Have a Safe Halloween
Halloween is coming up. These tips can help you have a safe and healthy Halloween this year:
- • Tell children not to accept – and especially not to eat – anything that isn’t commercially wrapped and to resist eating any candy until an adult has time to inspect the treats.
- • Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.
- • Give kids a light meal before they head out trick-or-treating, so they are less likely to eat the candy before you have a chance to inspect it. Also, you’ll avoid belly aches on Halloween night!
- • If you have very young children, be sure to remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys from their goodie bag.
Visit www.foodsafety.gov/ and search for “Halloween” to find out more about keeping your kids’ treats safe this year.
For trick-or-treating, younger children should go with an adult or an older, responsible youth. Older children should provide their route and when they expect to return. If possible, provide a cellphone for trick-or-treaters.
- • Trick-or-treaters to only visit homes that have porch lights on; do not talk to strangers; do not go into homes or cars of strangers; and do not approach animals that are not familiar.
- • Make sure trick-or-treaters can be seen by wearing something reflective or carrying a flashlight or glow stick.
- • Ensure that children can see from their costumes — widen eye holes in masks; use face paint or makeup instead of masks; make sure scarves, hats or wigs don’t obstruct vision.
- • Walk on sidewalks; never dart into the street or between parked cars to cross. Cross at corners, stop at the curbs; use crosswalks and obey traffic signals.
- • Remove masks before crossing a street – and look left, right, left before crossing.
- • Have children wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes to prevent trips and falls.
- • Make sure your child’s costume is fire retardant; if making it, check that the materials are fire retardant. Costumes should be short enough so they don’t interfere with walking.
- • If a child carries an accessory, such as a fake sword, make sure it’s made from a flexible material such as rubber, so it cannot injure the child or others.
- • Drivers are reminded to be particularly alert, drive slowly and cautiously and use full headlights to spot children more easily and to be seen. Trick-or-treating is most popular between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Make sure any outdoor Halloween decorations you use are marked for outdoor use and plug lights and decorations into circuits protected by ground-fault circuit interrupters. Be sure to turn out all lights and decorations before leaving home or going to bed.
Learn more about Halloween fire safety from the U.S. Fire Administration. Meanwhile, you'll want to check the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website for the latest on Halloween-related consumer product recalls.
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About the National Capital Region
The National Capital Region (NCR) encompasses the District of Columbia and parts of Maryland and Virginia, including the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park and the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William in Virginia and Montgomery and Prince George’s in Maryland, which include the municipalities of Bowie, College Park, Gaithersburg, Greenbelt, Rockville and Takoma Park.