10 tips to have a fun and safe Halloween!
Halloween 2020 will undoubtedly be one to remember.
October 31st is drawing near: Kids are excited and planning their costumes, but parents are rightly worried. Given the state of the world, many even wonder if trick or treating should be cancelled. Nonetheless, most communities are planning to forge ahead.
So, once again, we have to balance important life experiences for our kids with safety for our family! If you are planning to allow your children to trick or treat, here’s some important tips to keep your kids as safe as possible:
EVERYONE over the age of 3 years needs to be wearing a mask—even better, get creative and incorporate it into your costume!
Stay outside! Outdoor activities are generally regarded as significantly safer than indoor ones. This is not the time for any indoor Halloween parties or “trunk or treat” events.
If you are giving out candy or treats, be creative! Think of fun ways to keep your distance. For example, use a 6-foot long candy chute to send treats sailing down to the kids instead of handing them out directly!
If you are with your kids, encourage them to extend their treat bag rather than their hand so that the treats will be dropped directly into the bag without needing touch others or items others have touched.
NO eating candy along the way. Dirty candy wrappers equals dirty hands, then dirty candy, then dirty candy and hands right into kids’ mouths! But this year doesn’t have to be all tough self-discipline for the kids, Instead, bring a few treats of your own along for your kids to enjoy—after they sanitize their hands.
Sanitize everyone’s hand frequently!
Travel only with the other kids in your designated small circle.
When you get home, put all of the candy that your kids collected away for at least 3 days. The virus that causes COVID-19, only lives on surfaces for up to 3 days. Unless you want to clean every piece of candy individually, this will make life much easier. Have a stash at home of candy to give your kids instead. Every kid deserves a sugar rush on Halloween!
Avoid busy streets and instead choose a few select houses on quieter streets.
Remember, it is the experience and not the volume that makes for a memorable (and safe!) Halloween!!
When your young kids look back at this year, with these simple rules, they will have still had fun, and, most importantly, stayed healthy!
