Metro Detroit neighborhoods are in full-glow Halloween mode with skeletons, ghouls, front-yard graveyards and a lot more — and now is the perfect time to bone up on Halloween safety tips so the only bloodshed your family experiences is the fake kind from a tube.
Here, we share our top five Halloween safety tips, plus bonus pumpkin carving safety tips, with expert advice from Henry Ford Health.
Top safety tips for Halloween
1. Choose safe, visible Halloween costumes
Opt for flame-resistant, well-fitting costumes that reduce tripping hazards. Choose fire-resistant fabric and wigs, suggests the National Safety Council. Dark costumes can be harder to spot at night, so add glam up your trick-or-treater’s costume with reflective tape. Giving them glow sticks will help keep kids extra visible.
2. Use face paint instead of masks
Masks are fun, but they can obstruct vision, which is dangerous when walking at night. Face paint is a safer alternative, but test it for any allergic reactions beforehand — and make sure it’s labeled “non toxic.” Test your creativity — young children, especially, love face paint.
3. Plan a safe route, stay visible and carry a light
Equip children with flashlights or glow sticks to help them see and be seen. Remind them to stick to well-lit areas and always use crosswalks to cross streets safely. If your child is younger than age 12, go with them as they make their house-to-house candy crawl, suggests Safe Kids Worldwide.
4. Set candy limits and encourage moderation
October 31 could well be the most terrifying night of the year for your family’s health, says Henry Ford Health pediatrician Stacy Leatherwood Cannon. Start the evening with a healthy meal, add extra servings of fruits and vegetables throughout the month and add in extra physical activity, she suggests. Establish clear rules about how much candy your child can enjoy each night to avoid sugar overload.
5. Be extra cautious when driving on Halloween night
You may travel to a family member’s neighborhood for trick-or-treating fun. More power to you! But know this: On Halloween, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed than on any other day of the year. When you’re on the road, anticipate that there will be plenty of children around — and they don’t always know the rules of the road. Take care when turning corners and exiting driveways and be prepared for kids in costumes to appear from nowhere — just like black cats.
Bonus tip: pumpkin carving safety
There’s nothing more fun than creating jack o’ lanterns from plain orange pumpkins, but pumpkin carving can be a potential hazard. We share expert carving safety tips from Ryan Desgrange, a physician assistant and orthopedic specialist with Henry Ford Health.
With these tips, you’ll keep your family safe while carving enough Halloween night pumpkins for your porch, and several haunted houses nearby!
- Use proper tools: Invest in a quality pumpkin carving kit with dull, serrated edges to reduce injury risk. Avoid using power tools or sharp knives, which can lead to serious accidents. (The most common pumpkin-carving injuries are cuts and puncture wounds, Desgrange says.)
- Carve your pumpkins with caution: Take your time, using short, smooth strokes for better control. Always be aware of your surroundings, keeping hands clear of the blade, and ensure the pumpkin surface is dry to prevent slipping. Carve in a well-lit environment.
- Capture the creativity of your children, but prioritize their safety: Let kids participate safely by allowing them to draw designs or scoop out pumpkin guts, but leave the actual carving to adults to avoid potential injury. While you carve, ask your kids to arrange the pumpkin seeds on a baking dish to roast, Desgrange suggests.
Looking for great pumpkin patches in metro Detroit? Get the latest information on the best fall adventures, including farm-grown pumpkins.
Expertise from Henry Ford Health. Find more articles like this at Metro Parent’s Your Top Kids Health Questions — Answered!
