Safety tips for Halloween - Clackamas County

Halloween is almost here! To help keep your festivities fun and safe, please share the following safety tips with your friends, family and favorite goblins

Travel Safety

Everyone should focus on being visible and to watch out for other travelers on Halloween. Add lights and reflectors to your child's costume - it's a fun and easy way to help keep children safe as they trick or treat. Take extra care as you travel this weekend and throughout the darker days of fall and winter, and remember the following:

• When you drive: stop and stay stopped for pedestrians as they cross the street – slow down and continually scan your environment for people on foot, bicycles and wheelchairs. When driving, leave enough space between you and the vehicle ahead so you have time to react and stop when needed.
• When you walk: look before crossing – cross one lane at a time making sure drivers see and stop for you before you fully enter a crossing. Consider wearing lighter clothing and using lights to be seen and be safe.
• When you bicycle: use both headlights and taillights from dusk through dawn and just as when you’re driving, stop and stay stopped for pedestrians seeking to cross the street.

Treat-or-Treat Safety

To make sure Halloween treats are safe for children, follow these simple steps:

• Safe treats: Tell children not to accept – and especially not to eat – anything that isn’t commercially wrapped. Inspect commercially wrapped treats for signs of tampering, such as an unusual appearance or discoloration, tiny pinholes, or tears in wrappers. Throw away anything that looks suspicious.
• Choking hazards: If you have very young children, be sure to remove any choking hazards such as gum, peanuts, hard candies, or small toys.
• Snacking: Children shouldn’t snack on treats from their goody bags while they’re out trick-or-treating. Give them a light meal or snack before they head out – don’t send them out on an empty stomach. Urge them to wait until they get home and let you inspect their loot before they eat any of it.
• Food Allergies: If your child has a food allergy, check the label to ensure the allergen isn’t present. Do not allow the child to eat any home-baked goods they may have received.
• Dental Health: Care for teeth the right way – brush with a fluoride toothpaste each day, especially before going to bed Halloween night

Keeping Pets Safe

Lights and decorations, costumes and masks, a constant parade of strangers at the door... Halloween can be a downright spooky experience for our furry friends with risks of poisoning, intestinal blockage and lost pets.

Considerations:

• Poisoning: Ingestion of glow sticks or Halloween candy containing chocolate or xylitol, both of which can be toxic for pets
• Intestinal blockage: Glow sticks, some candies, decorations or parts of a pet’s costume could cause intestinal blockage
• Injury: Lit candles or jack-o-lanterns can burn
• Stress and escape: Noises, strangers in costumes, continuous door ringing and opening and closing of the door can stress your pets and give them opportunity to escape

Safety Reminders:

• Don’t feed Halloween candy to your pets
• Never leave your pet unsupervised with accessible candy or decorations, or while they are in costume
• Identify your pet with a license tag, a registered microchip, collar and ID tag
• Keep lit candles, jack-o-lanterns, glow sticks and other decorations out of reach
• Give your pet a quiet, safe hiding place inside and away from activity

Pet Costumes:

Many pets are not comfortable in costumes, but if your pet is happy to dress up, consider the following:

• Make sure costumes fit properly
• Check to make sure costumes do not have pieces that can easily be chewed off and may cause chocking.
• Ensure costumes don’t hinder sight, hearing, breathing, opening the mouth, or movement.

Additional Resources:

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