GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — As families prepare for Halloween, safety experts are urging parents to take precautions so the night stays fun — and not frightening.
Kelley Miller, an injury prevention specialist with Corewell Health, said parents’ biggest fear can come from something as simple as losing sight of their child.
“There's nothing more scary than, you know, losing track of your toddler or preschool-aged child in the dark,” Miller said.
Miller recommends teaching kids to stay put if they become separated and making it easy for others to help reunite them with family.
“We encourage kids that are misplaced to stay put so they can be found,” she said. “If the child doesn't know how to get a hold of mom, even writing your phone number on your kiddo’s forearm — and obviously, in a non-toxic marker — is a great way for any adult to be able to contact you.”
When it comes to costumes, Miller said visibility and safety are key.
“We want to think, be seen, be reflective, so light-colored costumes are best,” she said. “Glow sticks, reflective tape, can be added to the costumes, reflective bracelets, anything that's going to make your child more visible.”
She also advised parents to check costume length to prevent tripping.
“Some of our princess dresses and that kind of stuff are adorable, but also can be a hazard. We want to make sure that our hems are short enough that we're not going to introduce any tripping hazards,” Miller said.
Masks can limit a child’s vision, Miller added, suggesting face paint instead.
When crossing the street, she said trick-or-treaters should stay alert and take their time.
“You want to do one side of the street, cross at a safe spot and do the other side of the street,” Miller said. “Of course, don't dart in and out of cars. Just be very aware of your surroundings.”
Drivers also need to be extra cautious.
“Kids are more than twice as likely to get hit by a car on Halloween,” Miller said. “So do your responsibility as a driver to make sure your lights are on, go slow, be cautious, especially during those prime trick-or-treating hours.”
Once everyone is home, Miller said to inspect all candy before eating it.
“Dispose of anything opened. Of course, don't eat anything that's homemade. We want, you know, packaged goods only, unless you know who they came from,” she said. “Many fire stations do a candy check where they will use metal detectors to make sure that there's nothing hiding in there. More so just kind of a fun activity to go get your candy check to the fire station after your trick or treating.”
And her final, lighthearted reminder: don't forget the "parent tax".
“The parent text is very important... for quality control, parents get first dibs. Of course,” Miller joked.
Miller also shared a few extra safety suggestions for the holiday: use LED candles instead of real flames in pumpkins, clear walkways of wet leaves and tripping hazards, and keep pets secured. For families driving children between neighborhoods — especially in rural areas — she urged everyone to buckle up and follow all traffic laws, even at low speeds.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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