How to Trick or Treat Safely in Maine

The tradition of Trick or Treating on Halloween night is an exciting prelude to the Holiday season in Maine. It can be an enjoyable evening for entire families especially if they set up some safety measures ahead of time. It is common for Maine children to set out on their adventure after dinner during the after dark hours of 4:30 to 8 in the evening. Maine weather can be balmy or chilling at the end of October. Parents must plan ahead to keep their goblins and ghouls safe. Read on for several ideas for a safe night for all.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. You must plan ahead as you purchase or design costumes for your children. Costumes should have standard safety components including reflector tape, layering of warm clothing underneath, clear vision and ease of movement. Maine weather is unpredictable. Plan for any kind of weather and temperatures. Make sure the costume is big enough to wear a jacket underneath it if the temperature is going to drop below 50 degrees. If the costume is of thin material consider thermal underwear or sweatpants and shirts when planning the outfit. Prepare for rain by planning on driving your children to each trick or treat home.

2. Plan for one parent to accompany children during the quest for treats. Adult supervision is crucial as Maine has a lot of rural areas, town and city streets. It is much safer to travel as a family unit or see to it that a group has one adult per three children when out for the evening. Flashlights or lanterns with new batteries is a must. Decorative flashlights are fine for the children. They are more of a safety feature allowing drivers to see the child.

3. You need to be alert for cars and other children. Many small towns in Maine have a focus on after dark trick or treating. Most of this is done by walking door to door then getting into a family vehicle to ride to another street in the area. When walking with your children encourage them to hold hands or stay in a formation where you can keep a head count, watch for costume problems and be alert to cars in the vicinity.

4. Pay attention to where the treats are coming from. Maine has had rare problems off and on over the decades with an individual or two that will pull nasty or dangerous tricks on children. Visit only the homes of people you know. Only allow one treat to be eaten while you are out for the evening. Let them have one more snack once you are home. You can keep treats in the kitchen and be able to control when they are having them for snacks for several days.

5. Be prepared for the unexpected for Halloween in Maine, colder weather, driving rain, snow and the beginning of winter virus season. Your child could come down with a virus on Halloween. If you have planned ahead you can deal with this situation and give the child a happy evening. Have snacks and alternatives at home. A quick decorative Halloween theme can be set up in the family or living room and a movie night can soothe the unhappy child. Turn the evening into a party that will accommodate the symptoms the child is enduring without overtiring and making them worse. If family members are willing, the child can go room to room and trick or treat for surprises the parents and siblings can pass out to them.

Tips & Warnings

• Be cautious and handle safety issues without scaring your child.

• Use extreme caution in traffic areas.

• It is very important to pay attention to the weather.

• A sick child should not go trick or treating.