1. Substitute face paint for a mask whenever possible.
Masks can limit your kid's peripheral vision and depth perception, but many costumes work just as well with face paint. For example, if your kid is going as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle you can dump the mask and try this easy tutorial instead.
Costume can't do without a mask? Try cutting bigger eyes holes to see through, and be sure to make your kid aware of how it will impact their vision.
2. Increase your kid's visibility as much as possible.
One way to do this is by adding an appropriate dash of bright color to your kid's costume. For example, if your kid plans to be a pirate, swap out a black scarf for an equally "pirate-y" bright and colorful one.
Other things you can do include having your kid carry a flashlight, putting a reflective necklace around their neck, or adding glow in the dark tape to their shoes.
3. Skip the dark costumes which are hard to see at night.
However, if your kid is insistent on being the Grim Reaper or Venom, there are a few things you can do to make them stand out more:
— Buy them a reflective bag or glow in the dark bucket to gather their candy in.
— Have them add glow sticks to their costume any way they like.
— Insist they wear a headlamp when walking from home to home.
4. Be careful with weapons and accessories.
If your kid has a sword or similarly pointy prop, you want to make sure that it's flexible so it won't injure them if they fall. You also want to think twice about sending your kid out with a prop gun, which could be misconstrued in the dark.
5. Take younger children trick-or-treating while it's still light out.
Your little ones will not only be more easily spotted by drivers, but able to go to sleep at their regular bedtime to boot!
6. Keep track of your older trick-or-treaters with an app.
FamilySignal, for example, is a location-sharing app that — once downloaded to your phone and your kid's — allows you to keep track of where your kid is in the neighborhood. It also has a “panic button” your kid can push in the event of emergency.
7. Tell older kids to keep their cell phones in their pockets.
It's a good idea for kids trick-or-treating without a chaperone to have a cell phone in case of emergency, but you don't want that cell phone to become a distraction. Make sure your kid knows to keep their head up at all times and on the lookout for cars — especially when crossing the street.
8. Keep your head up as well!
If you're chaperoning kids, you'll want to keep your phone in your pocket, too.
9. Kids should obey all pedestrian rules.
This means using traffic signals/crosswalks and safely crossing the street at corners. Kids should be sure to look both ways before crossing, too.
10. Avoid houses that don't look welcoming.
There are plenty of houses that want to participate on Halloween night, so if a house doesn't have a light on, or if someone doesn't answer the door after a couple knocks, it's best to move on.
11. Tell your kids to only accept treats in the doorway of a home.
And to never under any circumstances go inside anyone's house.
12. Stay away from animals you don't know.
Animals can be on edge on Halloween, so it's best to leave unfamiliar ones alone to avoid possibly getting bit or scratched.
13. Teach your kids to wait until they're home to eat their candy.
This will give you a chance to inspect their loot and throw away any questionable items like:
— Candy with open or ripped wrappers.
— Homemade goodies from people you don't know.
— Fresh fruit, etc.
14. Drill this into your kid's head: "Walk, don't run!"
If your kids know to walk on Halloween, they will be in a better position to keep themselves safe from passing motorists.
15. Be prepared for fire.
Many commercially available Halloween costumes are more flammable than regular clothes. Before heading out for the night your kids should know to "stop, drop, and roll" in the event their clothes catch fire, and to be careful of candles in jack o'lanterns.
If you’re worried about the your child wearing a commercially available costume you can stick with homemade costumes made from fire retardant materials.
16. Lookout for pumpkins and other things your kid could trip over leading up to houses.
Many homes have pumpkins and other decorations in front that kids could trip over. If you're chaperoning your kid use your flashlight to light the pathway to the door (and teach older kids to do the same).
17. Teach older kids not to let anyone suspicious join their party.
If a solo adult suddenly tries to join your kid and their friends, they should know to tell the adult they don't want any company and to wait in a well-lit place until he or she leaves.
