Halloween is such a fun time for the little ones in our lives.  Dashing from door to door with huge smiles on their faces as they grab their bags of loot.  They anticipate the day as a major event in their lives.  In fact, my daughter declared earlier this month that there would be no time for cleaning her room until November.  After all, she had to figure out her Halloween costume and would need to devote her time to this endeavor.  Silly girl!

Our job as parents, of course, is to keep our ghosts and goblins safe and allow their dreams to soar.  Childhood is a wonderful time to be silly and have fun.  I want my kids to have fond memories of Halloween and the very best way to do that is to keep them safe.  Today I am sharing some of our family rules and safety tips.  Leave me a comment and let me know what safety tips you have for your family.

Halloween Safety Tips

1. Costumes shouldn’t restrict movement or vision.  Consider using make-up instead of masks.  This is harder than it would seem.  We all buy costumes not knowing what the weather will be and often buy them bigger so they can fit warm clothes underneath.  Look at pinning up anything that may drag on the ground.  Make sure they can see through the mask or use make-up instead.  They need to see where they are going!
2. Choose “weapons” carefully.  So many costumes come with weapons or other accessories that really get in the way of walking around from door to door.  It can be hard to say “no” to these items completely.  Look for softer items with blunt tips.  You don’t want anything that will injure your child if they fall on the item or poke another child as they walk by.
3. Use a flashlight, camp lantern, or glow sticks and necklaces.  Anything you can do to light up the children and their path adds an extra layer of security.
4. Lighted houses only.  Never go inside.  I teach my children that the houses with lights on are inviting you to trick-or-treat at their house.  They are never to go inside a house no matter how cold it is outside.
5. Stick together.  Children under age 10 really should be accompanied by an adult the entire time.  Don’t let them get too far ahead.  They are so much faster than me!  Instruct older children that they need to stay together as a group the entire evening.  Designate a meeting place should you become separated.
6. Street safety.  Look both ways before crossing.  Only cross at corners.
7. Avoid trips and falls.  This is not easy!  I swear my oldest son fell every year he went out trick-or-treating.  It was an annual tradition for him for many years.  Luckily, he never broke anything!  Be especially careful of ditches, uneven sidewalks, and walking up and down stairs.  Encourage your child to slow down a little and pay attention to where they are going.
8. Bring the candy haul home to check before eating.  Throw away anything that is ripped or torn open.  As much as I hate to say this……..throw away fresh fruit or homemade treats unless you know who gave them to your child.  These items can be easily tampered with.  When I was a kid we had a neighbor that always gave out apples.  She was a trusted neighbor that my family knew well, so those apples always went into a different pocket and we were allowed to eat them.  Others were tossed.  My father was always the official ” candy checker”.  Now my kids love to bring their candy home for him to check.

One of the ways that we like to make Halloween more fun and add an extra layer of security is to invite extra “safety experts”.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins………..come along so there are extra hands to hold and extra eyes keeping track of what is going on.  We love having our family join us each year.  They are my favorite part of the holiday.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!