“When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, ‘tis near Halloween.” It’s a spooky time of year, so let’s review some Halloween safety tips.

COSTUMES

What is Halloween without a costume? Quite frankly, it is not Halloween at all and no costume might mean no candy! Costumes can be a big job, especially if there are multiple costumes to figure out. There are so many questions to consider, such as these: Should there be a theme for the family? Can I make it myself? Will the costume be warm enough to go trick-or-treating?

If costume planning started well in advance, way to go! Yours will probably knock it out of the park. There are others of us (throat clear) that are patiently waiting for an Amazon package to arrive and unlock the key to some really happy trick or treaters. Who cares if they look the same as 20 other kids in the neighborhood, right?

Regardless of your planning or procrastination as it relates to costumes, it is important to make sure they are safe. Consider this advice about costumes:

• Make sure costumes fit properly, including shoes and hats. This will help prevent tripping from clothing getting in the way while walking or inability to see.
• Use makeup instead of a mask, because a mask can limit or block eyesight.
• Look for flame resistant costumes and accessories.
• Make sure additions to the costume (sword, cane, stick, etc.) are not too long or sharp.

Alright! The costumes are ready to go and all safety measures have been taken. Let’s get into the next Halloween safety tip.

TRICK OR TREAT

The excitement is in the air. Kids can’t wait to go from door to door and residents look forward to seeing all the costumes. Walking around neighborhoods during dusk hours can be very dangerous. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween than any other day of the year. That’s scary! These preventative measures suggested by the National Safety Council can help keep kids safe:

• Kids should be accompanied by an adult.
• Review with your kids never to enter a stranger’s home or vehicle.
• Stay in well lit areas.
• Encourage kids to wait to eat candy until an adult looks it over.
• Don’t get distracted by electronic devices. Petextrians put themselves in great danger! [Seriously! This is a word. I did not make it up!]

A good rule of thumb is SEE AND BE SEEN! These are great times to make memories, but make sure you capture them safely! Now go and enjoy Halloween.

One last Halloween safety tip for homeowners…if trick-or-treaters will be in your neighborhood, there is a possibility you could be liable if something happens to them on your property. Watch this video to find out how you can properly protect yourself in this type of unfortunate situation.