Last Minute Tips to Have a Safe Halloween

Halloween is tomorrow night, and while there were many Halloween events held over the weekend, there will still be thousands of children out trick-or-treating throughout the Hudson Valley on Monday.

It’s a fun night full of laughter, treats, and cool costumes, but it could also be a dangerous one if you’re not careful. To help keep that from happening, here’s a few tips to have a fun and safe Halloween this weekend.

1. Make sure your child can walk easily in his or her costume. Outfits that are too long, have an uneven hem, or have beads and fringe on the bottom can easily become tangled and make it difficult to walk, potentially causing your child to fall. You don’t have to be an expert sewer to fix it, simply use duct tape, or no-sew tape on the inside of the costume to shorten if need be, and use a hot glue gun to attach any beading or fringe securely to the bottom of the costume.

2. Double check that your child can see easily while wearing their costume. This could lead to tripping, or even walking into things. Plus, they’ve got to be able to see all of the cool candy they’re going to get.

3. For easy visibility, light color costumes are always best, but what if your child insisted on getting a costume that has more black on it than any other color? Reflective tape is your answer, put it on the costume, their trick or treat bag, sides of their shoes, anyplace to help cars see them.

4. Speaking of cars, staying off of the road and on a sidewalk is your best bet. If there’s no sidewalks and you have to walk on the road, walk on the side so that you are facing traffic. Although it should go without saying, we're still going to say it, you need to be able to see the cars coming. In addition, don’t dart out between parked cars, the results could be disastrous, cross the road at the corners or at the crosswalks.

5. As a parent or guardian, you have to trust your gut. If you think a neighborhood or street isn’t safe, there’s nothing wrong with saying no to your child. There’s plenty of candy in ares that are well-lit and well known. If you think your child is old enough to trick or treat without you, make sure they are in a group and not by themselves. Obviously younger children should have a grown-up with them at all times.

6. Finally, no matter what, double check your child’s candy before they eat any of it. It would be nice to think that everyone has our children’s best interest at heart, but we know that’s not always the case.

7. Finally, a note to drivers. It’s going to be a busy night with lots of children and families out. Keeping your eyes on the road and not on your phone as well as keeping your speed down in neighborhoods is always a good idea, especially on Halloween.

Here’s to a safe and Happy Halloween!