Halloween Safety

Happy Halloween!

(Disclaimer: Please feel free to download this post and use “global replace” to put whatever alias you choose in place of Halloween.  I won’t be offended and neither will the candy companies.)

Tonight’s the night for ghoulies and ghosties and all sorts of costumed children heading door-to-door for sugary sweets. Why no one dresses as a vaccuum cleaner salesman is beyond me. It would be on-the-job training. Then again, the younger kids whine about the weight of their loot. I can’t imagine a six-year old lugging around a Hoover WindTunnel T-Series all night. Halloween features a parade of children of all ages, dressed as anything from Lego Ninjas to Disney princesses. It’s a night intended for fun and games, not for danger and injuries.

Having a trick-or-treater of my own, I wanted to share some Halloween Safety tips published from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the CDC. Halloween can be a blast, but it requires paying attention, planning, and knowing how to handle certain situations. Pedestrians and drivers must pay extra attention. Pedestrian traffic accidents increase 4.5 times on Halloween.[1] More than twice as many children are killed in pedestrian traffic accidents on Halloween than on other nights. [2] 76% of surveyed parents report that children celebrate Halloween by trick or treating[2], so let’s start there.

Here are some safety tips for trick-or-treating children, courtesy of the NCMEC.[3]

1. Instruct your older children to TAKE FRIENDS when “Trick or Treating.”
2. Make sure a TRUSTED ADULT, an older child, or you accompany your younger children when “Trick or Treating.” A trusted adult is a person parents/guardians have come to rely on and with whom they and their children feel comfortable. Discuss with your child who will accompany him or her and make sure you are both comfortable with the choice.
3. Accompany, or make sure a trusted adult accompanies, your younger children to the door of every home they approach. Become familiar with each home your child visits and the people who are providing Halloween treats to your children.
4. Teach your children to only enter homes with your prior permission and only approach homes that are well-lit both inside and outside.
5. Teach your children to NEVER approach a vehicle unless they are accompanied by you, even if it appears no one is inside the vehicle.
6. Make sure your children wear reflective clothing and carry a flashlight or glow stick when traveling during the evening hours.
7. Make sure your children are able to see and breathe properly and easily when using facial masks. All costumes and masks should be clearly marked as flame resistant.
8. Teach your children to always stay in well-lit areas, never take shortcuts, and never go into isolated areas.
9. Teach your children to stay alert for any suspicious incidents and report anything unusual to you and/or law enforcement.
10. Teach your children if anyone tries to grab them to draw attention to themselves and loudly yell “This person is trying to take me,” or “This person is not my father/mother.” Instruct your children to make every effort to escape by walking, running, or pulling away; yelling; kicking; attracting attention; and/or otherwise resisting.
11. Consider organizing or attending parties at home, in schools, or in community centers as a good alternative to “Trick or Treating.”

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

Once the children have their haul, parents should consider the safety of the treats they’ve gathered. The folks at KidsHealth offer these tips regarding candy safety both before and after trick-or-treating[4]:

Before kids go trick-or-treating, try to serve a healthy meal so they’re not hungry when the candy starts coming in.

Kids who generally eat just a couple of pieces and save the rest might be trusted to decide how much to eat. But if your child tends to overdo it, consider setting limits.

Here are some more tips for handling the Halloween treats:

• Know how much candy your child has collected and store it somewhere other than the child’s room. Having it so handy can be an irresistible temptation for many kids.
• Consider being somewhat lenient about candy eating on Halloween, within reason, and talk about how the rest of the candy will be handled. Candy and snacks shouldn’t get in the way of kids eating healthy meals.
• If a child is overweight — or you’d just like to reduce the Halloween stash — consider buying back some or all of the remaining Halloween candy. This acknowledges the candy belongs to the child and provides a treat in the form of a little spending money.
• Be a role model by eating Halloween candy in moderation yourself. To help avoid temptation, buy your candy at the last minute and get rid of any leftovers.
• Encourage your kids to be mindful of the amount of candy and snacks eaten — and to stop before they feel full or sick.

Be alert. Have a plan. Understand the dangers. These Halloween safety tips will help ensure your lil’ punkin is safe and sound, and can compare notes on their Halloween haul with school friends tomorrow.

One Love!

nK

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1. Trend and Pattern Analysis of Highway Crash Fatality By Month and Day. (March 2005). National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. U.S. Department of Transportation. www.nhtsa.gov.
2. Halloween Safety: A National Survey of Parents’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors. (October 2011). Safe Kids Worldwide. www.safekids.org/our-work/research/reports/halloween-research-report.pdf
3. Know the Rules: Halloween Safety Tips. (October 2011). National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=3589
4. Halloween Candy Hints. (October 2011). Stephen Dowshen, MD. KidsHealth by Nemours. kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/home/candy_hints.html