10 safety tips for a happy Halloween

Everyone loves a good scare on Halloween, but not when it comes to child safety.

Your costumes and decorations can be both creative and safe with these tips from Jennifer Rubin, Safe Kids Greater Sacramento Coalition coordinator and injury prevention manager at UC Davis Health.

Trick-or-treat safety tips

• Follow age recommendations on costume packaging. Avoid giving children items with small magnets and batteries. These items might include accessories with lights, motion, or sound effects. Small toy mouthpieces with button or coin batteries can be a choking hazard, especially for young children.
• Select costumes that are the right size to prevent trips and falls (avoid long trailing fabric) and choose face paint over masks (which can limit children's vision).
• Don’t wear decorative Halloween contact lenses sold without a prescription. They may seem like a fun way to complete a costume, but non-prescription contact lenses can cause serious eye damage.
• Before your trick-or-treat group heads out the door, talk about sticking together, crossing the street at corners and crosswalks and making eye contact with drivers before crossing.
• Ensure your trick-or-treaters carry glow sticks or flashlights, use reflective tape or stickers on costumes or bags, and wear light colors to help kids be seen. Avoid light-up toys with wires or lightbulbs that can be removed, which can be a choking hazard.
• Accompany children under age 12 for trick-or-treating.

Decoration safety tips

• Teach children to stay away from open flames, including jack-o’-lanterns with candles inside.
• Keep Halloween decorations away from open flames and other heat sources, such as light bulbs and heaters. Dried flowers, cornstalks and crepe paper catch fire easily.
• Avoid placing decorations near exits, so nothing blocks escape routes.
• Ensure all smoke alarms are working.

Related links

Learn more about the dangers of button batteries, magnets, and other accidental ingestions from the UC Davis Health Kids Considered podcast.