Halloween’s a great time of year for kids – costumes, tasty treats, pumpkin carving, and fun activities for the kids. Around the Treasure Valley, it also means cool autumn weather (my favorite season). You’ve likely read safety tips geared towards older kids from sources like the Red Cross, your local paramedics or hospital, or commercial sites like Better Homes And Gardens.
Halloween Tips
What about keeping our little ones safe during Halloween? Based on my personal experience, and after sifting through various sources, I listed some tips for you with a focus on babies and toddlers.
- Consider fire safety when decorating. Do not overload electrical outlets with holiday lighting or special effects, and do not block exit doors.
- Always keep Jack O’ Lanterns and hot electric lamps far away from drapes, decorations, flammable materials or areas where children and pets will be standing or walking.
- Plan ahead to use only battery powered lanterns or chemical lightsticks in place of candles in decorations and costumes.
- While stocking up on batteries, this is also a great time to buy fresh batteries for your home smoke alarms.
- Plan costumes that are bright and reflective.
- While children can help with the fun of designing a Jack O’ Lantern, leave the carving to adults. It’s best to let the kids clean out the pumpkin and draw a face on it, which you can carve for them.
- Confine, segregate or otherwise prepare household pets for an evening of frightful sights and sounds.
- Small, hard pieces of candy are a choking hazard for young children.
- Our babies are cute in their costumes and we like to show them off at Halloween parties. Remember to be responsible drivers – designate a driver if alcoholic beverages are served. And make sure your little explorer doesn’t get into your host’s liquor cabinet or punch.
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or Festivus, we’ll post more information on winter holiday safety at the end of the month.
In the meantime, what other safety tips can you recommend for babies and toddlers during Halloween?