Halloween Safety Tips
Follow these tricks to protect health and safety and keep Halloween a treat.
- Inspect candy for signs of tampering, such as ripped packaging, pinholes, discoloring, or any other unusual appearance, before children eat it.
- Feed children a light meal before they go trick or treating to help prevent them from snacking.
- Do not let children eat homemade candy or baked goods.
- If juice or cider is served to children at Halloween parties, make sure it is pasteurized or otherwise treated to destroy harmful bacteria.
- "If you're having a Halloween party offer healthy treats.
- Limit the number of treats in a single sitting to avoid large spikes in blood sugar
- Face paint, rather than a mask, can help children see better and avoid dangerous objects such as cars and tripping hazards. Follow all paint directions and never decorate your face with things that are not intended for use on skin. If decorating skin with a product you have never used before, try a dab on an arm for a couple of days to check for an allergic reaction before applying to your face.
- Decorate or trim costumes with reflective tape that will glow in the beam of a car’s headlights.
- Purchase only flame resistant costumes, masks, beards, and wigs.
- Only use decorative contact lenses if distributed by an eye care professional.
Trick or Treating
- Make sure small children are accompanied by an adult or an older, responsible child.
- Have children walk, not run, from house to house and use sidewalks instead of walking in the street.
- Only let children approach houses that have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.
- Carry a flashlight to help see and be seen.
- Do not let children enter homes or apartments unless accompanied by an adult.
- Be aware of obstacles on lawns, steps and porches, especially candle lit jack-o-lanterns that may be brushed by a child’s costume.
- Set a time for children to return home.
- Drive slowly in residential neighborhoods.
- Watch for trick-or-treaters at intersections, medians, and on curbs.
- Watch for trick-or-treaters darting from between parked cars.
- Enter and exit driveways carefully.