7 SMART HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS - CHILD RESCUE COALITION

 

7 SMART HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

When the seasons change and the pumpkins appear, it can only mean one thing, Halloween. It’s kids’ favorite night of the year! Costumes and masks, candy and more candy, and late nights trick-or-treating. But that also means more people lurking in the streets and online looking to see where children may be.

So before the sun goes down on October 31st, make sure to read these Seven Halloween Safety Tips, and plan ahead for a safe and fun-filled evening.

7 SMART HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

1. Use Apps for Safety: Apps such as Red Panic Button and AT&T’s FamilyMap provide ways to quickly locate your child in case of an emergency. Also Life 360 may be the most popular app to track children, and allows you on nights like Halloween to invite a circle of friends to track as well.
2. GPS Tracking Device – If your kids don’t have phones, Safewise has a great list of GPS tracking devices that can be used for your kids. These will give older kids and tweens more independence but give parents more security of their well-being.
3. Use a Sex Offender Search App: Family Watchdog is a free website service to help locate registered sex offenders in your area. Or you can activate your smartphone’s GPS and connect to the National Sex Offender Registry to locate registered sex offenders and predators in the area. You can search by name, address, and zip code, and results will be displayed on an interactive map. The app is free and easy to share with fellow parents to ensure your child’s trick-or-treat route is safe.
4. Establish Boundaries: Mobile navigation tools can assist parents and kids in creating routes to follow and others to avoid. You can also use the Next Door app to create a neighborhood watch. Also, remind your child to only trick-or-treat at well-lit houses, and to remain on the porch within street view at all times.
5. Create Lines of Communication: Save ICE (In Case of Emergency) numbers in your child’s speed dial. Include your number, a neighbor’s and/or a grandparent’s. Also, be sure your child knows how to dial 911 and can provide important information such as street, location, and landmarks.
6. Use Reflective Materials: Have your child wear or carry something that glows in the dark. You might choose a glowing necklace, a glow-in-the-dark treat bag, or a flashlight. You can even put reflective tape on a costume.
7. Don’t Go Anywhere with Strangers – Teach your children never to enter a stranger’s home or car, even if they have a cool haunted house they want to show you. Stay outside unless a responsible adult is with you.

Halloween is a night that celebrates all that’s scary but we don’t want to frighten our kids away from having fun. By implementing some smart safety strategies and providing awareness, all kids and parents can have a safe and fun Halloween!

For more information on Child Rescue Coalition and how to keep kids safe online, visit www.childrescuecoalition.org. And read more posts like this on our education page!

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Simple Steps for an Extra Safe Halloween

 

Kids love the magic of Halloween, but many communities canceled their celebrations in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, is it safe to trick-or-treat this year? 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky, in a Sept. 26 interview,  said yes, but families still should use caution. The CDC also updated its holiday safety tips, applicable to all of the upcoming holidays.

Of course, Halloween costume and traffic safety measures still apply for trick-or-treaters.

Costume Safety

To help ensure adults and children have a safe holiday, fda.gov has compiled a list of Halloween safety tips. Before Halloween arrives, be sure to choose a costume that won't cause safety hazards.

• All costumes, wigs and accessories should be fire-resistant
• If children are allowed out after dark, fasten reflective tape to their costumes and bags, or give them glow sticks
• Opt for nontoxic Halloween makeup over masks, which can obscure vision; always test makeup in a small area first to see if any irritation develops
• Remove all makeup before children go to bed to prevent skin and eye irritation

When They're on the Prowl

Here's a scary statistic: Children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year. Lack of visibility because of low lighting at night also plays a factor in these incidents.

Keep these tips in mind when your children are out on Halloween night:

• A responsible adult should accompany young children on the neighborhood rounds
• If your older children are going alone, plan and review a route acceptable to you
• Agree on a specific time children should return home
• Teach your children never to enter a stranger's home or car
• Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and stick with their friends
• Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home, and take care to avoid any food allergies
• Children and adults are reminded to put electronic devices down, keep heads up and walk, don't run, across the street

Safety Tips for Motorists

NSC offers these additional safety tips for parents – and anyone who plans to be on the road during trick-or-treat hours:

• Watch for children walking on roadways, medians and curbs
• Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully
• At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing
• Discourage new, inexperienced drivers from driving on Halloween

Ten Things Parents Can Do to Make Halloween Safer:

 

The Mentalist" Actor Tim Kang Tells Parents How They Can Build Safety into Halloween This Year:
 

Halloween is one of the most exciting times of the year for children, but sometimes the most hectic for parents. Nearly 94 percent of children between the ages of four and twelve participate in Halloween activities each year. Tim Kang, actor from the hit CBS show The Mentalist has partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to help educate parents about what they should be telling their children to keep them safe. Parents need to take a moment to consider basic safety precautions that will make Halloween a safer night of fun.

• CHOOSE bright, flame-retardant costumes or add reflective tape to costumes and candy bags so children are easily seen in the dark. In addition, carry a glow stick or flashlight.
  
  
• PLAN a trick-or-treating route in familiar neighborhoods with well-lit streets. Avoid unfamiliar neighborhoods, streets that are isolated, or homes that are poorly lit inside or outside.
  
  
• NEVER send young children out alone. They should always be accompanied by a parent or another trusted adult. Older children should always travel in groups.
  
  
• ALWAYS walk younger children to the door to receive treats and don’t let children enter a home unless you are with them.
  
  
• BE SURE children do not approach any vehicle, occupied or not, unless you are with them.
  
  
• DISCUSS basic pedestrian safety rules that children should use when walking to and from houses.
  
  
• CONSIDER organizing a home or community party as an alternative to “trick-or-treating.”
  
  
• MAKE sure children know their home phone number and address in case you get separated. Teach children how to call 911 in an emergency.
  
  
• TEACH children to say “NO!” or “this is not my mother/father” in a loud voice if someone tries to get them to go somewhere, accept anything other than a treat, or leave with them. And teach them that they should make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming and resisting.
  
  
• REMIND children to remain alert and report suspicious incidents to parents and/or law enforcement.

“Child safety is vital year round, but Halloween is an especially important time for parents and children to pay extra attention to their surroundings and not let their guard down,” said actor Tim Kang a spokeperson for NCMEC. “Parents need to exercise a few basic safety precautions to help ensure that Halloween is both fun and safe.”

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