Halloween Safety Tips
Dr. Trina Blythe - Way to Grow Pediatrics
Trina Blythe, MD, is a BJC Medical Group pediatrician with Way to Grow Pediatrics.
Location: Progress West Hospital, 20 Progress Point Parkway, Suite 108.
Phone: 636.344.2400.
The leaves are on the ground and the nights are cooler, which means Halloween is just around the corner. Here are a few tips to keep your trick or treating princesses and pirates safe.
Costume safety
- Make sure that the child can see well from inside the costume. Avoid masks that obscure your child's vision.
- If it is cold on Halloween night children should wear a coat or jacket over the costume or a long shirt and pants under the costume as appropriate.
- Make sure that the costume does not prevent the child from being able to walk and is not a tripping hazard.
Treat safety
- If possible feed children dinner before going out so that they are a little less tempted to overindulge on candy.
- Consider handing out pencils, stickers and safe toys instead of candy.
- Only go to houses of people you know.
- Limit how many pieces of candy per day to avoid stomach aches.
- All candy should be inspected by an adult before allowing children to eat it.
- Brush teeth after eating candy. Your dentist will thank you.
- Candy that is not in a wrapper or is in a torn wrapper should be discarded.
- Open the chocolate candy before your child eats it.
- Any chocolate that looks like it has melted and solidified again should also be discarded.
- Any chocolate candy that looks like it has white smudges on it or is flaking off should be discarded.
- All toys should be inspected for choking hazards or peeling paint especially with the tiny trick-or-treaters.
- Many dentists have candy buyback programs, consider selling some candy back to your dentist to get it out of the house and away from temptation.
Nighttime Safety
- Children should be accompanied by an adult during trick-or-treating.
- The costumes should be reflective and have some sort of visibility in the dark.
- Children should carry a flashlight.
- Children should stay on sidewalks and use the crosswalks to cross the street so as to be more visible to motorists.
- Older children not accompanied by an adult should have trick-or-treating expectations and safety rules reviewed prior to going out.
- NO property destruction or vandalism.
- They should NOT enter the homes of people they do not know.
- Avoid homes with a dog barking or prowling.
- If participating in a Trunk or Treat, parking lot safety rules apply especially towards the end of the event as people are starting to drive out of the parking lot.
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