Stay safe this Halloween
By Emma Bernick, El Paso County Public Health Injury & Violence Prevention Planner
October brings many chances for spooky family fun, including venturing into haunted houses, navigating the twists and turns of a corn maze, carving a hand-picked pumpkin, and of course, trick-or-treating on Halloween night. While parents and children are both eager to get out the door for a night of fun, it’s important to consider safety measures before you ring your first doorbell.
As a parent, you don’t have to be scared if you are prepared! As you’re picking out costumes and getting your candy bucket ready, here are a few tips for you to consider adding to your checklist to make sure your kids have a safe and happy Halloween.
Costume Safety 101
- Stay away from decorative contact lenses without a prescription from an eye doctor. While fun contacts may seem like a costume essential to your child, decorative lenses purchased without a prescription may not fit properly. Poor-fitting contact lenses can lead to eye injuries.
• Make sure costumes fit well and are trick-or-treat ready. When checking children’s costumes, here are a few things to keep in mind:
o Masks and other face accessories may obstruct their vision; if so, find an alternative option or switch to make-up or face paint.
o Check that there are no loose materials that may cause a tripping hazard.
o All accessories should be short, soft and flexible.
• Test all Halloween makeup ahead of time. Try a small amount of make-up on your child’s arm to check for an allergic reaction.
Planning for Food Allergies for Trick-or-Treating
- Buy a stash of safe candy for your child. With all the excitement surrounding trick-or-treating, children with allergies may feel left out when they see other kids eating candy that they can’t have. Here are some ideas to help you navigate managing allergies on Halloween:
ο Have safe candy or non-food treats at home, that way there are plenty of options that you can “trade.”
ο Prepare some goodie bags that your neighbors can hand out to your child. Be sure to stop by ahead of time to drop the bags off and let them know what costume your child will be wearing.
ο Bring some fun snacks with you while trick-or-treating so there’s always a safe option on hand.
• Be sure to pack two epinephrine auto-injectors in your go-bag in case of emergency (if prescribed).
Street Smarts
According to the Children’s Safety Network, Halloween is the most dangerous day of the year for child pedestrians, with twice as many fatalities than any other day. While you may have already gone over how to safely cross the road, giving your child a refresher is the best way to make sure they’re able to safely navigate from house to house.
• Adults should accompany children ages 12 and under. Children over the age of 12 should go in groups and stick to familiar areas.
• Map out your route with your child ahead of time so you both know what to expect and what to do if you get separated.
• Always cross at street corners, using traffic lights and crosswalks.
• Look both ways before crossing and make eye contact with the driver to make sure they see you.
• Walk on sidewalks whenever possible or on the far edge of the road facing traffic. Give your child a flashlight or glow stick to help them see and to help drivers see them.
Checking Your Child’s Candy
- If your child has allergies, check every ingredient label, every time. Snack-size or bite-size candy bars sometimes have different ingredients than their full-size counterpart. Be sure you’re checking labels every year in case the ingredients have changed.
• Encourage your child not to accept or eat any candy that isn’t pre-wrapped • Check for and throw out tampered or unsafe candy. Look out for:
ο Unusual appearance or discoloration
ο Tiny holes or tears in the wrapper
ο Unwrapped candy
ο Homemade or personally wrapped items (unless you know who gave them out). When in doubt, throw the candy out.
• Remove any choking hazards such as gum, hard candy, peanuts and small toys for very young children.
