Planning a Safer Halloween

As we enter October, Halloween is right around the corner. Halloween is a fun holiday spent dressing up as your favorite characters, carving pumpkins, collecting candy from your local neighborhoods and visiting haunted houses. While halloween brings a lot of fun to this time of year there are precautious that need to be taken.

There are ways we can go about in planning Halloween that will play a role in keeping our children safe.

Costume Planning

• Plan costumes that are bright and reflective.
• Make sure that shoes fit well
• Look for “flame resistant” on the costume labels
• Consider non-toxic makeup and decorative hats as safer alternatives to masks. 
• Avoid any share or long swords, canes, or sticks as a costume accessory.
• Do not use decorative contact lenses without an eye examination and a prescription from an eye care professional.

Pumkin Carving

• Never allow small children to carve pumpkins. Children can draw a face with markers. Then parents can do the cutting.
• Consider using a flashlight or glow stick instead of a candle to light your pumpkin. If you do use a candle, a votive candle is safest.
• Do not place candlelit pumpkins on a porch or any path where visitors may pass close by. They should never be left unattended.