‘Tis the season for pumpkin patches, apple orchards, scary movies, haunted houses and trick-or-treating. Make sure your child has a fun and safe Halloween by practicing these simple safety tips with him or her.
- Avoid hazardous costumes. While masks are a fun part of many costumes, they can impair the child’s vision. Try swapping out the mask for some face paint. If your child does wear a mask, make sure that it fits correctly and will not slip down over his or her eyes. Also, make sure it is properly ventilated and has large enough eyeholes so that the child can see. If your child’s costume comes with a sword or stick, make sure that it is not sharp and that your child can easily carry it while walking. You don’t want it to cause your child to trip and fall.
- Be visible. Costumes that are brightly colored are ideal, as they are much easier to see in the dark. If your child is dressing up as Darth Vader or wearing a dark costume, you should apply reflective strips to their attire. You could also have them carry glow sticks or a flashlight so that other pedestrians and drivers can easily see them walking.
- Never go alone. Your child should never go trick-or-treating without adult supervision. If your child is going in a big group, remind them to stay with the group and never stray off on their own.
- Don’t knock on the doors of random houses. Encourage your child to only trick-or-treat at homes where he or she knows the residents. Also, your child should not visit houses that do not have a porch light on, as that is a sign that they are not handing out treats. You should also enforce to never go inside someone’s home while trick-or-treating, even if the owner invites your child in. Your child should remain on the front porch, unless you are present with him or her and know that the owner of the home is safe.
- Follow traffic rules, and do not run. While it is easy for your child to become excited and want to run across the street to visit houses, you should tell them to walk carefully and to stop and look both ways before crossing the street. Also, your child should never stray from the path and walk through dark alleys or someone’s yard. Tell them to stay in well-lit areas where there are people present.
- Wait to eat the treats. Your child will most likely want to immediately eat all of the sweets he or she receives. It is important to make him or her wait until you return home so that you can inspect his or her goodie bag. Once you have deemed all of the treats safe, you can let him or her have a few pieces of candy. Then, you should stow the rest away in a hidden place that he or she cannot reach so they do not indulge in all of the sugary snacks in one night.
While Halloween is supposed to be “spooky”, you can avoid the scare of your child being injured this year by enforcing these safety tips. The Maryville Imaging Team wishes you a Happy Halloween!