9 Tips For Safe Trick-Or-Treating (Slideshow)
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Letting your kids cross the street alone is scary enough during the day, let alone at night when they're in ninja outfits. Make sure your costumed children are seen from a distance with some simple reflector tape. However, kids likely won't take well to the tape strapped to their getup. Either slap it onto their treat basket or find a glow-in-the-dark treat bag to keep the kids visible to all the ghosts, goblins, and big trucks out there.
Find My iPhone to Find My Kids
Many children that are quickly reaching the age of "too cool to trick-or-treat with mom" might already be equipped with iPhones. Apple's smartphone has a neat feature known as Find My iPhone. Originally intended for theft prevention, Find My iPhone allows you to track your phone's position through its internal GPS. This way, you'll be able to let them have their independence while knowing instantly when your kids venture too far or stay in one place for too long.
Set Smart Boundaries with Geofencing
They truly have thought of everything, haven't they? Take the Life360 for iOS and Android, for instance. This app uses geofencing technology to track your loved one's location from wherever you are. Follow your kids along a path by pinning designated places. When your kids arrive at those spots, you will be automatically notified via Life360.
Check the Treats
Even if you live in a wholesome, trustworthy neighborhood, always check every last piece of candy for openings and other oddities. There aren't many ways to make this a fun experience, but knowing that your kids are safe is well worth the whining.
Walkie-Talkies
Turn trick-or-treating into a mission with a pair of long-range walkie-talkies, like this Uniden 16-mile, two-way radio system for just $25. Play to the charade with spy-themed costumes, and you just made keeping tabs on your pre-teens an entertaining meta game
Coordinate with Parents
Don't want to be too much like Big Brother? Try to coordinate with fellow parents as much as possible. Have your kids team up with their friends so that you have a better idea of who they're with and perhaps where they are. If you want to go the extra mile, plan a route for them that weaves through numerous neighbors' houses.
Make Handing Out Candy Fun
Want to be absolutely certain that your kids are safe? Turn candy duty into an experience. Here's an idea: Incorporate your children into spooky lawn traps to ramp up the scares. Whoever gets the most screams by the end of the night wins a prize.
Light the Way
It's one thing to ensure that your little ones are seen, but it's another to make sure that they can see. Equip your kids with standard flashlights. Magites are small, cheap and powerful) and fresh batteries before they run off into the night. While they should always stick to well-lit paths, this will help them should a dark road or crosswalk be unavoidable.
Fill 'Em Up
A hungry trick-or-treater is not a happy one, and chances are that they'll tear into their candy on an empty stomach before you get to it. Try out some of these quick meal ideas to fill your kids up before hitting the road, or treat them to a decadent Halloween-themed meal of pumpkin risotto.