Halloween is one of my favorite nights of the year. The costumes, the flashlights bobbing down the street, the pillowcase full of candy. It’s also a night when the ER sees its share of falls, scrapes, and costume mishaps, and almost all of them are easy to prevent.

As a pediatric ER nurse and a mom of three, here’s the quick checklist I run through at our house. A few minutes of prep now means you get to relax and enjoy the night. Prepared, not panicked.

1. Help them be seen

• Go light and bright. Light or reflective costumes show up better after dark. If the costume is dark, add reflective tape to the front, back, and treat bag.
• Give everyone a light. Glow sticks as bracelets or necklaces work great, and older kids can carry a flashlight. A headlamp keeps hands free for candy.
• Glow sticks are for wearing, not chewing. If one breaks and the liquid gets on skin or in eyes, rinse well with water. If a child swallows some, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
• Little ones always go with an adult. Stick to sidewalks, cross at corners, and make eye contact with drivers before stepping into the street.

2. Check the costume before the big night

• Do a trial run. Have your child walk around the house and up and down the stairs in the costume and the shoes they’ll actually wear. Hems that touch the floor are a trip hazard.
• Choose face paint over masks. Masks can block vision and peripheral view. Test face paint on a small patch of skin a day or two ahead, and wash it off before bed.
• Keep props soft and short. Swords, wands, and pitchforks should be flexible and not pointed.
• Keep flames away. Look for flame-resistant costumes, and use LED candles in jack-o’-lanterns.
• Check light-up accessories. Make sure the battery compartment is closed tightly. A swallowed button battery is an emergency, so head to the ER right away, even if your child seems fine.
• Dress in layers. A warm layer under the costume is safer than cutting arm holes in a thick coat.

3. Do the candy check at home

• Wait to eat until you’re home. Sort the haul together first.
• Watch for choking hazards. For kids under 4, set aside hard candy, gum, gummies, lollipops, caramels, and anything with whole nuts.
• Read labels for allergens. Fun-size candy can have different ingredients than the regular bar. If your child has a food allergy, set aside anything without a label. Teal pumpkins on a porch often mean non-food treats are available.
• Toss what’s unwrapped or opened. Tampering is rare, but it’s easy to be safe.
• Feed a real dinner first. A full tummy makes the candy limit easier to hold, and fewer stomachaches follow.

4. Know when it’s more than a scrape

Most Halloween bumps are home-care. Here’s how I sort the rest:

• Call 911: trouble breathing, swelling of the lips, tongue, or face, or hives with vomiting after eating something. If your child has a prescribed epinephrine auto-injector, use it and call 911.
• Go to the ER: a head injury with loss of consciousness, repeated vomiting, a headache that keeps getting worse, or unusual sleepiness or confusion. Also go for a swallowed battery or magnet, or any eye injury.
• Call your pediatrician: a stomachache after too much candy, or a scrape that looks red, warm, or swollen the next day.

And as always: when in doubt, get them looked at. Your instincts are worth trusting.

Happy Halloween

One more thing that makes a night out easier is being ready for whatever comes after it. Candy, cold air, and late bedtimes have a way of leading to sniffles. My Fever 101 Guide and Fever Symptom Tracker are there for when it does, so you’re never guessing at 2 AM.

Have a safe, fun, and wonderfully sugar-filled night.