Fishtown.US - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19125

in and around Fishtown, Old Richmond, & East Kensington

Halloween Safety Tips

The excitement of Halloween can sometimes make children forget to be careful. Following are tips for making Halloween a treat for the entire family.

Costumes:
• Knives, swords and other accessories should be made from cardboard or flexible material. Sharp toys present all sorts of dangers, including injuring your child if he or she trips and falls on it. Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injuries on Halloween.
• Trim trick or treat bags with reflective tape.
• Give your children flashlights to carry so they can be more visible to motorists.
• If your child is wearing a mask, make sure that it has large holes for the eyes and mouth. Also, avoid hats that will slide over your child’s eyes.
• Ideally, costumes should be flame retardant.

Other Halloween Fun:
• Avoid giving treats that can be harmful to young children, including gum, peanuts, hard candies and small toys. Also, remember that many children have food allergies to peanuts and dairy products.
• When carving pumpkins, kids should not be allowed to use knives. It’s best to let children clean out the pumpkin and draw a face on it.
• If you set out jack-o-lanterns on your sidewalk or porch, be sure there is enough room for kids to pass through in groups without the danger of costumes catching on fire.
• Explain to your children the consequences of vandalism and other antics, such as animal cruelty. Both are unacceptable and punishable by law.

Trick-or-Treating:
• Make sure that an adult or an older responsible youth accompanies young children.
• Plan and discuss the trick-or-treat route your children intend to follow, ideally a well-lit, well-populated course. Instruct your kids to stick to this route, and establish what time they should return home.
• Write your child’s name, address and phone number on a piece of paper and slip it in a pocket or pin it to his or her costume, in case your child gets separated from the group.
• Review pedestrian safety rules with your children, including looking both ways before crossing the street and not crossing the street between parked cars.
• Tell your children to walk on sidewalks, not on the street. Where there are no sidewalks, children should walk on the left side of the road, facing traffic.
• Teach your children to stop only at homes that are well-lit, and to never enter a stranger’s house.
• If you’re driving your kids around to trick-or treat, make sure they get out of your car on the curb side, not on the traffic side of the road.
• Instruct your kids not to eat any of their treats until they get home. Be sure to wash any fruit and cut it into small pieces before giving it to your kids to eat.

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