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Tips to Keep Kids Safe this Halloween

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Halloween kids Trick or Treaters

 

Trick or Treat!


Halloween is a beloved holiday celebrated by most American children around the country. What kid doesn’t like getting free candy? And in copious amounts that will last them for weeks or even months to come?

Some parents opt for more family-friendly traditions, such as harvest festivals, or a celebratory gathering where there are other children. Some families decide not to celebrate at all, as many religions highly discourage parents from letting their children participate in a holiday with known Wiccan roots. However, if you are in the majority, Trick-or-Treating is the go-to practice for millions of children and young adults every October 31st.

 

Use the Buddy System

Up until a certain age, children should obviously be supervised while they go door-to-door at night approaching stranger’s houses. But once they reach an appropriate age (TBD by each parent’s discretion) it is best that kids travel in groups. This may seem like a no-brainer, but many times young preteens and young teens can get caught up in sugar-fueled excitement that they may lose track of their surroundings, and, one or some of their group.

Remind your child to keep an eye on everybody he or she is with. The buddy system goes all ways – everyone watches out for each other.

If someone gets lost or accidentally left behind, agree to have a designated meeting place that is open, and well-lit – such as under a streetlight in a park or a location close to the starting point. Thankfully we live in a more technologically-savvy culture, so sending phones along in case of a problem is also a good idea.

 

Use a Flashlight or a Guiding Light

This is a great tip especially if you have more than one child or more children are coming with you around the neighborhood. Not only will this help a child navigate sidewalks and spot low-hanging branches, but it will aid the parents or the adult supervising in spotting where they are at all times.

If children are unaccompanied by an adult or older sibling, this should also aid their group in staying together and being aware of each other at all times.

 

Candy-Check

Unfortunately, not everybody can be trusted. When your child has finished Trick-or-Treating, regardless of age, have them pour out their candy into a pile. It is important that the stash be examined for any kind of obvious tampering, such as an opened wrapper; in which case the piece should be tossed out. While a lot of times this is accidental, it is good to use precaution. If you find a sweet that is not in commercial packaging or appears to be homemade, unless you trust the person from whose house it came, THROW IT AWAY. Homemade candy is not really acceptable in this day in age, and for obvious reasons.

With food allergies, make sure upon reading the ingredients that the food is not anywhere in the candy. In cases of incredibly sensitive peanut allergies, many times the label will tell you whether or not the treat was manufactured in an environment where peanuts were present. This is good information, especially if your child cannot even be near peanuts without have some sort of reaction.

 

“Treat”-ing While Trick-or-Treating

It is best that children do not eat candy while going door-to-door – especially for smaller children, as this can pose a choking hazard. Instead, send your child out after dinner or make sure they have a snack in their stomach before they head out. This way, kids will not be as tempted to begin eating any of the candy until after it has been inspected.

We hope these tips and ideas can keep your kiddos safe this Halloween, but also not hinder any fun there is to be had! For more information, visit:

www.esfi.org

www.fda.gov 

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