Dress Up Safely
- Check that the costumes are flame-retardant so the little ones aren't in danger near burning jack-o-lanterns and other fire hazards.
- Keep costumes short to prevent trips, falls, and other bumps in the night.
- Try make-up instead of a mask. Masks can be hot and uncomfortable, and more importantly, they can obstruct a child's vision - a dangerous thing when kids are crossing streets and going up and down steps.
- Put reflective tape on their costumes or wear light colors.
Make Trick-or-Treating Trouble Free
- Stay in a group. Parents should accompany small children.
- Make sure older kids trick-or-treat with friends. Map out a safe route so parents will know where they will be.
- If kids go out in the dark, make sure they have a flash light that works.
- Make sure kids know not to enter strangers' houses and cars.
Dressed Up and Dangerous?
Halloween blood and gore are harmless stuff for the most part. But sometimes dressing up as a superhero, a swashbuckling pirate, or an alien from outer space -- coupled with the excitement of Halloween -- brings out aggressive behavior. Even fake knives, swords, guns and other costume accessories can hurt people. If these objects are part of a child's costume, make sure they are made from cardboard or other flexible materials. Better yet challenge kids to create costumes that do not need "weapons" to be scary and fun.
Host a Halloween Party
Parents and kids can avoid trick-or-treating troubles entirely by organizing a Halloween costume party with treats, games, contests, music, scary stories, and much more. Make your Halloween party the place to be!