Katie Bassett
Blogger

Tune in that inner child and reminisce on the spooky thrill of Halloween. The night is filled with glowing cobwebs, eerie haunted houses, extravagant costumes, and-most importantly- an endless amount of candy.

Young trick-or-treaters aren’t necessarily worried about their safety and potential risks that follow the night of Halloween, but as a parent, these fears are generally the forefront of your mind. We’ve all heard the same safety tips like planning a safe route and wearing brighter clothing when it comes to Halloween night, but how to we make sure our children oblige? “Rules” don’t generally bode well with kids, so many worry that setting stern guidelines for their child on Halloween could have adverse effects.

This year, instead of laying down the law about the do’s and do-not’s of the night, here are some clever tricks parents can do that will keep their children safe on Halloween.

Preparing a Costume

While we may know to stay away from costumes that drag on the floor and to focus on comfortable shoes, explaining the logic of these safety precautions to your child can be difficult. Therefore, stay ahead of the game and help them brainstorm costume ideas long before the child has their heart set on an outfit.

Planning a Route

Planning and sticking with a route can be tough (we all know the attention span of children at times), so sit down with your child and map out an exciting, action-packed path. Talk up any neighborhood haunted houses that might be going on or any houses that typically have “the best candy.” Think of it from your child’s perspective: they want to see spooky decorations, have a few scares, and get a lot of candy so sell that route using these factors!

Feeding Your Kids Prior to Trick-Or-Treating

Load your child up on a hearty, healthy meal before trick-or-treating. Not only will they need the energy to walk from house to house, but they will be less inclined to want to snack on the candy while they are out.

Taking Breaks

As a child, I always remember trick-or-treating with a group of friends as well as a few adults. Every so often, we would stop at one of my friends’ houses and essentially take a break. This would give all of us time to use the restroom, unload candy if the bags were getting heavy, and-most importantly for the adults- switch out chaperones.

Checking Candy

Once the night comes to an end, you’re left with the daunting task of checking the Halloween candy. Aside from the fact that this can be tedious, most kids want to dive face-first into their candy bag seconds after walking into the door. To keep all parties civil, try to make it a game! Have your child sort out all candy they like and don’t like, then further separate the different types of candy (i.e. Kit Kats, Reese’s, Skittles, etc). This makes checking so much easier, from a parent’s perspective!

Do you have your own tips for making Halloween safety easy? Please share them in the comment section below!

About Katie Bassett

Katie primarily focuses her research and writing efforts on youth safety and development. Right now, she is concentrating on advocacy projects for Mayor Law.

View all posts by Katie Bassett here.

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