10 Halloween Safety Tips to Remember

If you’re going to be trick or treating with the kiddos this Halloween be sure to remember these 10 Halloween Safety Tips for the big night!

Happy Halloween! I think that sometimes I am more excited about Halloween than some kids I know! Every year I’m a bouncy, candy corn earring wearing, Halloween sock sporting Halloween junkie! Unfortunately for me I have no kids to dress up and take trick or treating and am living far away from my other Halloween loving friends. I may just hole up in my room, with all the lights out, and scare the heck out of myself. Which as you know is the true spirit of Halloween!

We don’t get many trick or treaters in our neighborhood because we don’t have side walks and most of the houses sit far back off the road. Only the most dedicated kids convince their parents to drive them from house to house to maximize their candy collection efforts. We obviously don’t have many dedicated kids in our neighborhood. Or they’re not very good at convincing their parents. But my sadness at having very few trick or treaters around here due to our safety reasons got the teacher in me thinking.

Whether you’re a seasoned trick or treat parent, a newbie, or maybe you’ve moved to a new area let’s talk the 10 best Halloween safety tips so everyone can have a good time and be safe!

1. If you’ll be going out after dark make sure you’re properly lit up! These glow stick bracelets (aff) from Target are a perfect way to stay visible and not cover up your costume with a huge day-glo vest.

2. Avoid houses that are poorly lit, very isolated, or look abandoned. Now you’re thinking, uh hello, Halloween decorations! Trust me, your parent radar will ping when you’re looking at a house that’s just plain creepy versus sporting some creepy Halloween decorations. Plus, if it gives you a hinkie feeling wouldn’t you rather be safe than sorry?

3. Obey traffic laws. If you live in a neighborhood, like we do, that doesn’t have any sidewalks then make sure you’re walking against traffic. So walk on the left side of the road. That way you can see any traffic coming at you and you’re on the opposite side from traffic approaching you from behind. Also, be sure you use crosswalks and sidewalks where available and look both ways before crossing the street!

4. Trick or treat in groups. You’ve heard the saying ‘there’s safety in numbers’, right? 4 parents keeping an eye on 8 kids is better than 2 parents keeping an eye on 4 🙂

5. Use face paint instead of masks. Now I know what you’re thinking…”but Meaghan, Bubba’s Batman costume won’t be the same without the mask that comes in the package!” And while that might be true you should also keep in mind that Bubba’s Batman mask will greatly cut down his ability to see clearly when crossing the street. Or he’ll get hot and you’ll end up holding it all night long.

6. Use walkie talkies (aff) for older kids. You’re obviously not going to let your 12 year olds go off on their own trick or treating adventure but if you’re using walkie talkies to keep an ear on them you can let a group of them wander a bit ahead of you as long as they keep in touch.

7. Make sure your phone is charged. In our digital day and age you want to make sure that your new smartphone isn’t just an expensive paperweight in your pocket. So while you’re running around getting the kids into their costumes and trying to shove something past their lips other than candy corn make sure your phone is charging away for your big night!

8. Don’t eat homemade treats. Those candied apples and popcorn balls look sooo yummy, don’t they? As much as you want to give Jane down the street a chance you don’t really know the condition of someone else’s kitchen or their intentions towards your kids.

9. Inspect your child’s wrapped candy. This one I got from my mom. Every year before she would let us eat any of our haul she would sift through it and make sure that nothing looked disturbed, unwrapped and re-wrapped, poked with holes, etc. It sounds paranoid but you just don’t know how many crazies there are on your block masquerading as normal folks.

10. Pick a designated meeting spot if you get lost or separated. In any sort of emergency situation {house fire, intruder, earthquake} you should have a designated meeting spot or emergency plan for your family and trick or treating is no exception! Make sure your kids know where to meet you if you get separated in a crowd. They should also know their address, your name and cell phone, and what kind of adult to approach if they get lost.

I hope these safety tips will help you have the safest, happiest, and brightest Halloween! Go forth and trick or treat! And if you want to send some candy this way I won’t object 😉