Keeping your Ghouls and Goblins Safe on Halloween

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Keep your ghouls and goblins safe this Halloween with these tips from the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Eat only commercially- wrapped treats.
  • Avoid homemade treats and any commercially wrapped treat that have a suspicious appearance, such as a pinhole in the wrapper or an unusual discoloration or smell
  • When in doubt about an item’s safety, throw it out.
• Stay on the street.
  • Never enter a stranger’s home or car.
  • Make sure an adult is present while children are trick-or-treating.
• Trick or treat in smaller groups.
  • Staying in your family’s bubble and washing hands before consuming candy lessens the risk of contracting COVID-19.
• Brighten the night.
  • Glow sticks or flashlights to be more visible to drivers.
  • Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers.
• Make sure accessories are age-appropriate.
  • Magic wands and swords can be unsafe in the wrong hands.
• Steer clear of fire.
  • Wear flame-resistant costumes.
  • Keep candles and jack-o-lanterns away from the path of trick-or-treaters.
  • Consider using battery-operated candles or glow sticks for decorations.
• Look out for lenses.
  • Decorative contact lenses can cause infections.
  • Only buy them from a company that sells FDA-cleared or approved contact lenses and requires you to provide a prescription.
• Stay street safe.
  • Put electronic devices down and keep heads up while walking across the street.
  • Make eye contact with drivers before crossing in front of them.
  • Use crosswalks.
  • According to the CDC, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year.
• Use extra caution.
  • Drive slowly and be especially alert in residential neighborhoods, looking out for children who may not be looking for you.
  • Pay attention when backing out of driveways.