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Trick or treating

Keeping children safe while trick or treating is very important. You should:

• never allow children to trick or treat alone, they should always be accompanied by a responsible adult
  
• plan a trick or treat route carefully, using familiar, well lit areas
  
• never let a child enter a strange house while trick or treating
  
• make sure children trick or treat early - most people won't like to be disturbed late in the evening

Halloween tricks

Halloween tricks have traditionally involved throwing eggs or flour at houses where no treat has been offered. However, your neighbours might not enjoy having to clean their door the next day, so be considerate. Take care that your children: 

• respect 'no trick or treating' signs displayed by householders who choose not to celebrate Halloween
• are polite at all times when trick or treating
• do not get carried away with tricks - this could be viewed as anti-social behaviour, and police have warned that young people who throw eggs on Halloween risk having a criminal record

Halloween treats

Always make sure any treats your child gets are suitable. Ensure that children:

• don't eat any treats offered until they're examined by a responsible adult
  
• throw away any suspicious, unwrapped or tampered-with treats

• Anti-social behaviour (crime and justice section)

Halloween costume safety

When creating a Halloween costume, it's important to:

• buy costumes that are fire resistant – you can find this information on the item's label
• ensure the costume has proper eye holes so that the person wearing it can see where they are going
• include reflective tape or glow-in-the-dark jewellery, so your child will be seen in the dark
• make sure costumes aren't too long and that shoes are sturdy to prevent trips and falls
• ban children from using real knives, pitchforks etc as props

Halloween pumpkins

Pumpkins are part of many Halloween celebrations. If you choose to have a pumpkin:

• don't let small children carve the pumpkin unsupervised
  
• consider a battery-powered electric candle - but if you do use a lit candle, don't leave the pumpkin unattended

More on Directgov

• Fire safety in the home - a quick guide (home and community section)

• Keeping children safe from burns and scalds (parents section)

• Guarding children against trips and falls (parents section)