Halloween Safety - Easy Ways to Make Sure Your Child Has a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Halloween is a childhood favorite, but sometimes the excitement that surrounds this holiday can overshadow safety. Ensure that you and your children have a safe and happy Halloween this year by following these easy-to-follow safety tips.

• Talk to your child before you head out and make sure they understand how to cross the street safely - cross only at corners and crosswalks, look both ways, make sure no cars are coming, hold my hand and walk across... never, ever run into the street.


• Reiterate to your child that even on Halloween, we do talk to strangers and we never, ever go into a stranger's home.


• As unpleasant as it is, before you go out you should check your community's website for registered sex offenders and make note of those addresses. It is safest to just avoid these locations entirely.


• Talk to your child about the possible bad aspects of Halloween such as vandalism. Make sure they feel comfortable telling you if they see any other children misbehaving. Explain that your community looks out for each other so that it's a safe and fun place to live.


• If possible, you should accompany children under the age of 12 when they are trick-or-treating. If you cannot, arrange for an adult you trust to accompany them. We recommend that the adult in the group wear a reflective safety vest for enhanced group visibility. (You could even make it part of a construction worker costume!)


• If your children are older and you will not be escorting them trick-or-treating, map out their route ahead of time so you will know what vicinity they will be in. Designate a clear curfew and make sure their cell phone is charged up.


• Make sure your child picks a costume that is safe and treated with fire retardant. If they are wearing a mask, make sure they can breathe easily and that the eye holes are big enough to allow peripheral vision.


• Serve your children a large, healthy meal before leaving for the evening. This will help limit candy binges!


• Go through your child's candy and the end of the night, and remove any candy that is not perfectly sealed within a wrapper.

Have a happy (and safe) Halloween!

About the Author: Richard Condon is the Director of Safety Depot, a secure online supplier of quality safety gear, including reflective safety vests, jackets, and rain gear. For a large selection of light-weight mesh reflective vests at wholesale prices, please visit Safety Depot.