Don’t Let Halloween Turn Into A Nightmare 🎃🦇 💀👻 Download our Halloween Safety Tip Sheet

Halloween Safety Tipsheet:

Costume Safety

• Use face paints instead of masks.
• Require children to wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for weather conditions.
• Avoid costume accessories, such as knives, swords, broom handles and wands that could cause harm.
• Avoid loose-fitting costumes that could cause a child to trip and fall.
• Add reflective tape to costumes.

Trick or Treating Safety

• An adult should accompany young trick-or-treaters.
• Cover safety rules with kids before allowing them to go trick-or-treating.
• Set a trick-or-treating route and stick with it.
• Remind kids to visit homes familiar to them or you, and don't approach unlit homes.
• Provide kids with small, battery-powered flashlights.
• Stay on sidewalks and avoid crossing yards.
• Cross streets at the corner, use crosswalks (where they exist) and do not cross between parked cars.
• Inspect all Halloween treats before children start feasting.
• Discard any food that isn’t in its original and undamaged wrapper.
• Keep homemade food only if you know who prepared it.

Motorist Safety

• Drivers, slow down! Watch for children in the street and on medians
• Be ready for children to dart out and cross streets at any point.
• Exit driveways and alleyways carefully.

Homeowner Safety

• Turn on all outside lights. Leave them on all night to deter vandalism.
• Make sure walks and pathways are clear of debris, leaves, garden equipment and lawn decorations.
• If your pumpkin gets smashed on your sidewalk, clean up all the slippery goo.
• Move cars, bikes, planters, sprinklers and other items into a locked garage or inside the house to deter theft or vandalism.

Pet Safety

• Don't let your pets get into the treats! You probably know that chocolate and raisins are toxic to pets, but so is xylitol, an artificial sweetener used in many sugar-free candies and gum.
• Be sure to properly dispose of candy wrappers. If ingested, these can cause life-threatening obstructions to the intestinal tract, which may require surgery.
• Keep a close eye on pets for vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy – all signs they have eaten something dangerous.
• Consider keeping dogs or cats confined in a quiet room on Halloween night. This will shield them from the noise and frenzy of trick-or-treaters and prevent them from bolting out the door.
• Make sure all pets have proper identification, including an up-to-date ID tag and microchip, which will help your chances of reuniting should they go missing.
• If you decide to dress up your pet for Halloween, choose a costume that is loose-fitting, comfortable and doesn't cover the eyes, ears or nose, which could cause anxiety.
• Keep pets away from glow sticks. Cats especially have an affinity for chewing and puncturing these products. While not life-threatening, the liquid in glow sticks can cause pain, irritation and excessive salivation.

Fending Off Fire Hazards

• Avoid decorating with candles. Use small flashlights or battery operated LED flameless candles.
• Keep crepe paper and other party decorations away from heat sources, including light bulbs.
• Remember that dried flowers and cornstalks are highly flammable.
• Use flame-retardant costumes. Use fire resistant material when making costumes.
• Avoid costumes made of flimsy material and outfits with big, baggy sleeves or billowing skirts. These are more likely to come in contact with an exposed flame, such as a candle, than tighter fitting costumes.
• Keep candles, pumpkins with candles, matches and lighters out of children's reach.
• Keep exits clear. Keep fire extinguishers close if open flames are burning.