Halloween Safety Tips for Trick or Treating

You obviously want your children to really enjoy all of the fun of Halloween trick or treating. Follow these tips for keeping the entire family safe while trick or treating so that the spooky holiday is fun for all.

Wear reflectors. Children should be provided with reflective tape or stickers for their clothing while trick or treating. This makes sure that vehicles can see them easily, particularly since many Halloween costumes tend to be dark colored. Children may carry glow sticks as well for some added visibility.

Bring along an adult. Even if you live in a safe neighborhood and you have older children, it's always safest to have an adult along for trick or treating. One adult can accompany many children and may be able to stay on the sidewalk while the group visits multiple houses, but an adult should be watching at all times.

Stay in groups. If you only have one child doing the trick or treating this Halloween, try to find some friends to come along. The old adage about safety in numbers really does hold true.

Check the candy. Do make a quick check of your child's candy before it is consumed. Don't let your kids eat any candy that isn't completely wrapped, and never eat homemade treats unless you know and trust the people who gave them out.

Don't walk with masks on. If your child is wearing a mask as part of his Halloween costume, suggest that he pull it up between houses so he can see. Not only does wearing a mask make it more difficult to walk, oncoming traffic is also much less visible.

Visit busy neighborhoods. To make trick or treating safer and more fun find a neighborhood that's very popular with the Halloween crowd. If no one really trick or treats in your area, find a nearby subdivision or block of homes that is obviously popular with the treat or treating crowd.

Leave someone home. A final safety tip that is good for the entire family is to send one adult out with the kids while another stays at home. Halloween pranks can be rampant on trick or treat night and the biggest targets will of course be empty homes. Giving out Halloween candy to trick or treaters is plenty of fun anyway.