You’re probably busy right now making Halloween costumes for your children. Maybe you’re all set after ordering the costumes online. While it’s perfectly okay to be ready for coming holiday, it’s not okay if you forget to teach your kids the important Halloween safety tips they need to know when they go out trick or treating.
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Halloween Safety Tips: Costume
Choose the Well-Fitting Costumes
Your children’s safety starts with what they’re wearing. Make sure their costumes don’t have any loose or hanging parts. A dinosaur costume, for example, usually comes with a tail. That long tail can be a problem. Superhero costumes with capes are also not recommended. They can get caught in doors, gates, fences, chairs and practically anything you think of.
Go with something that fits closer to the body such as the Child’s Play Toddler Chucky Costume and Deluxe Captain Marvel Child Costume.
The Chucky costume seems suited to your nightmare of a toddler. The 100% polyester romper is printed with graphics to resemble the look of the little mass murderer. As you can see, there are no loose parts that can cause him to stumble. You can skip the fake kitchen knife so your kid will have his hands free.
Captain Marvel kicked some serious behinds in her solo starrer and I the Avengers: Endgame film. No wonder many children would like to be her. This is great for your child since the Captain Marvel costume from HalloweenCostumes.com is pretty safe.
The costume is basically a jumpsuit made with 100% polyester printed to look like Carol Danvers’ alter ego. It also comes with a belt with a molded buckle, and mask.
You may want to skip on letting your child wear the mask. While it gives the costume a different look, it also makes it harder for your child to see. She can probably wear it when she’s just playing at home but not when trick-or-treating.
(Related: TV-Themed Halloween Costume Ideas)
Don’t Cover the Face
Avoid costumes and accessories that cover the face, especially if they make it difficult to see. Masks, for example can eliminate the peripheral vision. An ill-fitting mask will likely cover the eyes when it shifts from its proper position. Aside from masks, stay away from costumes with hoods, helmets, over-sized hats, and such.
Today’s Parent suggests using makeup or face paint instead instead of covering the face with masks and such. If you know your stuff, you can recreate the look by just using these cosmetics. However, you need to test the makeup or face paint first to make sure they are not allergic to it. Apply some a few days prior to see their skin’s reaction. Make sure there’s enough time for the kids to recover in case they are allergic.
Wear Light-Colored Halloween Outfits
One Halloween safety tip that many often forget is to wear light or bright-colored clothes. Most Halloween revellers prefer to wear black since it goes so well with the occasion. However, when the safety of your children is concerned, you should skip dark hues.
Aside from wearing light-colored costumes, you can also have them wear shoes that light up or place strips of reflective tape on their clothes. These Halloween tips will make them more visible at night, especially to incoming cars while they’re out trick-or-treating.
The High Visibility Sew-On Reflective Strip from Ruby Herty provides maximum visibility at night and low-light conditions. The fluorescent yellow part of the strip is visible at daytime so you should be safe from incoming vehicles any time of the day. This 100% polyester fabric is sewed onto clothes and other materials such as bag straps and hats.
The Black Marlin Reflective Gear Bands are popular among runners and outdoor enthusiasts. You should have these, as well. Before your child leaves for a night of spooktacular fun, slap or clip these reflective bands on their wrists, ankles, or on their clothes.
Use Simple Accessories
Ideally, it’s better if your kid don’t have to carry anything else other than a bag or container for the sweet treats. There are lots of costumes, however, that come with accessories. Choose one that uses the safest accessories.
The Deluxe Girl’s Amelia Earhart Costume consists of a pair of well-fitting polyester pants and a 100% PVC bomber jacket, which will also help protect your child from the cold. The accessories included in the set are a belt, a pair of goggles with plastic lens and foam backside, a pilot hat with adjustable chin strap, and a blue scarf.
These accessories have less potential to be hazardous compared to a huge pair of fairy wings, a fake sword, or a lightsaber.
Make sure you wrap the scarf around her neck comfortably and securely. Don’t let one end hang out like what you often see on pilots in cartoons. As for the goggles, just place it around her head. Tell her not to wear the goggles as it may impede her vision.
Halloween Safety Tips: Rules
Plan the Route
As BePrepared.com stressed, you need to make a plan. Figure everything you and the children need to know before the much awaited night of sweet treats and horror.
List down all the houses your children can visit on Halloween Night. Take the time to get to know the neighbors so you’ll know what they would be getting themselves into. Aside from making friends, you’ll also be at ease knowing that nothing untoward will happen to the children.
Plan a route that the children will take. Once you’ve decided on the route and the homes to visit, it’s a good idea to give it a try with the children. The dry run will help them get a better understanding of the route they’ll be taking.
If they’re going with other kids in the neighborhood, you should plan with the other parents. Decide on a meet-up point where everyone will gather before going trick-or-treating. Designate another meet-up point somewhere along the route. This where they should go in case they get separated from the others.
Follow the Curfew
Most towns set a curfew for minors. Before sending out your little trick-or-treaters, check with the curfew in your area. You should be grateful there is a curfew for youngsters. This will help ensure the children’s safety.
In case there is no curfew, you should set your own. According to FiveThirtyEight, trick-or-treating should start around 6 in the evening and end at around 9. This will give everyone enough time to rest and enjoy the rest of the night.
Tell your children to head back home before it hits 9 p.m. Planning and practicing their route will guarantee they make it back on time. Make them understand that it’s okay if they fail to visit every home in their list. It’s more important to be home at the set time than to have lots of candies.
Stay on the Sidewalk
Even if the other trick-or-treaters are happily prancing around on the streets, that doesn’t mean your kids can do the same. If you’re not going to accompany your children, you need to make them understand that it is safer to stay on the sidewalk. Preparedness Mama also stressed that it would be better if they stay on the left side of the street so they get a better view of oncoming traffic.
Cross the street as a group. Don’t let anyone fall behind. Also, make sure they look both ways before crossing. This is a classic safety tip yet sometimes people forget to do so.
Don’t Wander Off
No wonder Will Byers of Stranger Things and Carl Grimes of The Walking Dead always get into trouble. They’re always wandering off. Why can’t they just sit still, stay with the others, and do what they’re told? These two could’ve saved their friends and family a lot of trouble if they did.
Stick to the planned route. Everyone should stay together. Apply a buddy system so no one leaves the group alone.
Don’t Eat the Treats Yet
This is one of the most important Halloween safety tips you can teach your children. You never know if there’s a bad seed in the neighborhood that will give the children something not so nice on Halloween Night.
Ideally, the kids are with an adult who will remind then little trick-or-treaters not to eat the candies yet. Also, the presence of an adult chaperone will make people think twice about pulling evil pranks on the children.
Even if the person giving away treats have good intentions and are just enjoying the occasion like everybody else, they are not entirely sure if the kids that visit them are allergic to something. Unless, of course, you tell them beforehand or you make a note for your kid to show people. To be on the safe side, check the contents of their bags before letting the kids enjoy their loot.
Don’t Go Inside A Stranger’s House
Again you’ll never know what other people are thinking or what evil thing they are capable of. Not that we’re trying to scare you because it’s Halloween but we want you and your children to be wary of the possible dangers out there.
They should never go inside another person’s home even if they are invited in. it’s important that they stay on the porch or step and wait for their treats there.
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Halloween Safety Tips: Survival Kit
Light Sources
It will be dark despite the streetlights. Obviously, the kids need a source of light so they can see where they’re going. Have at least one member of the group carry a camping lantern or flashlight. They can also wear a headlamp so they’re hands stay free to grab candies.
The Etekcity LED Collapsible Camping Lantern is perhaps the most popular of all camping lanterns, particularly on Amazon. Its 30 energy efficient LED bulbs provide 360 degrees of ultra-bright light, which should be more than enough to let the kids see things in the dark.
The water-resistant Etekcity camping lantern is made with highly durable military grade materials. That means you can trust that it won’t break even if your children gets too excited and drops the lamp.
The DinoBryte T-Rex LED Headlamp is a good excuse for your child to wear a headlamp. Aside from the T-Rex head sitting on the forehead, the headlamp also gives off loud dinosaur sounds adding a little more bite to your child’s Halloween get-up.
The DinoBryte headlamp is powered by three AAA batteries. It comes with an adjustable strap that will fit children 6 years old and up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLLaeBnHqqY
Another option is to use lightsticks such as the Cyalume Green Glow Sticks. These lightsticks offer up to 12 hours of bright light. Not that your kids will be out at night for that long but it’s good to know that these survival items are that dependable.
The waterproof Cyalume glow sticks are safe to use since they’re non-flammable and non-toxic. Since each lighstick is wrapped in individual foil packs, they can be store for a long time.
(Related: 10 Top Camping Lanterns Every Camper Needs)
Emergency Whistle
One of the many Halloween safety tips you should teach your children is to know what to do when they get in trouble. Getting the attention of others is one of those survival tips that every kid should know.
Get the children an emergency whistle each. They’re supposed to use it when they need help such as when they get separated from the group or when the group gets lost.
The Heimdall Safety Whistle with Lanyard is named after the Norse God who we might know more as the best friend of Thor in Marvel. According to Norse mythology, Heimdall owned the “yelling horn” called Gjallarhorn. Like the “loud sounding horn,” the valuable survival gear can be heard from far away. In fact, its 120 decibels can be heard up to a mile away.
The Heimdall Safety Whistle is made of non-brittle plastic so there’s should be any worries of it cracking or breaking in two. They come in bright colors of red and yellow to make them highly visible, which is quite helpful in a search and rescue situation.
It has with a clip and lanyard, which makes it easier to attach to your child before they go out for the night. As a matter of fact, let your kids keep their emergency whistle as part of their everyday carry kit. Just make sure they use it responsibly.
Food and Water
As mentioned, the kids shouldn’t partake of their loot before they get home. Ideally, they should have had dinner and rested for a while before heading out for the night. In case they’re too excited to finish their meal, bring some healthy backup snacks for them to much on while on their trick or treating adventure. This will also keep them from sneaking out a piece or two from their candy stash.
Trick-or-treating can be a tiresome activity with all that walking and talking (probably some joyful yelling, too). Pack a water bottle so your child can take as tip when they get thirsty.
The 25-ounce Silver Buffalo Nightmare Before Christmas Stainless Steel Water Bottle looks like a good choice considering it’s Halloween. This one is BPA-free so you’re still watching out for your child’s health.
You probably don’t want all the kids sharing one water bottle. Bring a huge enough bottle and some disposable cups, if you wish.
First Aid Kit
All that excitement can turn into a nightmare if one of the kids gets hurt. The adult responsible for the children should bring a first aid kit and have some basic first aid training so they’d know what to do in case of emergencies.
Phone and Contact Details
Don’t forget your phone. You’ll need it to call for help just in case. Make sure it’s fully charged before going out.
List down important contact details on a piece of paper or small card then give it to your kids to put in their pockets. When they get lost or need help, they can approach police officers and show them the note so they’d know where to take them.
Young children should never go trick-or-treating alone. A responsible adult should accompany them at all times. This simple task along with the other Halloween safety tips mentioned should be enough to keep the young revellers safe and happy.
Follow Gentleman Pirate Club and get to know more safety tips for Halloween and other occasions or activities. There are also lots of survival skills you can learn from there that you can apply on everyday life.
