Halloween is here! Follow these safety tips on fright night

It’s that time of year again when houses and front yards are adorned with ghouls and ghosts, while kids map out the best route to score the best candy (or healthy snacks, say the hopeful moms). It’s important to remember that, while Halloween is fun, it also comes with several risks. As long as you plan accordingly, there is no need to panic; you and the kiddos can have a happy, exciting Halloween this year.

Here are a few ways to keep your young ones safe during Fright Night.

Traffic safety on Halloween

According to safekids.org, the likelihood of children getting hit by a car doubles on Halloween, which is more than on any other day of the year.

• If you have a young child, it’s important always to know where they are. Children under 12 should be supervised at all times.

• Before your family embarks on a trick-or-treating adventure, decide on a route of safe houses that’s easy to walk and includes clear paths and sidewalks.

• Trick-or-treat early before the sun goes down to maximize visibility. No matter what time of night you go out, walk with a large group with plenty of adults who can keep children on track and out of traffic.

• While trick-or-treating, remind your child of traffic safety rules: Look both ways before crossing, use traffic signals and crosswalks, and make eye contact with drivers.

• Don't walk while looking down at your phone, even though you might be compelled to capture every “trick-or-treat!” moment.

• Make sure your child’s costume includes a top layer of lighter, more visible colors. Have fun finding creative ways to incorporate reflective stickers into your child's costume.

• Have your child carry a candy bucket with built-in lights, or attach a glow stick to their treat bucket or bag. They’ll love taking stock of their growing stash, and you can rest assured that drivers can see them.

Costume safety on Halloween

Being seen isn’t the only way to remain safe. What your child wears can increase the risk of injury, so it's important to make sure your child’s costume is the right size to avoid trips, falls, and distractions while walking.

• Hem long gowns and loose pants: Make sure your child’s shoes are visible and avoid costumes with long trains or capes that drag on the ground.

• Opt for non-toxic face paint and makeup instead of masks, which tend to cover a child’s eyes and obstruct their vision. If your child does insist on wearing a mask, make sure the eye holes are sized twice as big as your child’s eyes.

• Hand props like toy swords, wands, and shields should be made of soft materials to avoid any pokes or scratches. Take photos with full costume accessories and hand props before trick-or-treating, and leave any additional costume items at home.

• Check the tags on your child's costume to make sure it’s flame-retardant before they run past any jack-o’-lanterns with lit candles.

Candy safety on Halloween

While cases of tampered candy are rare and mostly the stuff of urban legends, it is worthwhile to be mindful of what’s in your child’s trick-or-treat bag.

• Serve your kids a healthy, filling dinner before trick-or-treating, so they are less likely to eat candy while out: This will give you the chance to look through all of their candy when you get home.

• Be sure to throw away any candy with tears, holes, or damaged wrappers. Throw away homemade treats and candy that could be a choking hazard for younger children.

• If your child has a food allergy, be sure to check all labels before any candy is unwrapped and gobbled up.

Pumpkin carving safety on Halloween

The only thing more ubiquitous than the jack-o’-lanterns during Halloween are pumpkin-carving injuries. According to the American Society for the Surgery of the Hand, Halloween is a top-three holiday for emergency room visits.

Here are some tips to keep both hands ready to hand out candy on Halloween night.

• Never let children do the carving, no matter how much they promise they’ll be careful. To make kids feel involved, let them draw the pattern, clean out all the fun, goopy pulp and seeds, and get them a pumpkin carving kit designed just for kids.

• Avoid any slipping by making sure your carving tools, surface, and hands are fully dry before you begin. Be sure to take your time and carve away from yourself in small, slow strokes, and be very careful if your knife gets stuck. Many injuries occur when a carver uses force to remove a knife that gets stuck in the pumpkin.

• Use a pumpkin carving kit to avoid injuries: These kits include stencils, a scoop, and easy-to-use serrated knives that are less likely to get stuck in a pumpkin and are not sharp enough to cause a deep cut.

Pet safety on Halloween

You didn’t forget about your pet, did you? While the only thing cuter than kids in costumes is pets in costumes, Halloween can pose some risks to the four-legged members of your family.

• Keep all chocolate and candy away from your pets. All chocolate—particularly baking and dark chocolate—can be dangerous, and even lethal, for dogs and cats. Symptoms of chocolate poisoning include diarrhea, increased heart rate, seizures, and vomiting. Contact your vet immediately if you think your pet has ingested chocolate.

• Candy containing the artificial sweetener, xylitol, can also be dangerous for dogs. Xylitol poisoning can lead to a drop in blood sugar, which can result in liver failure.

• Keep pumpkins and decorative vegetation away from pets. Though small amounts of pumpkin and corn are safe for pets, eating large quantities of unfamiliar food or moldy vegetation can cause gastrointestinal distress. If pets eat something too large, it can cause an intestinal blockage, and some types of molds can produce mycotoxins that can lead to neurological problems in animals.

• Don’t force your pet to wear a costume. If your pet finds costumes annoying or distressing, it may lead to aggressive or anxious behavior. Try the costume on your pet before Halloween or an event, and make sure it doesn’t restrict movement, hearing, eyesight, or breathing.

• Make sure your pet wears a collar with a tracking tag in case it escapes or becomes lost. In addition, make sure your pet has a microchip, as it is the best, most permanent way to ensure your pet is identified. Halloween is a great yearly reminder to make sure microchip and ID tag information are up to date, including your address and phone number.

Fire safety on Halloween

It’s fun to decorate for Halloween, and nothing captures the spirit of the holiday like welcoming little trick-or-treaters with a lit jack-o’-lantern at your front door. Unfortunately, Halloween decorations can pose fire risks. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), from 2015 to 2019, flammable decorations started an average of 790 structure home fires per year.

• Instead of real candles, use battery-operated candles inside your jack-o’-lanterns. If you come across pumpkins with lit candles or an open flame while trick-or-treating, remind your children to step back.

• Ensure that exits in your home are easily accessible, that your smoke detectors are working, and that your fire extinguisher has been refilled since its last use. When decorating your home, be sure to keep dried flowers, plants, and paper decorations away from open flames, light bulbs, and heaters.