Halloween Safety Tips to Keep Your Kids Safe This Year

It’s spooky, it’s scary, it’s creepy, and it’s the best holiday of the year (says me); it’s Halloween! Halloween is such a fun holiday, especially when you have kids. The spooky decorations, the great costumes, pumpkin patches, haunted houses and all that goes along with Halloween just make me oh-so happy! Okay, I’m done. As a parent, Halloween is fun, but it’s also scary. When there’s a knock at the door, your guard is down and you open it right away without asking first who it is or checking to make sure it’s children and not strange men. Candy could be poisoned, strangers are out and it’s difficult to keep track of your little princess when there are 4927 Sofia the First’s running around the town’s trick-or-treat event. Here are three ways you can calm down, enjoy more and keep your kids safe this Halloween.

Think Glow in the Dark

Yes, batman wears black. No, that’s not really safe when your kid is running around the neighborhood after dark. This year, make sure your little ones are safe in light colored clothing. If you can’t do that, Batman, at least go for a glow-in-the-dark accessory such as tape on your child’s costume, a hat, shoes, stickers or a glow stick necklace so he’s visible at night.

Go With Your Kids

Nothing will assuage your fears faster than being with your kids on Halloween night. Who cares if they’re old enough to be embarrassed? Just remind them that they’re never too old to be kidnapped or mugged or run over by a car and that you’d rather embarrass them than visit them in the hospital. You don’t have time for that.

Check the Treats

Do not allow your kids to eat anything that’s not wrapped tightly. Homemade treats are fine if they’re given to you by a friend or relative, but if they’re from a stranger, toss them straight into the trash. This is not to say every little old lady who baked brownies is out to poison your kids, but if you’d ever eaten my aunt’s baking, you’d think they were.