Halloween is a fun time filled with treats, ghosts, pranks, goblins, and more. As you prepare for this exciting holiday, safety should be your top priority. There are many things you can do to ensure your kids’ safety when they perform common Halloween activities, e.g. trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, makeup, and more. Here are some key guidelines you should follow:
Safe Treats
Treats make Halloween a very enjoyable event, especially for kids. Food safety practices are encouraged to make this key part of Halloween fun safe for kids. Consider following these guidelines:
- Check and make sure that all candy and treats are properly wrapped. If they are not, throw them away.
- Younger children try to eat everything. On Halloween, your children may confuse medicine with treats/candies so be sure to practice safe medication storage.
- Some items, e.g. toys with small parts, nuts, gum, etc. can be choking hazards. It is recommended that you keep these items away from your kids.
- If possible, make sure that your children only eat homemade treats on Halloween.
- Wash and cut the fruit before eating.
- Call the police if you suspect tampering. Don’t taste just to test the candy.
Street Safety
On Halloween, kids are more prone to become a victim of a car/pedestrian accident. As a caregiver or parent, here are some guidelines you should follow to ensure street safety for your kids:
- Advise your children to walk. Forbid them to run between houses to prevent trips and falls.
- Look at both sides before crossing the street.
- Walk on sidewalks.
- Trick or treat as a group.
- Prepare your kids to trick or treat with safety items, such as reflective strips or tape applied to candy bags and costumes, flashlight, and an emergency contact information card.
Eye Safety and More
Wearing colorful costumes and contact lenses for decorative purposes is common on Halloween. It is not discouraged but there should be precautions. To ensure eye safety and more, here are some rules you should follow:
- Don’t wear decorative contact lenses without a prescription as it can lead to problems such as vision loss, eye scratches, eye infections, eye sores, etc.
- Make sure to wear costumes that don’t block your vision to minimize the risk of trip and fall injury.
- Painting your face is a common practice on Halloween. Before you do it, it is recommended that you test novelty makeups on your arm to test ahead of time for an allergic reaction. To prevent eye and skin irritation, remove all makeup before bedtime.
- Choose flexible and soft costume accessories.
Hilton & Somer, LLC: Personal Injury Attorneys located in Fairfax and licensed to practice in Virginia, Maryland and in the District of Columbia
Monsters and ghosts aren’t the only scary things on Halloween. Mishaps and accidents increase significantly when kids trick or treat. In fact, the likelihood of your child being hit by a car or injured in a pedestrian/car collision quadruples on Halloween. That’s why being cautious is recommended. If you or your loved one has been injured because of the negligence of a driver, contact Hilton & Somer, LLC. We have the experience and resources to handle such cases. Schedule a free consultation by calling (703) 560-0700 or using our online contact form.
