Pragmatic Halloween Safety Tips

I’ve always enjoyed Halloween – not for the spooky decorations or parties – it always has been “trick or treating,” both as a child and as a parent.

I really got a kick out of taking my children around the neighborhood in their early years. It’s amazing how much energy a 4- or 5-year-old has on the last day of October and how much geography their little legs can cover.

My last experience ‘trick or treating’ was 10 years ago with my granddaughter, Jordan. She was nearly 3, and didn’t understand why mom was fixing her up in ‘fun clothes,’ but was enjoying every minute of it. After a series of pictures, it was time to go with Papa.

I remember the first house we visited, our neighbor.  I walked up the driveway with her and stopped about 10 feet from the door and told her to go ahead and knock on it. She did as I asked, and was lauded with praise on how cute she was. They put some candy in her plastic pumpkin and she returned with an excited smile. The second neighbor was pretty much the same, but at the third house, her expression changed. It was an expression of comprehension that all she had to do was knock on the door and say, “trick or treat,” and people would give her candy.

Ensuring Halloween is fun and not a nightmare

• The carved jack-o-lantern is a time-honored tradition for Halloween. Did you know 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkins were grown last year? Here’s another interesting tidbit – according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), Halloween ranks in the top three holidays for ER visits for children. Finger and hand injuries are the biggest proportion of injuries. As such, you may want to rethink giving your youngster a sharp knife to carve a pumpkin.
• Another sad statistic is the number of pedestrian traffic deaths for children ages 5-14 -- it is four times higher on Halloween than any other time of the year.  

Here are some pragmatic suggestions to consider:

• Fix your youngsters their favorite meal, give them hearty servings and insist they clean their plate before you allow them out. It will cut down on them eating too much candy before bedtime.
• If your children are between the ages of 3-8, accompany them. If that’s not possible, ensure they’re going out with one of your trusted friends.
• Dress your goblins, ghosts and monsters in bright clothes or costumes.  Also, make sure their outfit isn’t too long that might result in tripping stepping over curbs or climbing stairs.
• Make-up is a much better idea than masks. Masks tend to block vision.
• Flashlight is always a good idea.
• Children ages 9-14 will probably want to go out with their friends. You need to know where they’re going, so have them plan their route for you. Or you can plan their route for them. Either way, check the route against the county’s sex-offender registry.
• Equip them with a watch and set a time for them to be home.
• Teenagers 15+ should not be allowed to run the streets. Let them stay at home with you to hand out the treats. If that’s not going to work, the mall is a safe alternative. If they want to go to a party, get acquainted with the hosts, if you don’t already know them.

I’m sure there are more pragmatic suggestions for Halloween that I haven’t thought of. If you can think of any, reply to this post and share them.

Scott Kimball is president/owner of Aegis Technology, a Lilburn-based independent home security company (www.aegis-technology.com).