Making Sure Your Kids are Safe Halloween Night

As attorneys with kids and pets, Inkelaar Law offices share important Halloween safety tips to keep the kids and family pets safe this Halloween.

Wait to Eat the Candy

Children will be excited about consuming their candy while they are still trick-or-treating. A great way for parents to enforce the no “eating until candy has been inspected” safety rule is to give kids candy in advance.

Take a small sandwich-sized Ziploc bag and provide safe treats that your kids can munch on while they trick-or-treat. If they have their favorite candy preapproved to eat, they are less likely to consume candy they have collected and that has not yet been inspected.

Flashlights & Reflective Tape

Trick-or-treating begins as the sun begins to set, making it difficult for children to see and be seen. Issue an easy child operated flashlight for older children and use reflective tape on children’s costumes.

For younger children glow-in-the-dark accessories such as candy baskets are an easy way for them to be seen as they trick-or-treat.

Make Sure the Costume Fits

Ill-fitting costumes can be a source of danger and injury to children. Costumes that are too long or that have long trailing fabric can lead kids to fall down or trip.

Costumes with large and complicated masks can obscure a child’s vision. Finally, costumes that have sharp accessories can pose a risk to kids if they trip on the objects.

Parents should thoroughly evaluate a costume to ensure that it fits, that the child has freedom of movement and that none of the part pose a choking hazard.

Don’t Forget the Pets

The front door gets a lot of use during Halloween as pet owners continuously open up the front door to great trick-or-treaters.

This constant door opening process can lead to your pets getting outside and getting lost or injured. Remember that pets are a part of the family and there are ways you can keep them safe.

If you are a pet owner, remember to:

• Have current ID tags for your cats and dogs with address and phone information readily accessible
• Limit access to the front door by keeping pets in a separate part of the house
• Supervise costumed pets and ensure that the costume remains safe and untangled
• Keep Halloween plants and decorations out of reach of animals that may chew and swallow pumpkins and corn
• Limit access to Halloween candy and treats

Happy Halloween

By exercising common sense and coming up with a safety plan for the kids and pets, you can make sure the whole family has a fantastic Halloween night.

At Inkelaar Law, we wish you and your family a Happy Halloween!