First Aid

Halloween Safety: Choking, Costume Fires and Trick-or-Treat Tips

By Gene Jolley, AHA Heartsaver® Instructor · October 26, 2026

Real emergency right now? Call 911 first. The dispatcher will coach you.

Halloween safety comes down to three things: cars on dark roads, fire from candles and costumes, and choking on small candy and toys. Here is what to watch for, and exactly what to do if something goes wrong.

1. Be seen on dark roads

• Give every child a flashlight or glow stick.
• Put reflective tape on costumes and treat bags, front and back.
• Walk on sidewalks. With no sidewalk, walk facing traffic.
• Cross at corners. Never dart out between parked cars.
• Drivers: slow down in neighborhoods from 5 to 9 p.m. and watch for kids in dark costumes.

2. Prevent costume and pumpkin fires

• Use battery LED lights in pumpkins instead of real candles.
• Choose costumes labeled "flame resistant." Avoid long, loose capes and sleeves.
• Keep decorations like dried corn stalks and hay bales away from lights and heaters.
• Teach kids Stop, Drop and Roll if their clothes catch fire.
• Test your smoke alarms before your party. Clocks fall back on November 1, so this is the perfect week. Here's how to check every alarm in 10 minutes.

3. Choking: what to do

Hard candy, gum, nuts, popcorn and small toys are choking hazards, especially for children under 4. Sort the candy before kids eat it.

Signs of choking: the person can't talk, cough or breathe, and often grabs their throat. If they can cough hard, let them keep coughing and stay with them.

New in 2025: the American Heart Association now teaches back blows first for choking adults and children, alternating with abdominal thrusts. If you learned "abdominal thrusts only," this is the update.

For a child over 1 year or an adult

1. Ask, "Are you choking? Can I help?" Have someone call 911.
2. 5 back blows: stand slightly behind and to the side. Support their chest with one hand and lean them forward. Give 5 firm blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your other hand.
3. 5 abdominal thrusts: stand behind them. Make a fist and place it just above the belly button. Grab your fist with your other hand and give 5 quick inward and upward thrusts.
4. Keep alternating 5 back blows and 5 abdominal thrusts until the object comes out or the person stops responding.
5. If they stop responding, lower them to the floor, call 911 if no one has, and start CPR.

For a baby under 1 year

1. Hold the baby face down along your forearm, head lower than the chest, supporting the jaw with your hand.
2. Give 5 back blows between the shoulder blades with the heel of your hand.
3. Turn the baby face up on your other arm. Give 5 chest thrusts in the center of the chest, just below the nipple line, using the heel of one hand.
4. Keep alternating 5 back blows and 5 chest thrusts until the object comes out. If the baby stops responding, call 911 and start infant CPR.

Reading the steps is a start. Practicing them on a manikin is what makes your hands remember under pressure.

4. Food allergies

• Read labels before kids eat anything. "Fun size" candies can have different ingredients than full-size bars.
• If your child carries an epinephrine auto-injector, it goes trick-or-treating too.
• Offer non-food treats like stickers or glow sticks for kids with allergies.

Free printables

Print our free Hands-Only CPR poster and pocket cards and put one on the fridge before the party.

Sources

• American Heart Association, 2025 Guidelines for CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care (choking: back blows and abdominal/chest thrusts), cpr.heart.org
• National Fire Protection Association: Halloween fire safety, nfpa.org
• National Safety Council: Halloween safety, nsc.org

This guide is general safety information, not medical advice or a code inspection. It does not replace a hands-on CPR or first aid class. Product recommendations are my own and are not endorsed by the American Heart Association.