For most of the year, parents teach children not to talk to strangers, not to accept things from people they don’t know, and to take care when crossing the road.
Then Halloween arrives, and suddenly we’re knocking on strangers’ doors, accepting handfuls of lollies from them and wandering the streets after dark.
How can you help your children have a safe Halloween?
Are there more injuries at Halloween?
US data suggests children experience more injuries around Halloween. This includes lacerations from pumpkin carving and burns from knocked candles or costumes catching on fire resulting in hospitalisation.
A 2022 UK study also suggests children are more likely to be seriously injured on Halloween due to traffic crashes, especially during peak hour when adults are returning home and children are in the thick of trick or treating.
Read more:
Trick or treatment: Halloween health hazards hiding in plain fright
Tips for staying safe
So it’s important to take some extra precautions as you trick-or-treat.
Talk before you walk – have a chat before about how it will work and then go over the rules before setting off. A discussion in the lead-up means the safety reminders are more likely to be absorbed by your kids. Consistent messages will also help the message sink in. Safety messages include: “stay together,” “stay with your adult,” “walk on the footpath and watch for driveways,” “don’t cross roads or driveways without holding an adult’s hand”.
Check costumes – avoid masks that can obscure vision and long material from costumes that drags and will be easy to trip in.
Are there batteries? – review flashing toys and props for button batteries compartments. If they come loose and are swallowed by accident, this can be deadly.
Stay local – walk around your neighbourhood, where you are familiar with the surroundings and keep your trick-or-treating to daylight hours.
Be an active supervisor – stay with your kids. For kids under eight, hold hands and for those under ten, keep them in arms reach and hold their hand when crossing roads and driveways. Plus, avoid distractions like being on your phone.
Don’t go inside houses – people participating in Halloween should be prepared to hand out treats from their front door or porch.
Assess lollies – watch little kids, especially those under three so they don’t choke on a large or hard lolly.
What about tweens?
Tweens should be encouraged to stay in a group and to check in regularly with an adult who is close by and contactable by mobile.
Remind them to not be on phones when crossing roads and that normal road rules still apply, even if you are excited and in a big group of friends.
How do you talk about ‘breaking’ rules?
Halloween is a confusing night for families in some ways. On October 31 we “break” some of the safety lessons we spend the rest of the year reinforcing.
Research suggests children are more likely to understand and internalise changes to safety rules when their parents explain the reasons for the deviation, rather than simply demanding obedience.
For example,
Yes, we can go into people’s gardens we don’t know this evening, because everyone knows its Halloween. This is the only day of the year we can do this.
Or,
Yes, we can take lollies from this woman because you’re with me and it’s just for Halloween. We wouldn’t do this with people we don’t know on any other day.
So the answer isn’t to abandon safety messages. Parents can also explain how at Halloween, different precautions are needed because there will be more pedestrians, traffic and distractions than usual.
Vanessa Campbell is affiliated with Kidsafe NSW.
Bianca Albanese is affiliated with Kidsafe NSW.
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