by Heidi Green
October 22, 2010

Ghosts and pumpkins populating yards and porches can only mean one thing: Halloween is almost here! And while it may be the spookiest and silliest night of the year, it doesn’t have to be dangerous. With a bit of care, Halloween can be both fun and safe.

Here are 10 tips to ensure “Boo!” doesn’t turn into “Boo hoo” for your family this Halloween:

1. Beware of flames. Skip the Halloween luminaries, or use battery-operated LED votives instead of traditional candles. If you do use candles in luminaries or pumpkins, keep them far away from walkways (and areas children may use as shortcuts). Jack ‘o lanterns with lighted candles are best placed out of children’s reach.

2. Choose costumes carefully. Make sure your children’s costumes are short enough that they can maneuver (e.g., walk,  run, climb stairs, crouch, sit, and stand) without tripping. Make sure accessories like swords and shields are soft and flexible. Avoid face masks which often fit poorly and impede vision; use hypoallergenic, nontoxic makeup to add facial details, instead. Test any makeup on a small area of skin before applying it broadly, and be sure to remove all of it before bedtime to prevent skin irritation.

3. Make sure they’ll be seen. Considering that most children trick-or-treat in the dark of evening, visibility should be a high priority. Choose bright costumes over dark ones whenever possible. Add reflective strips or wearable glow sticks to your child’s costume. All children should carry flashlights—add a small lit flashlight or glow stick to each child’s candy bag.

4. Trick-or-treat together. Young children should trick-or-treat under the supervision of a parent or another responsible adult. Older kids who are mature enough to go without an adult should trick-or-treat in a group. If going it alone, remind them to stick with their group. If you have a cell phone, you might consider giving your phone to your child requesting that they call you immediately if they get separated from their group. Or, instruct your child to knock on the door of a well-lit house welcoming trick-or-treaters to ask if that adult could call home for him. Put a list of telephone numbers (home phone, cell phones, other emergency phone numbers) in your child’s candy bag.

5. Plan your route in advance. Choose well-populated roads and avoid shortcuts through alleys or parking lots, where drivers are less likely to expect children to roam.

6. Follow everyday traffic rules. Encourage your children to apply all the usual “walking safe” strategies on Halloween night. Remind them to stay aware of motor traffic, not to dart into the road between parked cars, to look both ways before crossing the street, and to cross at corners or in crosswalks.

7. Look at each house. Skip dark houses or those without Halloween decorations. Some people don’t participate in Halloween activities, and dark walkways are an unnecessary hazard.

8. Be cautious about strangers. Your children have probably been hearing about “stranger danger” since they were babies, but the excitement of Halloween fun may push those everyday concerns from your children’s minds. Remind them to keep their distance from strangers and to never accept rides from anyone you or they don’t know well or don’t trust. Also, make sure your children know to stay outside and never enter a house while trick-or-treating.

9. Check the goodies. It’s been years since the U.S. has experienced any serious candy tampering incidents. Still, just in case, look over your children’s candy before they eat it. Throw out any items with torn wrappers as well as those not in their original wrappers. Don’t forget to screen candy for age-appropriateness, too; some goodies are choking hazards for the youngest trick-or-treaters (e.g., gum, peanuts, hard candies, and small toys).

10. Enjoy the goodies—safely. Your children may feel tempted by all the treats in their bag, but you will want to limit the amount they eat at one time. (A healthy dinner before trick-or-treating may help ensure their appetite isn’t as great when they return home laden with sweets.)

Additional Halloween safety tips are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has prepared a quick safety quiz for children which may be a good discussion-starter. Happy Halloween!

Heidi Green has been researching and writing about women’s and children’s health since she moved to Pittsburgh more than 10 years ago. She is also a children’s book reviewer in her spare time. She is mom to Ben, Katie, Sam, and Max.