Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love any occasion where I get to wear something weird and eat chocolate. My children have followed my passion for the occasion, and start talking about costumes in July. This year I have Iron Man, Super Mario, and Cinderella ready to rock out for days on a sugar high. I love that I can blame their erratic and crazy behavior on all the candy they have been eating instead of my poor parenting skills. Trick or Treating is always a blast, and I love seeing all our friends and their children dressed up as their favorite animal or characters. Along with all the fun that accompanies the ghostly and ghoulish Halloween, there are some precautions and safety things that should be taken into account. After all, it's no fun to be a real bloody mess.
Costumes are always entertaining. My kids never need an excuse to play dress up, but having one makes it even better. Common sense needs to play a role in the decision of what to wear. Here's some tips I always follow:
- Dark colors are a really bad plan since most Trick or Treating takes place at night so I would skip the Darth Vader or Grim Reaper attire.
- A mask that blocks your vision or your hearing is a disaster waiting to happen. Consider face painting instead.
- Make sure the length of your child's outfit is good so your child won't trip.
- Never allow your child to carry shop objects like knives or swords, even if they are plastic, an injury can occur if they fall.
- Be sure to bundle up under a lightweight costume because it gets cold in late October.
- Princess shoes are cute, but not very comfortable for walking around the neighborhood.
- Put a tag on the inside the costume of small children with their name and your phone number.
- Consider buying reflective tape or a flashing button so kids are easy to spot in a crowd.
- Most of all, make sure your child LOVES their outfit. Even if that means your son is Spiderman for the 4th year in a row.
