10 Tips For Keeping Your Kids Safe on Halloween Night

Because masks can limit or block eyesight (and if multiple people wear the same thing, it can be hard to find your child), consider nontoxic makeup and decorative hats as safer alternatives for costumes. Hats should fit properly to prevent them from sliding over eyes. Makeup should be tested ahead of time on a small patch of skin to ensure there are no unpleasant surprise reactions on the big day.

Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility.

Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. And make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement, or contact with flame.

Make sure your trick-or-treater stays with a group of friends all night. Also make sure the group knows to only go to homes with a porch light on (and never enter a home or car for a treat).

If your older children are going out with friends and not an adult, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. And agree on a specific time when they should return home.

Make sure all children — and their escorts — bring along flashlights when out trick-or-treating. And make sure to put fresh batteries in, too.

Because pedestrian injuries are the most common injuries to children on Halloween, remind trick-or-treaters to only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks. Trick-or-treaters should never cross between parked cars or out driveways.

Make sure your kids bring a cell phone with them so you can quickly communicate with them. They will especially be grateful to have it if they get lost in an unknown neighborhood or lose their group of friends.

Food tampering is fairly rare on Halloween, but kids — and adults — should still take a close look at all the scored goodies from trick-or-treating. Make sure to closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped, or suspicious items.