Tips to keep your kids safe on Halloween

Trick-or-treating kids on Halloween.
Trick-or-treating kids on Halloween. Photo credit: Creative Commons
Halloween is upon us and, chances are, your kids have asked to participate in the festivities.
 

The celebration is relatively new to New Zealand, but is becoming more and more popular each year. 

Some suburbs go all out, decorating houses and throwing street parties for the neighbours. 

Head to your local Facebook community group to find out where the most Halloween-friendly streets in your neighbourhood are.

Thanks to daylight saving, trick-or-treating can be done while it's still light outside. However, drivers should still drive slowly in residential neighbourhoods as excited trick-or-treaters may be unpredictable.

The best time for trick-or-treating is between 5:30pm and 9pm.

Here are some Halloween safety tips from the Safe Kids organisation:         

  • Children under the age of 12 should be supervised by an adult. Stick to well-lit areas and trick-or-treat in groups.
  • Glow sticks and reflective tape can be incorporated into costumes, to make costumes more visible.
  • Make sure costumes fit properly, sometimes princess gowns or pirate pants need to be hemmed to avoid trip hazards.
  • For those handing out treats, stickers, colouring books and crayons make good non-food treats. 
  • If you're handing out lollies, make sure they're individually wrapped. Homemade food such as cupcakes and brownies aren't recommended.
  • Make sure to check your child's loot bag and throw out unwrapped or suspicious looking treats, and check for any allergens if your child has an allergy.
  • Halloween lollies can be stashed away, and rationed out as treats over the course of a few weeks, until the kids lose interest in the lolly bag. 

Halloween is not for everyone. If you don't want to be involved, "no trick-or-treat" signs are available to download and print. 

Light parties, usually run by churches, are alternatives to Halloween.   

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