While you don’t necessarily want to be thinking about safety on the one night a year we all get to be kids again, remember that we all also have to wake up the next morning and adult. Keeping that in mind, here are some tips for Halloween so that the only dangerous things are your mad pranking skills, and the only thing you have to worry about is how you’re going to fit all of your candy in your cool “Stranger Things” canvas tote.
For the Youngsters:
Imagine it: hundreds of small masked creatures invading your neighborhood, screaming for candy, and demanding attention. Sound like a horror film? Nope it’s just a Wednesday night that happens to be Halloween. There are some inherent dangers of course that we need to watch out for, making sure to take precautions so the little monsters can do their monster business in the safest way possible.
- Avoid Masks: use face paint for your child if possible, so that you can identify them easily and not have to worry about seeing behind a mask. Chances are there will be more than one Ninja Turtle, so green face paint and a bandana will help you tell your kiddo apart from the other masked marauders.
- Glow sticks: Yup, the same glow sticks from when we were little still work (well, buy some new ones, but you know what I mean). The goal here is to make sure fast moving cars can see your little ones as they come down the street, and so your child can see his/her feet in case of a large or overwhelming costume.
- Trunk-Or-Treats: Chances are your church or neighborhood organization may be hosting a trunk-or-treat, which is actually the safest and most convenient way to go Halloweening. This holiday’s version of a block party, people park their cars or trucks backward, decorate in a theme, and kids go through a parking lot or designated area from car to car. There’s no driving in the lot, so no need to worry about rogue cars, and chances are you know most of these people if you belong to the organization.
For the 21+ Crowd:
Yes, it’s the one day of the year we get to dress up and pretend we are 12 again, asking people for candy, pulling pranks on each other, and basically being children. It’s fantastic! But, because we are now responsible for ourselves, we must remember to plan accordingly to make sure we can have an amazing time AND stay safe.
- Exit Buddy: whether you are going to a club, a party, a bar, or just to chill, if you plan on drinking make sure that someone is responsible for calling a ride-sharing service or taxi, or you have a designated driver. It is way easier to figure this out ahead of time and make decisions when you are at full capacity than when you are a few drinks in and your face paint is smeared on your forearm. Of course, this goes for any holiday or outing, but because Halloween allows us to sometimes be a little out of character, don’t forget to plan ahead.
- That one guy who ate Dry Ice: Dry Ice, while a super cool phenomenon and perfect for a Halloween ambiance, should only be handled in certain ways. It can be very dangerous to the skin if handled improperly, so if you are using it for a party, haunted house, or scary scene, make sure at least one person is willing to be in charge of the following:
- Wear gloves when handling as any prolonged exposure to the dry ice can result in the freezing of cells and create a burn-like injury.
- Store the dry ice in an insulated but NOT airtight container. As the dry ice releases carbon dioxide, the air around it will expand and could cause an airtight container to explode.
- Dry ice should always be kept in a well-ventilated area.
- Don’t eat it.
- When your costume is more dangerous than you: This may sound like a silly one, but don’t underestimate the power of a dangerous costume. The temptation to wear 5-inch heels with the shorty-shorts of a police-woman uniform is almost too much to resist, but if you don’t wear 5-inch heels on a regular basis, now may not be the time. Remember the lure of party hopping and haunted-house walking. If something jumps out to scare you, you may end up right out of those shoes. Going instead for the full head-to-toe mummy look? Make sure you can see over those bandages your friend wrapped you up in, or you will end up as “that dude that fell and couldn’t get up” at the party.
Just a few things to think about as you take over Wednesday night. Whether your goal is to scare people, be ironic, party-hop, take a family-costume pic, or turn off the porch light and Netflix all night, stay safe and Halloween hard!