Avoid Accidents with These Halloween Kid Safety Tips
Halloween is a fun night of the year for kids and adults alike. However, it is also a night when accidents are more likely to occur. With so much potential for accidents, it is important for parents to take the time to explain a few important safety tips to their children and prepare them for a safe night of trick-or-treating.
Here’s what you can do to keep your kids safe this Halloween:
- Increase visibility. Many Halloween accidents, specifically pedestrian accidents, occur in the dark when there is low visibility. In order to increase your child’s visibility, consider giving them glow stick jewelry to wear or adding colorful reflective tape to their costumes. Just make sure your children know not to ingest the contents of glow sticks – this results in hundreds of hospitalizations each year.
- Watch out for cars. Halloween is one of the most deadly nights of the year for pedestrians. In fact, children are four times more likely to be hit by a car than any other night of the year. In order to keep them safe, parents should chaperone their children while they trick-or-treat, as well as instruct children on pedestrian etiquette. This includes looking both ways before entering the street, not darting out between vehicles, and crossing at crosswalks when they are available.
- Stay off neighbor’s lawns. Not only is this a sign of respect for a homeowner’s property, but it can also save a child from being injured. Many Halloween decorations are tethered to front lawns with ropes and strings, and it can be easy for a child to trip over a tether or power cord in the dark.
- Choose an appropriate costume. Costumes with restrictive masks or costumes that are too big can cause a little one to trip or bump into something. Help your child select a comfortable, warm, and well-fitting costume that won’t restrict their movement or line of sight.
- Stay together. If your kids are a little older and you feel comfortable allowing them to trick-or-treat around the neighborhood without supervision, be sure to instruct them to stay with their group and to never enter a stranger’s home or accept a ride from someone they don’t know. They should also know to find a phone and call home immediately if they become lost or need help.
We hope you and your family enjoys a spooky and safe Halloween!
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