Halloween safety tips for kids: A guide to a safe and fun night

Contributed by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

Lower temperatures, longer nights and falling leaves means it’s almost time for Halloween. Cincinnati Children’s Comprehensive Children’s Injury Center offers these tips to keep children safe on Oct. 31.  

Pedestrian Safety  

• Young children should always be accompanied by an adult when trick-or-treating.  
• If your older children go trick-or-treating alone, plan and review a route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.  
• Allow your children to visit only homes with a porch light on. Remind them never to enter a home or car.  
• Stay on well-lighted streets and always use the sidewalk. Look left, right and then left again before crossing the street in the crosswalk. Walk with a flashlight.  
• If no sidewalk is available, have your children walk at the far edge of the roadway, facing traffic.  
• Note that Halloween falls on a Friday this year, which means that children and families will need to be especially vigilant with respect to safety, including traffic.  

Costume Safety  

• Choose costumes that are bright and flame-resistant. Decorate them with reflective tape.  
• Make sure that costumes are the right size to prevent trips and falls.  
• Use nontoxic face paint instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.  
• Test face paint or makeup on a small part of your child’s skin to check for an allergic reaction.  

Nutrition and Treat Safety  

• Prevent your child from eating any candy that looks like it has been tampered with (packaging that has rips, tears or holes or has been opened).  
• Check candy for choking hazards for younger children (hard or chewy candy).  
• Limit the amount of candy eaten each day.  
• Avoid eating homemade treats made by strangers.  
• Have children brush their teeth well after eating candy, especially sticky candy.  

Other Halloween Tips  

• Decorate pumpkins with markers and stickers instead of carving.  
• Host a costume party with games to limit the dangers of walking from house-to-house in the dark.  
• Attend a party at a recreation center, school, church or community center.