It’s that time of year again! Halloween is right around the
corner. With it comes lots of fun, elaborate costumes, tricks, and treats! Have
your children thought of the costume they’d like to wear this year? We here at
NOAH want to make sure they stay safe while out trick or treating this year.
With assistance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, have provided some
great safety tips below to keep them safe while they’re out.
Fun / elaborate costumes can be an exciting part of Halloween. One
of the most effective but most easily forgotten ways to help make your child’s
Halloween a safe one is with costume safety.
Here are some great
safety tips:
- As most of the trick or
treating happens after dusk, make sure costumes are bright and colorful and /
or have some reflective surfaces that can be easily seen by drivers and others.
You can even consider adding some reflective tape or striping to the costumes
and trick-or-treat bags with such tape. It can even help for a cool effect the
children would love.
- Make sure the costumes are
short enough to prevent tripping, and are clearly labeled as flame-resistant.
- Along with this, make sure
your children have shoes that fit well and are comfortable for walking long
distances.
- Masks can obscure a child’s
vision, especially to the sides (peripheral vision) as the mask moves around
their face. Consider non-toxic makeup and decorative hats as fun and safe
alternatives to masks.
- Any swords or other sticks
/ canes that are a part of the costume should not be sharp or too long that
they could hurt your child if they trip and stumble over these objects.
- Make sure all children and
their escorts have flashlights with a fresh set of batteries.
- Before leaving for trick or
treating, make sure your children know how to call 9-1-1 or their local police
department in case they get lost or separated or in an emergency. Have a safety
plan in place for the chance that a child gets separated from the group, which
should include having the child stay where they are in a safe location if they
do get separated from the group. The non-emergency number for the Phoenix Police
Department is: 602-262-6151.
- Also, make sure they have a
good meal prior to going trick or treating, and bring a water bottle for each
child and the children’s escorts to stay hydrated while out.
- A parent or
responsible adult should be with and watching children at all
times while out. Instruct children to always stay in a group and close to the
parent / responsible adult. Also instruct them to remain on well-lit streets,
always use the sidewalks (or as close to the edge of the road as safe if no
sidewalk is available, facing traffic), and use designated crosswalks to cross
the street. Don’t assume you have the right of way – it is much more
difficult to see the road and pedestrians at night! While out
trick-or-treating, only go to homes with a porch light that is on. Remember to
never enter homes or cars for a treat.
- If your older children are
going alone, plan and review a route that is acceptable to you beforehand – and
ensure they will stay on that route. Plan and agree upon a time that they
should arrive home by. Remember curfews – Phoenix juvenile curfew hours
are 10 p.m. for children 15 and younger and midnight for 16- and 17-year-old
children. If possible, give them a cell phone for emergency contact
use.
- Finally, after the fun
night of trick-or-treating, sort and check all treats before the child eats any
of them (including ones they eat while still out trick-or-treating). Throw away
any spoiled, unwrapped, or suspicious looking treats. Ration out treats for the
weeks and months following Halloween. They should not eat any of these treats
immediately before bedtime. Along with this, remind your children that the
rules don’t change from a normal day – remember to have your children brush
their teeth before bedtime to get all of that stuck-on candy out of their
teeth.
- Also, don’t forget to have regular
check-ups with our wonderful Pediatric Dentists here at NOAH!
Please check the American Academy of Pediatrics website for some
more awesome safety tips here:
https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/news-features-and-safety-tips/Pages/Halloween-Safety-Tips.aspx
Have a fun, safe, and Happy Halloween from your friends at NOAH!