Don’t Let Your Halloween Become Tragic

Kids love Halloween! When else do you get to be someone entirely different and can run from house to house with the only purpose of being able to collect as much candy as possible?  Still, with all that excitement and candy parents need to make sure their kids not only understand the importance of safety, but are safe.

We all remember the horror stories of razor blades and poison in candy on Halloween. Though checking kids’ candy before they eat it is extremely important, what is even more important is pedestrian safety. Vehicle accidents are the number one cause of injury for kids on Halloween.  Unfortunately, some of the most popular costumes are dark colors. Combine that with excited kids darting into the streets to find more candy and that is a real Nightmare on Elm Street.

One of the best ways to keep kids safe is to choose a costume that helps him or her to be seen.  Try looking for costumes that have bright colors or if your child chooses a dark-colored costume make sure he or she wears some sort of reflector.

Here are some additional costume safety tips:

• Costumes need to be flame-resistant
• Use non-toxic make-up instead of masks since masks can obscure vision
• Try to stay away from capes and costumes that are too long. These can be a trip hazard or even catch on fire from candles in jack-o-lanterns
• Decorative contact lenses can cause serious eye infections. According to Boyd, purchasing contact lenses without a prescription is dangerous for your health and illegal
• Be careful with accessories. If you have young children make sure the necklaces, etc., are not a choking hazard and swords aren’t sharp

Also think about the safety of other ghosts and goblins who will be coming to your door. Candles and costumes are not a good combination. Look for battery-operated candles to use in the jack-o-lantern or if you do use a candle make sure it’s a votive.

Teens love Halloween as well, but it’s one of the most dangerous nights for driving. Try to convince them not to drive and consider holding a special Halloween event such as a scary movie night or haunted house at your house instead. Whatever you do make sure you know who they are with, where they are going, when they will be home and stay in contact throughout the night.

Each month a primary care physician from the Loyola Center for Heath in Homer Glen will share health tips for the whole family. Dr. Sara Doss is an integral part of the Loyola University Health System’s primary care team. She specializes in adult internal medicine and pediatrics and enjoys seeing patients of all ages from infants to older adults at the Loyola Center for Health at Homer Glen. In addition, she is an assistant professor at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine in the departments of internal medicine and pediatrics. When not seeing patients she enjoys exercising, cooking and reading. She recently added Mom to her list of titles.