Halloween Home and Family Safety Tips for 2018

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT: https://www.comehomevirginia.com/halloween-home-and-family-safety-tips-2018

From the candy, to costumes, decorations, and more, Halloween is a fun-filled highlight of early autumn for kids and parents alike. To help make it memorable and happy, follow these simple safety tips for your home, family and pets.

Be Seen

Costumes that are light or bright colored are much easier to see.

A Newsweek Article discusses the importance of color selection for pedestrians being seen both during daylight hours and dusk to dark HERE

Adding reflective tape to your children's costumes will also improve visibility; you can add it to your child's costume, props, and trick or treat bag.

Check Candy

Parents should check the candy for choking hazards, (gum and hard candy for example) particularly for younger children. It's not only a good way to protect your children but gives parents an opportunity to share in the goodies. ;-)

Use Sidewalks

Remind the trick-or-treaters to stay on sidewalks and walking paths and to avoid the street except at designated crosswalks. Make sure children know to walk on one side of the street to the end, and not to zig-zag back and forth across the street.

Costume Safety — Fireproof / Resistant

Make sure children's costumes are made of fire-resistance material, and avoid costumes that are overly large or with long dragging parts. These can be stepped on and cause tripping, and are more easily exposed to open fires.

Make sure accessories such as swords, canes, brooms, or sticks are not sharp or too long.

Face Paint

Nontoxic Face Paint is a safer choice than costume masks; your child's field of view will be much greater than it will with a mask. If you choose the face paint option, make sure you select nontoxic paints, and test a small area of your child's skin a few days before Halloween to make sure your child is not sensitive to the paint selected. After trick or treating, make certain to thoroughly but gently wash off all paint and other makeup.

ORIGINAL BLOG HAS BEEN UPDATED AND EXPANDED INCLUDES ADDITIONAL HOME AND PET SAFETY TIPS CLICK HERE  

Flashlights / Glow Sticks / Flashing LED Buttons

Equip your children with one, two, or all three of these safe lighting options. Flashing LED buttons can be attached to various parts of the costume. Flashlights can be carried, and help your child to see dark spots as well as to be seen more easily. Finally, Glow Sticks can be carried or attached to various parts of your child's costume. As an added bonus, kids love these lighted safety props and will get hours of enjoyment from them after trick or treating.

Adult Supervision

Make sure younger children are appropriately accompanied and supervised by an adult.

Stay Together

For older children that trick or treat without their parents, be certain that they trick or treat in groups of 4 or more and that they know that they should not enter cars, houses, etc. to retrieve candy.

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Plan the Route

 For the children that will be trick or treating without adults, pre-plan their route with them and make sure that they understand the importance of sticking to the route in the order it is laid out. If your child has a mobile phone, make sure that they take it with them, or perhaps lend them mom or dad's phone for the evening.

Jack-o-Lantern Safety

Carving a pumpkin should be done by adults and older children only — and even then with caution. Cuts from making jack-o-lanterns are one of the most common injuries received during the Halloween season. Younger children can still participate in a variety of ways, however

Younger children can draw the face of the jack-o-lantern with colored markers. The face can be just drawn on or used as a pattern for an adult to cut out.
The newer pumpkin carving kits often come with stencils, or you can find many stencil options online to print out. These can be taped to the pumpkin, and with the small poking tool, (included with most kits) the traced image can be transposed. This can also be a way for a child that is a bit too young to do the carving to be an active participant, (under appropriate supervision) and it can also help the child to develop new skills and confidence.

Lighting Safety

Burns and fires can be avoided by using battery-powered candles or colorful glow sticks for illuminating the Jack-o-Lantern. The pumpkin will also not dry out as fast as it does with a candle.

If you will be lighting your walkway with paper lantern candle bags, luminaries, you should opt for LED powered candles here as well. Not only are they much safer for you and the trick-or-treaters, but they won't blow out like a flame candle.

Keep Exits Clear

Don't congest exits with excessive decorations that could impede evacuation in the case of fire or another emergency.

Other Decoration Safety
Dried flowers, hay bales, cornstalks and crepe paper catch fire easily. Keep all decorations away from open flames and other heat sources like light bulbs and heaters.

"Halloween Safety For Your Family"
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ORIGINALLY POSTED AT: https://www.comehomevirginia.com/halloween-home-and-family-safety-tips-2018