happen.
Check-In
Set a curfew time and a check-in process for your older child. Make sure that they have a fully charged cell phone, with your number on speed dial. Set up a check-in times to video chat with your child. Sync your phone with theirs. Download any necessary apps to be able to track your child’s phone.
Stay Vigilant
Remind your kids to NEVER enter a stranger’s home regardless of the reason. Adults should never ask kids for help, they should ask other adults. NEVER pet unfamiliar dogs even the cute and cuddly ones. NEVER accept a ride from strangers regardless of the time or weather.
Don’t get Candy wasted
Talk to your child about the dangers of eating candy that hasn’t been inspected. Teach your older kids to check and discard candy that is not in a secure wrapper. Have them split chocolate bars to look for any suspicious items inside of the candies. Avoid eating homemade treats from neighbors that you are not familiar with. For younger kids, go through their bags and remove choking hazards such as small hard candies, peanuts, and gums.