Halloween Safety Tips for Kids: A Pediatrician's Checklist for Costumes, Trick-or-Treating, and Treats

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which means more families out trick-or-treating, more parties, and more excitement. It is one of the most fun nights of the year for kids. It is also a night when emergency rooms see an increase in child pedestrian injuries, burns, cuts, and eye injuries.

Most Halloween injuries are preventable. Here are a pediatrician's Halloween safety tips for kids to keep your little ghosts and superheroes safe.

Halloween Safety Tips for Kids: The Biggest Risk Is Cars

Children are more likely to be hit by a car on Halloween than on almost any other night of the year. Kids are excited, often darting between houses and across streets, wearing dark costumes, and trick-or-treating at dusk, when visibility is poor.

Make your child visible:

• Choose brightly colored costumes, or add reflective tape to costumes and treat bags

• Give each child a flashlight or headlamp

• Use glow sticks or light-up accessories

  
  

Walk safely:

• Use sidewalks when available. If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic, as far to the edge as possible.

• Cross at corners and crosswalks, never between parked cars

• Look left, right, and left again before crossing

• Put phones and devices away while walking

• Walk, do not run, between houses

  
  

If you are driving:

• Slow down in neighborhoods, especially between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m.

• Watch for children darting into the street

• Enter and exit driveways slowly

• Avoid distractions

Costume Safety

• Flame-resistant materials: Look for costumes, wigs, and accessories labeled flame-resistant.

• Proper fit: Costumes should be short enough to avoid tripping. Hem long capes and dresses.

• Comfortable shoes: Choose well-fitting shoes, not oversized or high-heeled ones.

• Weather-ready: Georgia nights can be cool in late October; plan for layers underneath.

• Soft props: Swords, wands, and other props should be short, soft, and flexible.

  
  

Masks and Makeup

Masks can block vision and make breathing harder. Face paint or makeup is often a safer choice.

• Use makeup labeled non-toxic and hypoallergenic

• Test makeup on a small patch of skin a few days before Halloween to check for a reaction

• Remove makeup before bed to prevent skin and eye irritation

• If using a mask, make sure the eye holes are large enough for full vision

  
  

Decorative Contact Lenses: Skip Them

Colored or "costume" contact lenses sold without a prescription can cause serious eye infections, scratches on the cornea, and even permanent vision loss. The FDA warns against using decorative lenses without a prescription and proper fitting by an eye doctor. If your teen wants special-effect lenses, they need an eye exam and a prescription.

Pumpkin Carving Safety

Carving accidents send many people, including children, to urgent care each fall.

• Let young children draw the design and scoop out the insides, while adults do the carving

• Use pumpkin carving kits with small, serrated tools, which are less likely to cause deep cuts than kitchen knives

• Carve in a clean, dry, well-lit area

• Keep hands dry and carve away from the body

• Use battery-operated candles or LED lights instead of real candles

For cuts: Apply firm pressure with a clean cloth. Seek care if bleeding does not stop after 10 minutes of pressure, the cut is deep or gaping, or it is on the face or a joint.

Trick-or-Treating Plans by Age

Young children (under 12): Should trick-or-treat with an adult. Keep groups together.

Preteens and teens out with friends:

• Agree on a route and a curfew

• Make sure phones are charged

• Stay in familiar, well-lit neighborhoods

• Go only to homes with porch lights on

• Never enter a stranger's home or car

• Stay in a group

  
  

Treat Safety

• Eat dinner first so kids are not tempted to snack along the way

• Wait until home to eat treats, so you can inspect them

• Toss anything that is unwrapped, torn, homemade by someone you do not know, or looks unusual

• Remove choking hazards for children under 4, including hard candy, gum, nuts, and small toys

• Check for allergens if your child has food allergies

• Be aware of look-alike products. Some THC edibles are packaged to look like popular candies. Check any unfamiliar packaging, and keep any cannabis products in your home locked away. If a child eats something you are worried about, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

  
  

Home Safety for Trick-or-Treaters

• Clear your walkway and steps of decorations, hoses, and leaves

• Turn on outdoor lights

• Keep pets secured indoors; even friendly dogs can become stressed by constant doorbells and costumes

• Use LED or battery lights in jack-o'-lanterns and luminaries

• Keep decorations away from candles and heat source

  
  

Halloween Parties

• Supervise teens' parties and know who will be there

• Talk with teens about alcohol and substances; this is Red Ribbon Week, a natural time for that conversation

• Make sure older teens have a safe ride home

  
  

Sensory-Friendly Tips

Halloween can be overwhelming for some children, including those with autism, ADHD, anxiety, or sensory sensitivities. Practice wearing the costume ahead of time, choose comfortable fabrics, plan a short route, bring headphones for noise, and have a plan to take breaks or head home early. Celebrating at home by handing out candy is a perfectly good choice too.

Frequently Asked Questions

What age can kids trick-or-treat without an adult?

Many experts suggest children under 12 trick-or-treat with an adult. Older children who are mature enough can go in a group with a planned route, a curfew, and a charged phone.

Are colored contact lenses safe for Halloween?

Not without a prescription. Non-prescription decorative lenses can cause serious eye infections and permanent damage.

How can I make my child more visible while trick-or-treating?

Use bright costumes, reflective tape, flashlights, and glow sticks, and walk on sidewalks.

What should I do if my child eats a suspicious treat?

Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. If your child has trouble breathing, is very sleepy, or is hard to wake, call 911.

The Bottom Line

A little planning goes a long way on Halloween. Make kids visible, walk safely, choose safe costumes and makeup, skip non-prescription contact lenses, let adults do the carving, and check treats before eating. Share these Halloween safety tips for kids with grandparents, babysitters, and older siblings, too.

From all of us at Mindful Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, have a safe and happy Halloween, Johns Creek, Alpharetta, Cumming, Suwanee, Milton, and Roswell!

Questions about your child's health? Call 770-746-7113.

Ready to schedule a visit? Request an appointment online or call 770-746-7113.