Halloween involves a lot of fun, sweets and creativity - this sometimes comes with danger, and we have a list of costume warnings every parent needs to be aware of.
You might remember when TV presenter Claudia Winkleman revealed that her daughter Matilda suffered severe burns, after her shop-bought costume was caught on a lit candle and went up instantly while trick or treating.
With raised concerns around the increase of incidents over the past few years on Halloween, it’s important your child knows how to ‘stop, drop and roll’, the safest thing to do if the costumes catch light and keep away from candles.
READ MORE: Spooky DIY Halloween cocktails you need to try for your parties this weekend
Here are some things to look out for before buying a Halloween costume.
Fire safety
Some children’s fancy dress outfits still aren’t required to meet the same safety standards as other children’s clothes.
Although the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has introduced labelling for these types of fancy dress costumes since 2017, there are still plenty of costumes which are highly flammable.
To avoid any problems, only purchase costumes from reputable retailers, cheaper Halloween costumes are more likely to catch fire.
Dangers of high-vinyl products
Many Halloween costumes are made with flame retardant chemicals to avoid catching fire, which sounds comforting, but some costumes have chemicals which can act as endocrine disruptors, some are associated with issues in brain development and behaviour problems.
Others are linked to attention issues in children, and even more serious issues such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
Vinyl masks, especially PVC, can be contaminated with phthalates, which are linked to hormone disruption and lower IQ in children.
Heavy metal face paints
Make sure you know what you’re applying on your kid's face - there is non-toxic face paint coloured with natural colorants available.
