If planning a safe Halloween in Portland for your kids is a top priority, you’ll be pleased to know that there are safe Halloween tips to help you out. Try out a few of these this year and let your kids have fun while avoiding injury.

1. Opt for the earlier trick-or-treat times in your area. Many neighborhoods are holding trick-or-treat activities during daylight hours to increase safety levels.

2. Dress your child in a costume that does not restrict movement, is light colored or has reflective tape, and is appropriate for the weather.

3. Try to avoid costumes with masks that would inhibit your child’s peripheral vision. Unrestricted eyesight is essential for avoiding accidents on the sidewalk and crucial to crossing the street safely.

4. Inspect your child’s costume for sharp edges, protruding wires, hanging drawstrings before they leave the house. These items can cause injuries if your child falls. Also, loose drawstring ties can inadvertently be pulled, restricting blood flow, bodily movement, or even breathing.

5. Give your child a flashlight with fresh batteries to take along. Not only will this help ward off those ghouls and ghosts, but will help passing traffic identify your little pedestrian on the street.

6. Always screen your child’s goodies before they are allowed to take the first bite. Discard any unwrapped or unsecured candies, and throw out any hand-made treats unless they are given by a trusted neighbor.

7. Feed your child a fun dinner or heavy snack before they leave for trick-or-treating to lessen the temptation to eat unscreened sweets before they arrive back home.

8. Even older children can benefit from an adult escort during neighborhood trick-or-treating. Older children may be tempted to participate in pranks, and are still targets for abduction and assault. Having adult supervision greatly increases the level of safety for your children.

9. Consider forgoing Trick-Or-Treating and opt for an indoor Halloween party at a local indoor playground or party center.

10. Host your own guaranteed-safe Halloween party for your children. Controlling the guest list, menu items, and activities ensures that your children will have a great time while remaining safe.

11. Have children draw faces on pumpkins and fill in the features with paint to avoid cutting injuries. Or, you can have kids draw the desired features and let an adult cut out the pumpkin. Pumpkin skins are tough, and even carving tools touted as kid-safe can cause an injury when children are applying large amounts of pressure to cut through a thick pumpkin.

12. Always review stranger safety guidelines with your kids before setting out for Halloween activities in Portland. Stress the importance of waiting for traffic signals before stepping out into a crosswalk, and staying on walkways during your trek through the neighborhood. Short cuts and lawns can hold many hazards in the twilight hours.

13. Be sure to instruct your child not to pet any unfamiliar dogs or cats while out trick-or-treating. The family dog may be very friendly and well adjusted, but many pets can become nervous around children- especially children dressed in unusual costumes, and become aggressive or act out of character.

These tips for a safe Halloween in Portland are not all encompassing, but they are a great start to a fun and safe holiday with your children. Keeping a few guidelines in place during your Halloween celebration is not meant to suck the fun out of activities, but paying attention to safety can help you avoid a lifetime of heartache if your child is seriously injured or abducted while distracted by Halloween excitement.

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