Tips for a Safe and Spooky Halloween for Your Children

The fear of accidents and injury shouldn’t be what scares your family this Halloween. It’s safety first when it comes to choosing the right costume and deciding on the evening’s events. Attorneys Jason and Debi Chalik, who are parents themselves, share their favorite Halloween safety tips.

Getting Ready for Halloween Night

The first step in Halloween prep is picking your child’s costume. A costume should fit securely and allow for easy movement. If you are buying a pre-made costume, make sure it’s the right size. Baggy costumes can create tripping hazards. Avoid costumes with hanging material, straps or strings that can get tangled or caught.  Avoid masks, hats and wigs that obscure your child’s vision. Props should be made of soft materials.

Costume tip: Create your own glowing costume by covering a blank shirt and pants or skirt with lots of reflective tape. Make your own designs and add glowing accessories to become a neon alien, princess or whatever your child’s imagination can dream up!

Once the costumes are on and the group is ready to head out, review this trick-or-treat checklist to make sure everyone’s prepared for a fun and safe outing:

• Does everyone know the trick-or-treating route?
• Is there at least one adult in the group?
• Does someone have a cell phone in case of an emergency?
• Does everyone have some type of light-up item (glow stick, flashlight or reflective tape)?
• Is everyone wearing good walking shoes?
• Does everyone know the trick-or-treat safety rules?

Download a copy of our Safety Tips to discuss with your children before heading out this Halloween.  [wpdm_file id=1]

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Halloween Safety Rules for Kids, Tweens and Teens

If you’re sending your child out to gather goodies with others, make sure you’re comfortable with their plans. Younger children should always be accompanied by an adult, but you may allow older children to head out in groups. No matter what their age, before your child hits the streets in search of sweets, make sure they know the rules for safe trick-or-treating:

• stay on a pre-planned route;
• never enter someone’s house or fenced yard;
• stay away from animals, even if they’re restrained by a leash or fence;
• don’t eat any treats until given permission;
• obey all traffic signs and use crosswalks;
• stay in well-lit areas; and
• stick with the group.

 

If your older children are attending a Halloween party, they have some safety tips of their own to follow. Make sure you know the location of the party and the names and phone numbers of the parents who will host. Discuss the plan for how your teen will get to and from the party and make sure he or she understands your rules for whether or not the teen is allowed to go to other parties and curfew.

At Chalik & Chalik, It’s Family First

You don’t want to take the fun out of your child’s Halloween, but you also know that being in the hospital the next day is no fun. Remind your children that safety rules are there to help keep them healthy, not to spoil their night.

At Chalik & Chalik, our family is here to protect yours. When a serious accident causes serious injuries, our team can help. Call (855) 529-0269 or reach out to us via our contact form to connect with us and learn about how our family can help yours.