Protect Your Precious Pumpkins on Halloween
By Sara Butler
Halloween is right around the corner! It’s time to dress up as your favorite character and collect some tasty treats from the neighbors! As a parent, one of your biggest concerns on Halloween is the safety of your precious little ones. Here are some safety tips to keep your precious pumpkins safe while still having fun this Halloween.
A Few Important Safety Tips
When your children go out trick-or-treating it’s always a good idea to give them something reflective to carry with them. It can be a glow stick, a flashlight or even a little piece of reflective tape on their costume or on their treat bag. You also need to make sure they are accompanied by an adult at all times when they're out having fun. There are a lot of people out on nights like Halloween and children need to be supervised for their own safety.
Also, make it clear to your children that they should never enter the home of someone they don’t know. Nor should they accept a ride in a car with a stranger. You may be with them but it’s a good idea to really drive these points home from an early age, so as they get older they’ll remember them as important safety tips.
For Older Kids
When you talk with your older kids about Halloween, make sure you mention that they should never cut through fields or back alleys when they’re out without an adult. They need to be sure to stay in well-lighted and populated areas when they’re out alone – even if they’re with other kids. Know your kids' planned route if they are in the “can’t be seen with mom and dad” phase of life. Also, have them check in with you every so often to let you know they’re OK.
Older kids should also be given a strict curfew. They need to understand that it’s important to be home by the agreed on time and to call immediately if something happens that will delay them.
Before You Go
There’s a lot of candy out there to collect, which makes it more important than ever to make sure you have served your child a filling and healthy meal before they go. Not only will it help keep them energized to run around and have fun, it’ll also keep them from overindulging in candy. Hopefully.
Costume Tips
If your child’s costume contains a prop you need to make sure that it has no sharp edges. Their weapon shouldn’t actually be a weapon that can cause harm to them or someone else unintentionally. Also, make sure their costumes aren’t too long so they don’t become a tripping hazard.