Halloween Safety Checklist and Trick-or-Treat Safety

Here's a checklist provided by ClubMom for helping to keep your little ones safe during Halloween. Become a member of ClubMom to receive parenting information like this directly, and receive rewards for your everyday purchases.

Candy:

Give your kids a favorite, filling meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating.

This will discourage them from filling up on candy and fuel them up for the night ahead.

Since kids can't resist digging into their candy bags en route, pack a pre-approved bag of goodies from home that they can eat while trick-or-treating.

Tell children to never consume food items (including fruit) or drinks that are offered to them.

Warn children not to eat any treats before an adult has examined them carefully for evidence of tampering.

Wait until children are home to sort and check treats.

Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped, or suspicious items. Check candy packages for pinholes and torn wrapping. Avoid loose fruit and baked goods.

Never allow children to eat unwrapped or opened candy.

Make sure items that can cause choking (such as hard candies, gum, or peanuts), are given only to children of an appropriate age.

In general, this means keeping them away from children under five.

Try to apportion treats for the days following Halloween.

Preparing your home:

Consider fire safety in all aspects of decorating.

Some guidelines:

Do not overload electrical outlets with Halloween lighting or special effects.
Always keep jack-o'-lanterns away from curtains, decorations, flammable materials or areas where children will be standing or walking.
Consider using flashlights or glow sticks in jack-o'-lanterns instead of candles. They're safer and are more likely to stay lit through the night.

Buy fresh batteries for the smoke alarms throughout your home.

Take extra effort to eliminate tripping or other hazards on your porch and around your property.

Turn on your porch light, front door light, and/or downstairs lights to let trick-or-treaters know they're welcome.

Confine or otherwise prepare household pets for an evening of visiting strangers and frightful sights and sounds.

Consider purchasing individually packaged healthy food alternatives (or safe non-food treats) to hand out to children who visit your home.

Learn or review first-aid skills to help a child who is choking.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has online instructions for what to do in case such an emergency arises, but this is not a substitute for an approved class�and it's not just for Halloween-time.

Notify law enforcement authorities immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity you see or hear.

Remind all household drivers to remain cautious and drive slowly throughout the community on Halloween.

Costumes:

Trick or treating:

Candy:

Preparing your home: