Halloween Safety Tips
Happy Halloween everyone! Halloween is one of the most exciting and fun nights of the year. We all know that kids look forward to putting on their costumes and dressing up as whoever or whatever they want for the night. But with the excitement of the night also comes potential danger. Did you know that twice as many child pedestrians are hit by vehicles on Halloween than on any other day of the year?
Now we don’t want to scare you into wanting to keep your child home this Halloween, but it is important to make sure that safety is your number one priority on this night more than ever. Here are some tips to keep your children safe while out trick or treating this year.
Safety Tips for Halloween
- Help your child pick out a costume that will be safe. It should be fireproof, and the eye holes should be big enough for the child to see out of!
- If you set jack-o-lanterns on your front porch, make sure they are far enough away from children’s costumes. A good idea is using glow sticks or battery-operated candles as opposed to regular candles which can be purchased at most of your drug stores and any other party stores.
- If your child is carrying a prop, like a sword, knife or a pitchfork, make sure the edges are rounded and smooth in case of a fall.
- Kids always want to help with pumpkin carving. There are many kinds of child safe pumpkin knives that can be purchased. For smaller children, only have them clean out the pumpkin and draw a face and let the adult do the cutting.
- Treating your kids to a spooky Halloween dinner will make them less likely to eat the candy that they collect before you have a chance to check it for them.
- Know the route your kids will be taking if you aren’t going with them.
- Let your children know not to cut through back fields and alleys.
- Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on them so that they are visible by cars.
Healthy Halloween Alternatives
Nothing screams “Halloween” like candy, chocolate, and other sweet treats. However, it is always a good idea to try and stray away from these treats and more towards healthier alternatives. Below are a few substitutions to give out this Halloween:
- Granola bars and fruit bars are a healthy alternative to chocolate bars and candy.
- If the kids must have chocolate bars, make sure you stick to the snack sized bars.
- Some candy bars actually have less fat and calories than others, so pay attention to the labels.
- Some other healthier snacks include:
- Small boxes of raisins
- Fresh fruit
- Snack size bags of animal crackers
- Pretzels
- Fruit to-go rolls
- Mini juice boxes
- Crackers and cheese packs
We hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween this year!
Til next time,
-The M&Y Team
