Crime & Safety

Keep Kids Safe While Trick-or-Treating for Halloween

Make sure your child Trick-or-Treats safely with these tips.

Trick-or-treating is the perfect way to make magical memories with your children on Halloween in Ellington and Somers. But it’s not all fun and games -you also want to keep your kids safe.

Mom Kim Estes makes it her mission to help parents keep their kids out of harm’s way all year round. Estes, a certified child safety educator and sexual abuse prevention specialist, founded Savvy Parents, Safe Kids to teach parents strategies for how to be prepared and protect their children as much as possible.

Estes said parents should make sure that costumes are safe from hazards this Halloween by making a few easy modifications.

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“Make sure their costumes are not too long and causing a tripping hazard, and that swords or knives are made of soft, pliable plastic because they will have a sword or knife fight with the neighbor kids,” she said.

Halloween decorations can become fire hazards if used without care, Estes warned.

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“Use battery-operated ‘candles’ in pumpkins on Halloween night. Children are not paying attention and crowd together at the front door and costumes can easily be brushed up against open flames,” she said.

Trick-or-Treating with the family dog or cat can be fun, but families should take precautions, she said.

“Adults should also be careful when taking pets along when trick-or-treating, or having pets at the door when Trick-or-Treaters arrive. Masks and other costumes can be frightening to pets and can cause them to act aggressively if frightened,” she said. “If you are unsure, test your pet’s comfort level by trying on a mask and see how they respond.”

Scot Masamery, a dog behavioral therapist with Bark Busters Home Dog Training, offers some additional tips for making sure your pets enjoy Halloween as much as the rest of the family. 

Ellington Resident State Trooper Patrick Sweeney said that he has gotten a some calls from parents already regarding Halloween safety, and has been directing them to information from the The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children Foundation (PDF attached) for some guidance.

Some of the tips on this form include taking friends along while Trick-or-Treating, never approaching a vehicle - even if it looks empty, and wearing reflective clothing and carry a flashlight or glow stick when traveling during the evening hours.

Estes recommends Wag-N-Train’s Web site for more Halloween safety tips for kids and pets.

Once you have a hazard-free costume put together and have reviewed safety rules with your children, it’s time to have some Halloween fun!

TELL US: Where will you be taking your children Trick-or-Treating? Do you have any safety tips that apply to your community? Share in the comments below. 


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