7 Essential Safety Tips for A Family Friendly Halloween With Kids

Halloween Safety

MBE Editor's Note: For many U.S. kids, Halloween is one of the most anticipated and exciting holidays in American culture to celebrate. Unfortunately, according to a nine-year study by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Halloween is also one of the top three annual celebrations leading to holiday related pediatric emergency room visits.  Considering that many of the accidents, injuries and other mishaps might have been avoided if moms and dads had simply erred on the side of caution, there's no better time than now to share these Halloween safety tips.

Guest Post

By Paul van Gorkom, Allied Barton Security

Without question, there are lots of entertaining and frightening activities for you and your children to take part in this fall, particularly Halloween. To maximize your chances for a safe and fun holiday, here are some basic safety tips to keep in mind as your family heads out for all the festivities.

• Whether you are going trick-or-treating or visiting a haunted house with your son or daughter, each chaperon should carry a bright flashlight and a cell phone. If going with a small child, be sure to securely attach a glow stick to their clothing so you can find them easily in the dark.

• Don't set your family or friends up for a real fright. Wherever you are this holiday, watch your step. Be sure everyone uses the handrails and that they walk -- not run -- up or down steps. This is particularly important when going through a haunted house or stepping onto an unlit or dimly lighted doorstep when going door to door for treats.

• Also, while we're on the subject of haunted houses, it's a wise idea for you and the kids to know where all the exits are before entering in case of an emergency. Ask the admissions person if you don't see a handout or anything posted on the wall about this.

• No matter what your Halloween plan is, always have adults in front and behind your group when going from place to place on foot to make sure young children don't wander off.  Always walk on sidewalks, if they are available. In the case of toddlers, it goes without saying that you should be particularly cautious and hold their hands when in or near a street, parking lot or any other area where they might get hurt if they dart away suddenly.

• Similarly, it is also a smart move to have a planned place where everyone knows they will meet in case you are separated. For the youngest children, you may even want to consider pinning your cell phone number to their costume similar to what many schools do when taking groups of preschoolers out in public for field trips.

• Whether you'll be just going out in your neighborhood in search of treats, taking a stroll through a corn maze or enjoying a horse drawn hayride, always remind everyone to dress appropriately and wear proper shoes suited to local weather.

• Last but most important of all: Be sure to enjoy all the fall festivities by planning in advance and always being safety-conscious.

Paul van Gorkom is vice president of operations at AlliedBarton Security Services, the largest American-owned security officer services company providing highly trained personnel to a range of industries.
Image provided by Kidtoon Films

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FTC Disclosure: This guest post originated from AlliedBarton and was edited by Mommy Blog Expert. However, I did not receive any payment or other compensation associated with this post.  See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.