Stay Safe, Be Seen! Five Halloween Safety Tips
With Halloween just around the corner – costumes, candy and jack-o-lanterns are top of mind. But what about Halloween safety? It may not sound very exciting, but a safe Halloween is a fun Halloween. Today we’ve rounded up five tips to make your Halloween spooky while keeping your peace of mind.
Five Halloween safety tips
Be seen, be safe
When you’re heading out after dark being seen is a top priority. This means wearing light-coloured clothing, using reflective stickers or tape, carrying flashlights, glow sticks or flashing necklaces (widely available at the Dollar Store). Most drivers keep an eye out for trick-or-treaters, but anything you can do to be seen makes their job easier and keeps your kids safer.
Keep an eye on candles
Is any image more iconic than a jack-o-lantern with a candle flickering away inside? It’s no surprise, then, that according to Underwriters Laboratories Halloween is one of the top five days of the year for home candle fires. You can help make your Halloween a little safer by keeping candles clear of walkways and out of reach of children. You can also opt for battery-operated candles and skip the open flames altogether.
Fireworks aren’t for kids
When it comes to Halloween safety tips, this one seems obvious, but it still bears repeating: fireworks aren’t toys. Even seemingly innocuous sparklers can reach almost 1,000°C. Keep in mind that if you do want to set off fireworks in the City of Vancouver, you need to apply for a permit before you make your purchase.
Choose a costume that fits
It’s tempting to buy big when it comes to kids and Halloween costumes, so that you can get the maximum wear possible out of your purchase. However, long, dragging costumes aren’t the safest choice when trick-or-treating. They’re more likely to come in contact with a candle (since not everyone’s read Halloween safety tip two), cause tripping when heading up or down stairs, or just end up wet and uncomfortable. A costume that fits well is going to be safer on Halloween night.
Stay in touch
As your children get older they may start trick-or-treating on their own. Or perhaps your little ones are getting together with a friend’s family for Halloween, so you won’t be with them. You’ll want to make sure that you stay in touch, and that your kids know how to reach you, in the event that anything happens. Having kids share their planned route and knowing who they will be with – along with contact information of their friends’ families is a good oneto keep in mind. One way to make sure everyone knows how to reach you is to join a network like ePACT, so that you can easily share all your emergency details online.
Originally written by Amber Strocel
