Halloween is full of fun for both children and parents. It's funny to dress up in scary outfits and ring stranger's doorbells and treat self with yummy candies.
However, more than 500 children below 14 years are killed in pedestrian accidents every year on the Halloween night and the candies, costumes and haunted houses can pose health risks to children with allergies and asthma.
Considering the risks associated with the trick-or -treating night, parents should take some extra precautions to ensure a safe Halloween night for their little ones. Following are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) to have a SAFE HALLOWEEN:
- Keep all the costume accessories like swords and knives flexible, soft and short.
- Children should be accompanied by an adult and should not be allowed to do trick-or-treating alone
- Reflective tape should be tied on costumes and bags to avoid motor vehicle accidents
- Take extra care to avoid choking risks while eating treats
- Use flashlight and walk (avoid running) while visiting houses
- Cosmetics should be tested to avoid allergy risks
- Avoid decorative contact lenses
- Choose comfortable costumes, shoes and masks to avoid blocked vision and falls
- Avoid eating homemade treats from strangers
- Avoid dark houses and ride from strangers
- Use flame-resistant costumes
Apart from these general tips, health experts from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have some food safety tips for parents:
- Children should be instructed to avoid eating treats while trick-or-treating and contents of the treats should be carefully inspected before eating
- Avoid sending children for trick-or-treating with an empty stomach
- Gum, peanuts, hard candies or small toys should be removed and kept away from small children to avoid choking hazard
- Do not allow children to taste raw cookie dough or cake batter
- Clean fruits and vegetables used for games thoroughly with water to avoid infection
