Halloween safety tips for trick-or-treating

1. Costumes: Wear light or brightly coloured costumes to be seen easily by drivers in the dark.

• With dark costumes, consider adding reflective tape, or wearing a glo necklace or bracelet.
• Consider the length of the costume to avoid tripping.
• Keep costumes away from open flames and candles.
• Choose face paint instead of a mask, which can restrict vision. Do a patch test to check for sensitivities.

2. Trick-or-treating: Prepare your children with trick-or-treating safety guidelines and make sure younger children are accompanied.

• Plan a route ahead of time, and give a curfew if children are trick or treating without you or an adult.
• According to Canadian injury prevention specialists, many children do not have the skills to cross roads safely until the ages of 9-11 years old so have an adult or responsible older child accompany younger children across the street.
• Guidelines to teach children include:
  • Trick or treat only in areas that are well-known to you and you know some of the neighbours.
  • Don’t enter people’s homes. Accept treats at the door only.
  • Travel in groups for visibility.
  • Visit only homes with the porch light on.
  • Carry a flashlight or headlamp for added visibility.
  • Teach your child to visit houses on one side of the street, rather than criss-crossing.
  • Teach your child to look left, right then left again, before stepping off a curb. Never cross in-between parked cars and other obstacles.
  • Stay on the sidewalk or a path. Walk towards oncoming traffic is there is no sidewalk or avoid streets without sidewalks altogether.

3. Treat safety: Before letting your children enjoy their treats, first check the candy to make sure packaging is intact and safe.

• Don’t eat candy if the package is already open. If it is, just throw it away.
• Remind your child to not eat candy until they are examined by an adult at home.
• Be mindful small, hard candies can be a choking hazard.
• Don’t accept homemade treats and goodies unless the person who made it is familiar to you.

4. Food allergy considerations from Food Allergy Canada: Hold off on eating treats till they are checked and carry an epi-pen if needed.

• Let neighbours know your child has food allergies.
• Be sure your child is carrying their epi-pen, and let others know where it is in case of an emergency.
• Remind your child not to eat treats until they get home.
• Consider offering non-food treats like stickers and pencils, to trick-or-treaters.
• Remind your child if they are having a reaction to let others know. A mask can cover up skin symptoms!
• Always read ingredient lists and don’t rely solely on “free from” labels on packaging.
• If hosting a party, stick to pre-packed products and avoid “may contain” products. Ask guests about food allergies.
• Use a teal lightbulb on your front porch to show support for kids with food allergies #ShineATealLight

5. Trick-or-treating alternatives. If trick or treating isn’t your choice of fun, there are many other activities such as parties, crafts, haunted houses and more.

• Consider hosting a party for children in your neighbourhood.
• See if your local mall is hosting Halloween celebrations.
• Plan a pumpkin carving contest.
• Create a Halloween treasure hunt in a safe space.
• If local restrictions allow, host a backyard bonfire in a safe space.
• Turn your house into a haunted house for all to enjoy.
• And of course – a classic Halloween activity – watch age-appropriate scary movies!

• Halloween safety – Parachute
• Halloween safety - Canada.ca
• Halloween Safety Information from the Canadian Red Cross - Canadian Red Cross
• Ten Halloween Safety Tips – Canada Safety Council
• 10 ways for your child to stay safe this Halloween - Canadian Red Cross
• Keep your Halloween spooky but safe! | BC Gov News
• Celebrating Halloween 2022 - Food Allergy Canada