Halloween may not be for a couple of weeks, but it’s never too early to plan your trick-or-treating route. While it may seem like simple fun, Halloween is when your entire neighborhood will be outside at night. People walk around in black in the dark. Kids talk to total strangers. You eat candy you find in weird places. It’s chaos.
Children are actually 2x more likely to be hurt or killed on Halloween…so, use these tips to help keep Halloween safe and fun.
1. Walk, don’t run. Make sure to look both ways before crossing the street.
2. Never accept homemade treats from strangers. Pre-packaged candy will do just fine.
3. Try not to wear colored contacts for the trick-or-treating portion of Halloween, so you can see where you’re going.
4. Have your kids wear reflective tape or glow sticks so they are easily seen by drivers.
5. Always trick-or-treat in groups. Never go alone.
6. Make sure your kids don’t have costumes that drag on the ground to avoid tripping.
7. Keep the dogs away from the door. The constant ringing of the doorbell is going to irritate them a little.
8. Only visit well lit houses.
9. Inspect the candy before children dig in. Look for loose or opened wrappers in case the candy was tampered with.
10. Let kids design the jack-o-lantern, but carving with the big heavy knife is your job.
11. Bring a flashlight.
12. Make a delicious Halloween meal before going out so the kids (and you) don’t feel compelled to eat the whole bounty in one sitting.
13. If your neighborhood is filled with small children, keep the jack-o-lanterns off the doorstep or put flashlights instead of candles inside them.
These tips will make sure the spookiest thing about Halloween is your son’s Box Troll costume. Happy soon-to-be-Halloween everybody! Be safe!