Your Halloween safety checklist

List of costumes:

Halloween Safety Checklist:

See and be seen

  • Carry a flashlight (with fresh batteries)
  • Make sure costume does not cover eyes
  • Face paint is great alternative to masks
  • Wear glow stick or reflective tape
Stay on your fit
  • Make sure costume is not too long
  • Wear comfortable shoes that fit

Fun (and safety) with numbers

  • Trick-or-treat in group with family or friends
  • Adult should accompany young children
  • Adult should plan out route with other children
  • Only trick-or-treat on well-lit streets and homes
  • Do not go inside strangers' homes or cars
  • Carry mobile phone
  • Teach children to call 911 in case of emergency

Healthy Halloween

  • Eat a good meal prior to trick-or-treating or Party
  • Have adult examine all treats carefully before eating
  • Do not eat anything that is not in wrapper
  • Plan in advance with adult how much okay to eat
  • Trade some or all Halloween candy for Halloween toy
  • Consider offering non-food treats for trick-or-treaters

Fun treats you don't eat

  • Stickers
  • Stamps
  • Tatoos
  • Glowsticks
  • Mini flashlights
  • Bouncing balls
  • Pencils
  • Erasers
  • Shoelaces
  • Bubbles
  • Crayons
  • Puzzles
  • Yo-Yos
  • Slinkies

More tips:

  • Know the route your kids will be taking if you aren't going with them.
  • Know what other activities a child may be attending, such as parties, school or mall functions.
  • Make sure you set a time that they should be home by. Make sure they know how important it is for them to be home on time.
  • Explain to children the difference between tricks and vandalism.
  • Explain to your kids that animal cruelty is not acceptable.
  • When decorating your home, make sure that the walkways are clear so that people can't trip over anything and hurt themselves.

About Dr. Dana Weintraub:

Dr. Dana Weintraub is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of General Pediatrics at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. Dr. Weintraub received an A.B. in History from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH and her M.D. from University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA. She completed her internship, residency and chief residency in Pediatrics at Children's Hospital & Research Center at Oakland. Subsequently, Dr. Weintraub completed a post-doctoral fellowship in General Pediatrics at Stanford University.

Dr. Weintraub is Project Director of SPORT, a community-based evaluation of after school team sports as a weight control intervention for overweight children and Medical Director of the Peninsula Family Advocacy Program, a medical-legal collaboration between Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and Ravenswood Family Health Center, and Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County..

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