Unusual Halloween Safety Tips from MHJ

Every Halloween there are the usual tips for safety of our children. Here are 4 “out of the ordinary” tips that you may not have heard of and might want to consider:

Unique Costuming
Certain themes are popular every year. This year there are probably lots of “Hillary” and “Donald” costumes. Steer your kid toward something unique so that he or she stands out in a crowd of other kids. You want to know for sure which child is yours if there are groups.

Avoid the Hit!
According to the CDC, children are 4 times more likely to get hit by a vehicle on Halloween, than any other day. Choose a street for Trick or Treating that is a cul-de-sac street with a proper side walk. If possible, choose a street with no parked cars on the street-children darting between parked vehicles is highly dangerous! If your street is likely to be a busy Trick or Treat destination, make an effort to have the street cleared of parked vehicles.

Glow in the Dark
Reflective tape placed front and back of the costume improves visibility significantly. Avoid the Glow Sticks, however, if your child is small. Poison Control gets an increase in emergency calls on Halloween, due to small children thinking that the liquid in the Glow Stick is candy. Glow Stick filler is toxic.

Unmask
Consider face painting your child for Halloween. Kids think face paint is fun and masks can reduce your kid’s ability to see where they’re going.

Take all the usual precautions, the most important being to supervise your “little devil” yourself. Nobody is going to watch your child any closer than you are. Have fun and gather lots of candy! Your local dentist needs the support