Halloween is for kids to have fun; it's an annual childhood glut-fest of too much candy, too much screaming, and way too much fake blood. And while pint-sized ghosts and goblins might not really frighten adults, there are some scary things parents need to know.
"Across the country, there are about four times more pedestrian injuries on Halloween than any other day, and it has been reported there are twice as many pediatric deaths on Halloween, so the injuries can be very serious," said Dr. Tony Woodward, Emergency Room chief at Seattle Children's hospital.
Keeping your children safe on Halloween begins before they leave home. You can put reflective tape on a costume, add blinking lights or glow stick, anything to help make your kids more visible to drivers.
“In general, we recommend, not wearing a mask. If you are going to do something with your face, try using face paint. You can get the same effect, but if you do wear a mask, you want to make sure you have nice eyes, nice holes for your ears, so you can hear, and nice holes so you can breathe. Anything that impedes your vision on a dark night makes it a little bit harder to see some of those obstacles that are out there," said Woodward.
Tripping accidents can happen with costumes that are too long or shoes that are too big. And if it's a homemade costume your child is wearing, make sure to fire retardant material.
If you are worried about too much candy, try sending your child out the door with smaller bags, but if that doesn't work, consider this idea.
"In situations where you are really worried about your kids having too much candy, think about a buy-back program," Woodward said. "It makes the child feel valued, they get something that is valuable to them, and you keep them away from something you might not want them to get in to. I think if parents pay attention, and they supervise, they have some control over what's going on, and they make their kids as safe as possible on the way out. It's an awesome time of year."
