child costume and kids costumes
Trick or Treating should be one of the great adventures of Halloween for kids! They can get dressed in scary kids costumes and go door to door, begging “Tricks or Treats!” from neighbors or at the local mall. Lots of towns have a Harvest Festival so kids can Trick-or-Treat safely. But going door to door is the stuff of childhood memories! It should be a fun time, without trouble and pain, so following some easy tips can keep your child safe every Halloween.
Halloween is a favorite holiday for many, especially kids. What is more fun than dressing up in silly costumes and parading around the neighborhood with friends? Doing so in search of candy of course! Although Halloween can be a blast, as with everything our children do, there are safety precautions that should be taken. The best way to avoid scary situations is to have a plan and set rules for your kids to follow. Halloween rules change as your child grows but even teenagers need to know what is expected of them. Read though the list tips for safe Trick or Treating and decide which ones work for your family and share them with your children before their big night.
Kids’ tips for parents
Anytime a child has an accident, it’s tragic. The last thing that you want to happen is for your child to be hurt on a holiday, it would forever live in the minds of the child and the family. There are many ways to keep your kids safe at Halloween, when they are more prone to accidents and injuries. The excitement of kids and adults at this time of year sometimes makes them forget to be careful. Simple common sense can do a lot to stop any tragedies from happening.
Kids love Halloween! They get to dress up and get free candy! What a perfect holiday! Give your kids some precious Halloween memories that they’ll have for life. Trick or treating isn’t what it used to be. It’s not as safe to let kids walk the streets alone. Send a responsible adult or older teenager with them.
Have a pumpkin carving party for your children and their friends a couple nights before Halloween. They’ll enjoy looking at their creations for a few days before they have to be thrown out.
Check your local grocery store or craft store for Halloween cook books full of tasty treats on a horror theme for both kids and adults.
Serve your kids a filling meal before trick or treating and they won’t be tempted to eat any candy before they bring it home for you to check.
Kids look forward to Halloween because they get to dress up in a cool child costume and for the candy and treats! Who doesn’t?
Watch the candy intake when they get home, too much can lead to stomach aches and indigestion. That includes mom and dad as well!
Let your child have some say in their costume, within reason of course. Miley Cyrus or Vanessa Hudgens may be your six year old daughter’s favorite singer but don’t send her out dressed like them! It’s never too early to teach them some responsibility and common sense.
Make your child’s Halloween a memorable holiday and they’ll have good memories that last a lifetime!
Kids should go out during daylight hours only unless accompanied by a responsible adult.
Plan a safe route so parents know where their older kids will be at all times. Set a time for their return home. Make sure that your child is old enough and responsible enough to go out by themselves.
Let your children know not to cut through back alleys and fields. Make sure they know to stay in populated places and don’t go off the beaten track. Stay in well lighted areas.
Stop only at familiar houses in your own neighborhood unless they are accompanied by an adult.
Small children should never be allowed to go out alone on Halloween. Make sure an older sibling or adult is with them.
Instruct your children not to eat any treats until they bring them home to be examined by you.
Instruct your child to never go into the home of a stranger or get into their car.
Make sure your child carries a flashlight, glow stick or has reflective tape on their costume to make them more visible to cars.
Let your kids know that they should stay together as a group if going out to Trick or Treat without an adult.
Young children should ALWAYS be accompanied by an adult
Teens and pre-teens who are allowed to go off on their own should Trick or Treat in a group and should never separate from them
Teens and pre-teens who Trick or Treat without an adult should carry a fully charged cell phone with emergency numbers programmed into it
Curfews should be set for those who Trick or Treat without a parent and you should know where your child is and who they are with at all times
Have the “never talk to strangers” chat with kids who are going out on their own
Do not pet animals that you do not know well. Even animals that are typically friendly may bite because they are nervous with all that is going on around them on Halloween
Young children should have an emergency contact number written or attached to their costume in case they are accidentally separated from the adult they are with
Never allow your child to go to the backdoor of a house. Always Trick or Treat at the front door (this is especially important for kids going out without an adult)
Trick or Treat in familiar neighborhoods that are well lit
The holiday of Halloween is a great day for children because they can use their imagination and dress up in Halloween costumes. These costumes can be purchased at a store or your child and you could put your imaginations together and make up your own Halloween costumes. Some examples of what children dress up as are dracula, ghosts, witches and mummies to name a few. Children also love Halloween because that’s also the day that they can go trick or treating and get lots of candy.
When making or buying a Halloween costume you should make sure that the costume fits well. Masks should fit properly over the child’s head. With a mask the child’s face should fit through the opening so the child is able to see through the mask well. This will help the child see where they are going better. The child is better off wearing light colored clothes rather than dark so drivers are able to see the child better. They should carry a flashlight so they can see where their walking when it gets dark.
A lot of parents especially if they live in a large city only take their children to places they know. If you live in a rural country town like I do you usually walk with your child from house to house trick or treating. If you take your child trick or treating like this you should go through your child’s candy. Look for any candy that doesn’t have a wrapper on it or if a piece of candy just doesn’t look right.
If you find any candy like this it should be thrown out immediately. Also try to pay attention to who is giving your child certain candy because when I take my children trick or treating every year there’s an old lady that gives out bags of popped popcorn. So by knowing this I know that the popcorn is safe. Parents should also go with their children trick or treating and never let them go on their own.
Halloween can be a fun experience but as parents, we should also do things to keep our children safe on Halloween. Some of these are that we should make sure that the Halloween costume a child is wearing fits well. The costume shouldn’t be too big for the child or too long so it’s dragging on the ground because this could cause the child to trip. You should make sure that when your child is trick or treating that they continue to look around for traffic because there are a lot of people around trick or treating. E sure to also examine the type of Halloween costume your child decides to wear in that it is appropriate for his or her age.
You should also go with your child when they go up to the person’s house door. Make sure you only go to houses that the porch light is on because people’s houses where the porch light is off have decided not to participate in Halloween.
We should also remember to tell our children to use good manners. That after they say trick or treat and they are given their candy they should always say thank you.
Following these safety tips while trick or treating will help your child not only have a fun experience trick or treating but a safe one too.
And lastly, have fun dressing up in your favorite Halloween costume, which can be purchased on our site.
We at Online Halloween Costumes wish you and your kids a happy Halloween!