How To Keep Your Children Safe During The Spooky Season?

Spooky season can be great fun for many, but others, especially younger children, may find it scary, overwhelming, and unsafe. If you are looking for ways to keep your children safe during the spooky season, there are some easy ways to prepare and remain engaged with activities and other kids and families. Start with finding child-friendly events, locate or design a safe and comfortable costume if you are dressing up, and set up the house as a safe space to decompress.

If you still love dressing up and are dressing up your children for a party, gathering, school, or trick or treating, it is essential to consider both your costumes and their safety for your child. This may mean a few years of a not-scary costume for yourself and having friendly or funny costumes for your whole family.

Look for kids' costumes that don't have full masks. It is safer to have their face clear so they can see both in front of them and in their peripheral vision. This helps to prevent tripping hazards, bumping into people, and getting separated if they can't see you. They may also feel trapped in a mask if they get scared. Painting their face is an alternative, and you can try a spot test on their hand or foot in the week leading up to the day you'll be painting to ensure there are no allergies.

Costumes should also be a safe length to avoid tripping and falls, and this will also keep them clean. Long arms and loose clothing can also get caught on things. Depending on where they will be wearing it, this may not be a problem, but it may be a concern for others. Look for a comfortable pair of leggings or shorts, and a T-shirt can be worn underneath if they want to take it off.

Are you constantly seeing events too late or struggling to find kid-friendly events? Finding the correct algorithm to have them appear on your social media feeds can be challenging, but there are other spaces to look for events that will be safe for you and your child to attend. Look on the pages of your local towns and cities and read the small local newspapers when you can find them online or on paper. Small community groups will also have posts about local events that are being planned, and you may find that people you know are already planning to go. Many churches will hold events at their location and welcome anyone from the community. At the same time, malls will also hand out candy while keeping kids inside and away from inclement weather and vehicles.

When attending an outdoor event, please keep your child within arms' reach around crowds and stay close to them on sidewalks that line the streets. Many vehicles will take children to friends' or families' houses, events, or to meet up with others. Safety around the streets and in cars is one of the biggest concerns. It is essential to ensure that even in their excitement, they remember all of their road safety rules and wait for you before crossing a street or rushing too far ahead.

Attending events with friends can improve the safety of the experience and make it more fun for everyone. With additional adults watching the children, they will be easier to keep track of, and you will have someone to talk to while you do so.

Trick or treating has evolved over the years from everyone in their neighbourhood to travelling to other neighbourhoods or malls, and trunk or treat events have grown in popularity, as well as public inclusive events that community groups operate. These other events are intended to provide a safe space where kids can enjoy the holiday without being around cars and streets, some keeping them inside and others in closed-off areas. If you do not want to trick or treat, several other events are available, including home parties with games and treats, church events, community events, and movies. Those who want to avoid candy can find these other events a great alternative, and others will gather the candy and swap it out for a toy or other surprise overnight.

Along with these common concerns, several others may concern children around the spooky season. Movies and television shows often show scary versions during the fall. It may become essential to check the ratings, double-check online what other parents say about a show and even not allow them to watch some episodes, even if it's their favourite show. It may also be necessary to pay extra attention when driving around town and note any haunted houses or houses are decorated scarily. It is not always necessary to avoid these entirely but to reassure them they are all pretending and just decorations, to distract them, or to stay far enough away during walks not to trigger any motion sensor-activated decorations.