Do you remember Halloween as a kid? The thrill of walking up to each new house with your friends, knocking on the door and asking for candy? Running house to house in front of your parents (or without your parents) and just enjoying racing through the night in your costume and comparing candy and eating it with friends? There were not many rules back then when it came to trick-or-treating and your parents were pretty easy-going about where you were and who you were with as you went house-to-house.
Unfortunately you should not use your childhood as a model for good Halloween safety. Your home is a safe place, but the rest of the world is not always so safe. Here are some Halloween safety tips you should look over and use with your children this Halloween:
Check for Sex Offenders
This is one of the extremely sad facts about living in this time and raising children in the world today but you need to go online and check your local state website for sex offenders in your area. Stay away from those houses.
Drive to a Safe Neighborhood
If you do not feel comfortable allowing your children to trick-or-treat in your neighborhood – drive to a different one. You could always put together a trick-or-treating group and have everyone meet at a designated neighborhood that is more safe.
Accompany Your Kids (Go with the group)
Even if a neighborhood is ‘safe,’ it is not like it was when you were a kid. You should always accompany your kids as they trick-or-treat or make sure they are with a trustworthy adult.
Know Your Child’s Friends and their Parents
If your child is going trick-or-treating with a group or just one friend and other adults you should always know who your child is with and feel comfortable about it. Know your child’s friends and their parents.
Costume Check
For younger children make sure their costume is safe – make sure it is not too long and that cars can see your child from a distance. If it is a black costume – add reflecting tape.
Candy Check
Another sad but true fact is that you need to check your children’s candy before you let them eat it.
You can find even more Halloween safety tips here, and if you would like to learn about more ways you can keep your family safe please contact us today.
