Decorating for Halloween

Common Halloween Decorating-related Injuries
​As autumn arrives it is the perfect time to start decorating for Halloween. However, we remind parents and families to be aware of common decorating-related injuries, such as cuts from pumpkin carving, falls from ladders during decorating, or from poorly lit areas, burns from open flames, trips caused by extension cords or fog machines, allergic reactions, choking hazards from small costume parts, and respiratory issues from fog fumes. The good news is these risks are entirely preventable. By understanding these hazards and following simple safety tips, you can help ensure a fun, festive, and injury-free Halloween for everyone. 

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Decorating your Home

Electrical Safety

• Safe Lighting: Use battery-operated lights, glow sticks, or LED lights instead of traditional candles or open flames. LED lighting is:​​​​
  • Less prone to breaking, and last much longer.
  • Use 80% less power that incandescent bulbs.
  • ​Safer as they produce less heat reducing risk of fire and burns.
• Keep lighted decorations away from drapes, decorations, flammable materials or areas where children will be standing or walking.
• Do not overload electrical outlets with holiday lighting or special effect devices.
• Keep electrical wires and extension cords away from walkways and doorways to prevent tripping.​
• When you go to bed or leave your home, unplug electrical decorations to prevent fire risk.

Ladder Safety

• ​Make sure the ladder is stable before climbing
• Avoid overreaching to prevent falls

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Outdoor and Sidewalk Entry Safety

• Remove debris, wet leaves, and stored items from your lawn, porch, and steps to create a clear and safe pathway for visitors.
• Secure all decorations, especially large inflatables, firmly to the ground to prevent them from blowing over or becoming trip hazards.
• Place pumpkin Jack-o'-lanterns and other lit decorations away from steps and walkways to reduce tripping and fire risks (use battery or LED lighting instead of a flame candle)

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Pumpkin Carving/Decorating and Child Helpers

My little girl drawing the design on our pumpkin - A safe alternative for little helpers.

Adult supervision

• Adults carve the pumpkin
• Provide constant supervision. Even teenagers need to be supervised, and children should never be left alone with sharp tools.

What can children do?

• ​Remember, children should never carve pumpkins, but they can help:
  1. ​​Instead let them draw faces with markers, then the adult does the cutting
  2. Children can also assist in removing the seeds and poking out the portions that the adult has cut out

Safe Carving Environment

• Choose a well-lit, clean, and dry area for carving to reduce the risk of slipping and accidents
• Keep tools and hands dry, as moisture can cause slips and injuries during carving
• Use a steady surface and secure the pumpkin to prevent it from rolling or wobbling while carving

Appropriate Tools and Carving Techniques

• Use a pumpkin carving kit with duller, serrated saws specifically designed for pumpkin carving, which help reduce the risk of injury compared to sharp kitchen knives
• Always cut away from your body and your non-carving hand to prevent accidental injuries
• Carve slowly and steadily using small, controlled motions to maintain better control of the tool and ensure safety​

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No-Carve Pumpkin Decorating Alternatives

• Decorate your pumpkin by:
  1. Having children draw on black construction paper, the eyes, nose, and mouth, then cute-out (with adult supervision), then tape the face onto the pumpkin. Another option is to have children draw a face on the pumpkin with a pencil, then use a black permanent marker, or cut our felt, to color in the face accordingly.
  2. Decorating the black construction paper with glow-in-the-dark paint
  3. Making hair for the pumpkin out of yarn or use a mop (by removing the handle)
  4. Making a hat out of black construction paper
• This no-carve idea, helps to preserve your pumpkin after Halloween, for use in recipes
• Battery-powered Lights: Remember, to use battery-powered LED lights or glow sticks instead of candles to reduce fire risk

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Displaying your Pumpkin

• Use battery operated candles instead of flame lighted candles for pumpkins
• If you use flame lighted pumpkins:​​
  1. Place pumpkin on a sturdy table, away from curtains and other flammable objects
  2. Place so it is out of reach of children
  3. Never leave a candle lighted pumpkin unattended

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Preparing your Home for Halloween Night

• ​Keep trick-or-treaters safe by removing anything that someone could trip over such as garden hoses, toys, bikes and lawn decorations
  
• If you participate in Trick-or-Treating at your home and give out treats, leave a porch light on for trick-or-treaters
  

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Trick-or-Treat Planning

​Trick-or-Treat Safety​
​(Halloween Night)

Halloween Safety (Home)​

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