Halloween Safety Tips
Halloween Safety Tips
Halloween can be a spooky time for kids. Health Plan of San Joaquin wants to make sure all kids have a scary good time, not an unsafe one. Falls, cuts, burns and being in the way of a moving car are common ways that kids get hurt on Halloween.
San Joaquin Safe Kids Coalition Coordinator Rachel Zerbo says, “Halloween might be scary for other reasons than you think. On average, twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween than on any other day of the year.” Rachel warns, “Parents should talk to their children about watching out for cars while trick-or-treating.” Making it easy for drivers to spot children in the dark is also a good safety tip. “Kids can put on glow stick necklaces,” says Rachel.
Officer Joseph Silva, with the Stockton Police Dept. wants your child’s Halloween to be filled with treats not tricks. He says, “Even though tampering is rare, a responsible adult needs to examine all treats.” Officer Silva says adults should look for:
- Any unusual appearance or discoloration
- Tiny holes or tears in wrappers
- Spoiled or unwrapped items
Officer Silva says, “When in doubt, just throw it out.” He also warns, “On Halloween night there are a lot of motorists on the roads, so we ask drivers to slow down in residential neighborhoods, obey all traffic signs and signals and watch for children walking in the roadways. Give yourself extra time to react to children who may dart out into the street.” His final warning is to pay attention to other vehicles and make sure your headlights are on so you are visible.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reminds parents to use a flashlight or glow-in-the dark wrist band while trick or treating with their children. They also offer these other great tips:
- Do not let your school-aged children trick or treat alone
- Look both ways before crossing the street
- Look into the eyes of the drivers before crossing the street
- Walk only on sidewalks, not in the street
- Tell your child to walk, not run from house to house
- Only visit houses that have a porch light on
- Do not enter the home of a stranger
- Make sure your child’s costume fits from head to toe to lower the risk of falls, trips and a blocked view
- Make sure your child’s costume is made of material that cannot catch on fire
- Limit the amount of treats your child eats in a day
- Don’t allow your kids to have candy that could cause choking
- Do not let your child go to sleep with make-up or face paint on
- Use a flashlight instead of a candle inside of pumpkins
Health Plan of San Joaquin staff wanted to offer some helpful tips, too! They gave a few cool ideas on how they have a good time and keep children safe on Halloween:
- We have family time on Halloween. We let the kids pick the dinner and treats they want. Then, we play games and watch movies together – Tamese Livers
- We gather a big group of family members and take the kids to one street in West Stockton. We give the kids flashlights and we all stay in a big group at all times. For the little ones, we take them around in a wagon so they don’t have to walk – Marisol Martinez
- We only take our kids to the houses of our family members and friends, to be safe – Yugesh Chand
- My church hosts a “Harvest Festival” at a local community center and gives away candy, food and drinks. Kids can also play games and win prizes – Angela Dennis
- We take our daughter to a local pumpkin patch and hay maze in Hughson, http://resendizfruitbarn.com/schools-activities/3263854. We’ve also taken her to a class at Michael’s to do arts and crafts http://www.michaels.com/classes – Nancy Calderon
Whether you take your child door-to-door for trick or treating, or stay at home and share time together, you can enjoy Halloween and have the safest time of your life! For more tips on how to keep children safe on Halloween, visit https://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween/index.htm.
If you see suspicious activity on Halloween, your local police department wants to hear from you. For example, contact the Stockton Police Dept. at 209-937-8377.