Making Halloween a safe and fun holiday is something that is definitely within possibility. Despite all the horror stories you hear every year, (which should all be listened to and heeded,) the vast majority of Halloween outings, parties and just general trick or treating almost always goes off without a hitch, due in large part to the safeguards we’ll be discussing here. Make sure to use these!
- To prepare for the onslaught of goblins and ghouls onto your property, make sure the walkways are free from tripping hazards, and that your vicious guard dogs are properly restrained. Make sure the path is well-lit, even if every part of your being is longing for the dark haunted look. (This beats the look of a subpoena any day) Don’t use real candles on your walkways, as you don’t know who is wearing a paper bag costume and might become a large candle! Fill in or cover any holes or projects before someone falls in!
- Tell your own children to bring home all candy for inspection before consumption. One good tip I heard is to give your child some of their favorites before they leave the house so they’ll have something to much on until you can look at their loot! This is sometimes the hardest thing to enforce, but you need to try.
- Discreetly toss any homemade treats or fruit that you don’t know EXACTLY who it came from. It’s just not worth it. It’s too hard to find a pinhole in an apple or orange, and you’ll likely not have a portable x-ray machine lying around, so when in doubt, throw it out!
- Make sure your children’s costumes are flame retardant, and that they don’t pose any tripping, or line of sight problems. You might even want to affix some reflective tape to the edges of the costumes, their candy bag, or even their shoes. Many times these costumes are black or very dark which makes them even harder to spot at night.
- Make sure to instruct your children not to go to ANY vehicles during their trick or treating. You don’t know who may be driving through this neighborhood. This is one of the newer, more evil trends.
- If at all possible accompany your children, and stick to local neighborhoods you know well. Avoid back streets and alleyways, staying on sidewalks and making sure to follow the rules of the road, and be sure to cross at crosswalks.
- Carry a working flashlight.
- Do frequent head counts to make sure you have all the kids on your group.
- Make sure any props your kids are using are non-lethal, and don’t pose a problem if someone gets “accidentally stabbed”.
Making sure we all have a safe and fun Halloween this year is all of our responsibilities. Take these guidelines seriously and you’ll be way ahead of everyone else. And be sure not to forget to have a great deal of fun while you’re at it!
