Costumes, candy, and quality time with friends and family! I don’t know about your kids, but my kids are super excited about Halloween! How could they not be excited to wear fancy face paint, channel their favorite fictional characters, and get up and active trick-or-treating.
Halloween can be a fun event for children if safety measures are discussed and implemented ahead of time. Since most trick-or-treating fun takes place after dark, keeping your kids safe should be your highest priority.
Follow safety tips such as wearing reflective strips, having a proper fitting mask, and carrying flashlights. These actions can help to keep your child safe when out trick or treating. Most importantly, parental supervision is necessary, and instilling safety awareness in your children is beneficial to keeping them safe!
Adhere reflective strips to costumes to increase your child’s visibility. You can purchase reflective strips at either a Halloween costume store or at your local fabric store. The strips come in a variety of colors and sizes so you can match them up with your child’s costume.
While masks are a typical part of a Halloween costume, they can also be a potential hazard if they are not secured correctly or if they are not fitted properly. Many masks come in a “one size fits all,” but children have varying head sizes, so sometimes masks can fit too loosely on children. A loose mask can float around the face, causing your child to trip or fall if he or she can’t see properly. A tight mask can cut off circulation or cause a potential choking hazard.
Make-up can play a vital part in designing a Halloween costume. Not all make-up is hypoallergenic and can cause allergic reactions. Some apparent allergic reactions are hives, rashes, and itchiness on the face or body parts to which the make-up was applied. Test the make-up prior to application. Place a small amount on the inside of your child’s wrist a few days prior to Halloween. If there is no reaction after an hour, the make-up can be deemed safe for use.
Make sure you purchase costumes and wigs that are flame retardant. All it takes is one spark for an entire outfit to light up on fire and pose a potential fatal hazard to your child. Flame-retardant costumes and wigs are resistant to spreading flames and are easily contained if they catch fire.
Flashlights are a necessity, especially if your kids are outside after dark. In addition to carrying flashlights, safety tags with your child’s information can be carried in case your child gets lost.
