Halloween is less than a week away and soon our streets will be filled with little ghosts, goblins and ghouls trick-or-treating.
To ensure this Halloween is safe for your children, the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office offers the following safety tips:
- Costumes should be short enough to prevent tripping. Masks should not be too restrictive with adequate holes for proper respiration and peripheral vision. Consider using cosmetics to create fun or scary faces instead of masks.
- Watch costumed children around pets. The pet may not recognize the child and become frightened, especially if the child is using a prop such as a sword or dagger as part of their costume.
- Avoid hard plastic or wooden props, opting instead for items made of foam rubber which is soft and flexible.
- To help make the child more visible after dark, trick-or-treaters should carry a brightly colored bag and a flashlight or glow stick. Add reflective tape to the sides, front, and back of the child’s costume.
- Accompany young children in the neighborhood and identify your surroundings. Create a route prior to trick-or-treating.
- Older children should travel in pairs or in groups at all times while trick-or-treating and never venture down a dark, empty street.
- Parents should know the route that their children are following. Children should always walk together to the front door of each house and only cross the street at crosswalks.
- Dark, unlit homes should be avoided.
- Never enter a stranger’s home or vehicle for any treats.
- Inspect candy before eating. Make sure wrappers have not been tampered with.
- Weed out any candy that your child is allergic to (gluten, nuts, etc…)
- Be aware of choking hazard candies for young children. (Extremely sticky candy like caramels and gum, Hard candies like Warheads, Round candies like Skittles)
- Keep flammable items, such as your jack-o-lantern, away from small children, pets, and flammable materials such as draperies, furniture, and paper decorations. Never leave a candle burning unattended.
- If you are handing out candy: keep your porch/driveway lit.
- Try to hand out candy without nuts.
