Halloween is a fun and exciting holiday for most kids and their parents. Children dress up, trick-or-treat with friends, and help adorn homes with carved pumpkins and scary decorations. It’s a highlight of the year. However, it’s also important to keep your child’s safety in mind throughout all the fun. Here are some safety tips for your ghouls and boys:
- Costumes should be well fitted to avoid tripping. Also add reflective tape to your costume or dress in light colours so that you can be seen in the dark.
- Do not use masks, because restricted vision is dangerous, particularly in the dark. Instead, try hypoallergenic, non-toxic makeup or face paint.
- If you are older and trick-or-treating without adult supervision, carry a cell phone. This allows you to check in with your parents during the night and contact them in case of an emergency.
- Plan your route before you go out for the night. If you are heading out without your parents or another adult, give them a copy of your route and let them know what time you expect to return home.
- Stay away from houses that are not well lit. Stand on the porch or in the doorway when receiving candy; never go inside a stranger’s home.
- Carry a flashlight to help you see and to help others see you.
- Always trick-or-treat in groups and stay on the sidewalk. Visit houses all down one side of the street first, then the next. This minimizes the number of times you have to cross a road.
- Avoid wearing coloured contact lenses; they can cause eye irritation and can lead to infection.
- Never walk near lit candles or pumpkins with candles in them. At your own home, consider putting flashlights or fake candles inside your pumpkins to eliminate the risk of fire.
- Do not eat any of your candy until you get home. Ask your parents to check through your treats at the end of the night to make sure all of them are safe to eat.
We all know that, tragically, accidents do occur on Halloween. Certainly that’s been my experience as a personal injury lawyer in Toronto. However, taking precautions, and maybe heading out early when it’s still light out, are two sound safety measures. Happy haunting!
