Trick-or-Treat Check: 5 Tips for Keeping Halloween Safe & Engaging

Halloween is an exciting and high-energy night for kids. Trick-or-treating is a time to dress up in fantastical costumes and fill up bags with candies and sweets, making it one of the most kid-friendly evenings of the year. That being said, this silly and spooky night is not without its obstacles. Trick-or-treating has become a busy and sometimes hectic experience in neighborhoods throughout the country, as increasingly large numbers of families show up at an increasingly small number of neighborhoods.

In some places, the trick-or-treating experience is more crowded and frantic than ever before, meaning you’ll need a game plan to successfully and comfortably navigate your upcoming night of fright-filled candy-grabbing. Here are 5 simple tips to help you keep your children’s trick-or-treating experience as safe and engaging as possible:

1. Make a trick-or-treating plan prior to Halloween night. If your trick-or-treaters are younger, it’s best to make sure that they’re accompanied by an adult throughout the neighborhood. However, if your children are old enough to go trick-or-treating by themselves, then you should establish firm physical boundaries for their exploration, as well as a specific curfew and a rendezvous point in case someone gets separated from the group.

Finding their way can be a lot more fun and a lot less scary when armed with the guiding light of the adorable black bear from our WildLight series.

2. Plan their costumes for plenty of walking and carrying. When dreaming up the cutest possible outfits for your little ones, keep in mind that they will be doing a lot of walking, running, and carrying throughout the night, which might make certain costumes or accessories cumbersome or uncomfortable. For example, a fake mustache that falls off very easily would prove to be a lot more trouble than it’s worth, as you will constantly need to re-apply it and make sure it isn’t lost in the shuffle of items.

What’s more, when picking out a costume for your kid, be sure to consider their visibility to drivers at night, as well as the night’s temperature and their overall comfort level. If you need to pack a layer for them to stay warm, our GoGear Belt Pack is an ideal solution.

3. Make it about more than just candy. The focus of most trick-or-treating rituals is the costumes and the candy. However, since trick-or-treating also involves navigating spooky decorations and haunted houses, there is no reason you can’t add even more adventure to your already festive evening! Play simple games with your trick-or-treat crew, such as a spooky-themed scavenger hunt or follow-the-leader.

On top of that, you could even ask an older child to plan out the walking route for the group, using their Wildlife Compass to provide cardinal directions.

4. Check and re-check your candy. The diversity of candy available on the market is truly staggering, which means that completely avoiding specific ingredients, such as peanuts, can be very difficult. While it’s a good idea to discuss allergies with your children prior to Halloween, the only way to be totally sure to avoid mishaps is to inspect each bag of candy yourself! When inspecting Halloween candy, be on the lookout for any potential allergens, as well as any pre-existing holes or tears in the packaging. You should also be skeptical of any candies that prove to be a choking hazard, as well as any sweets that appear “homemade.”

While your kids are out for the night, they will also need to stay hydrated. Keep their thirst quenched with our fan-favorite RoarBottle T-Rex.