Inside: These Halloween safety tips for homeowners will prepare your home for visiting trick-or-treaters plus tips to keep your kid’s Halloween costume safe.
Are you ready for Halloween?
Halloween is an incredibly fun holiday that we look forward to each year. We love putting up spooky decorations, dressing up in costumes, and, of course, trick-or-treating.
Since the majority of Halloween activities occur at night, it also comes with its own set of safety concerns.
This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Erie Insurance.
We, along with Erie Insurance, have 15 tips to prepare your house for trick-or-treaters and making sure Halloween costumes are safe.
Important Halloween Safety Tips for Treat-or-Treaters
1 Clear the walkways
Make sure all toys are picked up as well as rakes, stray stones, etc. You want to clear them all from your walkways before trick-or-treating starts.
2 Light it up
Turn on your outside lights, including any flood lights, to make it easier for trick-or-treaters to see as they walk up to your door.
3 Corral your pets
Pets can get nervous with the doorbell ringing and so many strangers in costumes appearing at the door.
With the door constantly opening and closing, it’s easy for pets to escape and possibly harm a child. It’s better to keep both cats and dogs in a separate area of the house.
We have more tips for pet safety on Halloween here.
4 Check your railing
If it feels rickety, take the time to secure it in place.
5 Skip candles
Yes, they make your pumpkins look cool, but it’s not worth the fire risk. Using LED lights can be just as festive!
6 Think about the best place to hand out candy
If you have a lot of stairs or a long, winding path, it might be easier to hand out candy in your driveway instead.
7 Comb your yard
Hopefully the kiddos will stay on the pavement, but they may wander or cut across the lawn. So, clear out any sticks, toys, or other tripping hazards from your yard.
8 Sitting this Halloween out?
If so, leave your interior lights on anyway to deter potential thieves. And skip the unsupervised candy bowl — someone could taint the candy if you aren’t around.
9 Wear trip-resistant hem
Have your kids take a test run in their costumes, and shorten any that might drag or cause them to trip. Also make sure they have enough room to move freely.
10 Wear nonrestrictive mask or helmet
Make sure your trick-or-treater has a full line of vision outside of their mask or helmet. Even better: use nontoxic, hypoallergenic face paint.
Another idea for younger ones is to wear character hats. This allows them to look like their favorite character without covering their face.
11 Carry Flexible props
Make sure any swords or other props are made of soft plastic or rubber that bends if they trip and fall or even if they run into another child while trick-or-treating.
12 Use Flame-resistant costumes, wigs and accessories
Check the labels on their costumes, wigs, and any accessories to find out for sure if they are flame-resistant or not.
13 Use Reflective tape
Stick a couple pieces on your kid’s costume so cars will have an easier time spotting them. There are also reflective bands that can go on their arm over their costume.
14 Carry A flashlight with new batteries
It gets dark early this time of year. Make sure to have a flashlight on hand to light the way, especially if kids are out by themselves.
15 Have Emergency identification
Secure your child’s name along with your phone number and address on a bracelet or in the costume. Also have them memorize your phone number and know how to call 9-1-1 in case of an emergency.
We hope these Halloween safety tips help you prepare your home for treat-or-treaters. It’s important to make sure Halloween costumes are safe too so everyone can have an enjoyable evening.
If despite your precautions, someone does get injured on your property, it’s important to make sure you’re fully covered with the right homeowners insurance policy, such as one from Erie Insurance.