By
Marjorie Adam
Welcome to the spookiest time of the year! Halloween is just around the corner, and kids are anticipating their costumes and the treats they'll enjoy. However, Halloween is not just about the fun-kids' safety also matters. Strangers, ghosts, and goblins are all around during Halloween, making it crucial to keep safety in mind. This blog post provides you with five foolproof tips for having a trick or treating experience that is not just fun, but also safe.
- Plan your route: Ensure you plan beforehand the areas or houses you’d like to visit. It’s recommended that you choose familiar routes or neighborhoods, well-lit and less isolated areas to avoid accidents and increase safety.
- Supervise younger children: Children under 12 years old should be accompanied by an adult for supervision. If they insist on being independent, make sure they stick to the pre-planned route and that you can see them or their friends from a distance. You can also install apps such as Glympse or Find Friends to get updates on their location in real-time.
- Wear costumes/masks kids can see through: Wearing costumes can limit a child's vision, making it essential to ensure they can see through masks or head coverings. You can also add reflective tape and bright colors to the costumes and provide them with flashlights, glow sticks, or reflective armbands. This enables visibility to oncoming traffic and lessens the chances of an accident from cars not seeing them.
- Check the candy: It is always smart for parents or guardians to thoroughly check the candy their children receive. Precautions should also be taken for home-made treats offered by people you do not know well. These home-made treats can have nuts, allergens, or in extreme but unlikely circumstances could have razor blades, pins, or other harmful objects. If you are not sure of the content of the treats, it's better to throw them away.
- Be mindful of street safety: Make sure your kids cross only at marked pedestrian crossings and avoid jaywalking. For drivers, please observe low speeds, watch out for children, and avoid being distracted.
These are just a few tips to make sure safety comes first during this Halloween season. It's important to keep in mind that Halloween is a fun time for families, and keeping all the family members safe is the ultimate goal. Whether it is costume selection, route planning, or candy checking, simple precautions and true mindfulness will make your Halloween one that you’ll always remember--for all the right reasons!
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