14 Trick-or-Treat Safety Tips For Halloween

Have a fun, safe, and exciting Halloween with these great trick-or-treat safety tips.

Teach your kids how to trick-or-treat

If you have younger kids, you will need to teach them the ropes of trick-or-treating. Try role playing with them. Show them how to knock on a door, say trick-or-trick, and thank you. That way, when you arrive at your first front porch they will know what to expect.

Talk to your kids

Set the boundaries. Make sure all of your children, regardless of their age, know what your rules are. Clearly explain all consequences as well. Take a moment to talk about all of the costumes and decorations they will see. Point out that everything they see is meant to be for fun and nothing is real.

Trick-or-treat in familiar neighborhoods

Finding the ideal trick-or-treat spot does not happen on Halloween night, especially when you have eager trick-or-treaters at your feet. Avoid the crunch and scout for your spot ahead of time. Start with your neighborhood. If that is not an ideal spot, make yourself familiar with a neighborhood that has well lit streets and several homes. Asking your friends or co-workers if they have a favorite spot they could recommend will help you find that sweet spot fast.

Make a route

Once you have picked your neighborhood, create a map and a route. If your older children go trick-or-treating with their friends you will be able to track them down at any moment. If you are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where the families know each other well, everyone can make a village effort to keep an eye on all of the children.

Trick-or-treat with a buddy

Never let your children go trick-or-treating alone. If your older children want to trick-or-treat with their friends, make it a rule that they stick together no matter what. Share your rules with their friends so everyone knows what is expected of them.

Use a flashlight

Flashlights are always a good thing to have when trick-or-treating. Make sure to check your batteries before you head out for the night.

Wear light colored clothing

Light colored clothing is easier to spot at night. If your child’s costume is dark, try adding some reflective tape to help make them visible to drivers.

Go trick-or-treating early

If you have young children or toddlers, consider taking them trick-or-treating when the sun is still up. Taking them out at this time will help avoid the extra scary costumes and decorations that get scarier when night falls.

Use glow sticks

Make necklaces and bracelets out of glow sticks. You can also put them inside your children’s candy pails to make them light up.

Inspect your candy

Do not eat any candy until you can inspect it in a well-lit area. When in doubt, toss it.

Beware of the unknown

Do not eat homemade goodies unless you know the person who is handing them out.

The light rule

Only knock on doors of homes that have their porch lights on.

Don’t talk to strangers

Even though this rule applies to any situation, make sure your kids know what a stranger is and why it is important not to talk to them.

Alternative trick-or-treat hot spots

As an alternative to trick-or-treating door to door, check with your local church to see if they have any family Halloween events you could attend. Another place to check out is shopping malls. Most of them hold trick-or-treating events for young children on Halloween day.

Do you have another great trick-or-treat safety tip we forgot to add to the list? Please share it with us! Happy Halloween!