4 Helpful Trick-Or-Treat Safety Tips for Your Home and Neighborhood

Fall is in the air, and tiny ghosts and goblins will be making their way to your door in no time. Trick-or-treating may be many children's favorite part of October, but making sure your new home and neighborhood do not present unnecessary safety hazards is everyone on your street's responsibility. Here are four of the most important things to consider to ensure communities around the Lehigh Valley area are as safe as possible on Halloween night!

Are you curious as to when your local trick-or-treat nights are? Check out a detailed list here!

Create a Well-Lit Home

Running through dark yards increases the likelihood of tripping, and parents may not always feel comfortable having young children approach a house that is not adequately lit. Ensure your porch light is on, and keep several lights on in your kitchen, hallway, or other entryways. Incorporating festive lighting into your decor scheme can also help create the perfect balance between fun and spooky, such as orange or purple string lights, illuminated inflatable giant pumpkins, ghosts, or other yard decors, and a line of lanterns along the path to your door can create a yard that is brighter and easier to navigate.

Choose Battery-Operated Candles

There may be nothing quite like the timeless glow of lighting pumpkins with candles, but real flames are not the safest choice for decorations on your front steps, porch, sidewalk, or anyplace else where they are likely to be bumped or knocked over by excited trick-or-treaters. 

Swapping real candles for artificial alternatives that look just as realistic when flickering through your carvings is a much safer option for illuminating your outdoor decor, especially during trick-or-treat hours, and you can save the real candles for indoor use where you know they will be safe. 

If you do choose to use real candles for any outdoor decorations, make sure they are as far as possible from any place trick-or-treaters may be.

Encourage Traveling in Groups

Halloween may be the one time of year when it is perfectly acceptable for children of all ages to approach strangers' doors. However, they must know to be cautious around neighbors they do not know. Let children know not to enter a stranger's home, especially if they will be trick-or-treating without an adult. Encourage them to stay with a group of friends or family members instead of wandering off on their own.

Parents should also set basic ground rules for groups that will be trick-or-treating without an adult. Provide a list of neighborhoods that are nearby and generally safe to visit. You can also choose specific streets, buildings, or other boundaries they should avoid crossing. Make sure at least one group member has a cell phone with them. Designate a specific time to be home (or at the home of a friend they are spending the evening with).

Prepare Your Home for Visitors

Keep your yard as clean and free of obstacles as possible. This prevents slipping on wet leaves or tripping over tools or toys that may be buried beneath a layer of leaves or more difficult to see in the dark.Setting aside some time to rake leaves no earlier than a few days before Halloween can significantly reduce the amount of excess fall hazards between the street and your door.Ensure the most direct route to your porch is as clear as possible. Remember that excited children will likely run from every direction instead of sticking to this path.

At Kay Builders, we are here to help you become part of a community that is as fun and safe to live in as possible at Halloween and throughout the year. Our communities in the greater Lehigh Valley area provide the perfect starting point for forming friendships with neighbors who enjoy spending time together. Contact us today via our online form or call us at (484) 353-6100 to learn more about the benefits of living in the Lehigh Valley area or to start the process of building your new home!