Treats Not Tricks: Tips to keep kids safe this Halloween

The crisp morning air and brightly colored leaves welcome Fall and, with it, Halloween. Our little ghosts and witches grow excited at the prospect of dressing up as their favorite characters, showing off their costumes and being rewarded with treats in return. As adults, we know the many dangers that can come with accepting candy and other goodies from strangers. How can we keep our children safe without taking the fun out of this ghoulish holiday?

Dr. Neelam Shah, resident at Brigham and Women’s Family Care Associates at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, offers tips to make sure your goblin stays safe.

Preparing for Halloween Night:

- Do not trick-or-treat on an empty stomach, or your child may be tempted to eat candy all night long.

- Give your trick-or-treater a working and charged cell phone and teach them how to call 911 if an emergency happens or they get lost.

- Know your city’s rules and plan a route and curfew based on these.

- Don’t allow your children to trick-or-treat alone. Travel with your children if you can; if not, have another responsible adult travel with them. For older children (teenagers), discuss the route that they will be traveling and have them call you every so often to confirm they are safe.

Costumes:

- Costumes should be fire-proof and brightly colored or have a reflective portion so that they can be easily seen.

- Use non-toxic make-up rather than masks to help children see.

- Costumes should be short so children don’t trip over them. All children should wear sturdy, stable shoes.

- All props (swords, etc.) should be short and dull so that children do not hurt themselves if they accidentally fall onto them.

- Do not use decorative contact lenses without talking to your child’s eye doctor or pediatrician first as some can cause permanent eye damage.

Travel Safety:

- Teach children to look left, right and left again when crossing a street and to only cross at crosswalks when the signal says it’s ok to cross. For younger children, hold hands while crossing the street.

- Avoid alleys, fields and other short cuts and stay in well-lit areas.

- Do not enter the car or home of a stranger.

- Carry a flashlight or glow stick to help you see.

After Trick-or-Treating:

- Remind children that you need to see all candy and treats before they can eat or play with them.  Toss out any suspicious candy (anything that looks like it’s been tampered with, anything unwrapped, homemade treats from strangers, etc.), and inspect non-food treats for choking hazards.

- Split up how the candy will be eaten—consider one to two pieces now and then one totwo pieces per week as a treat. Or consider having children choose a handful of their favorite candy and donating the rest.

- Remove all make-up before bed to help minimize skin issues.

Other Ways to Have Fun on Halloween: 

Some children can’t trick-or-treat because of medical problems or other reasons. Here are other things you can do for them:

- If your child has food allergies:  FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) has a Teal Pumpkin Project. Families who are part of this project will place a teal pumpkin outside their homes and give out non-food treats so that children with food allergies can still trick-or-treat.  Check out their website for more information.

- If your child has other dietary limits: Consider having your own Halloween party so that you know exactly what is in every food and can make sure that it is safe for your child.

- If your child cannot be around large groups of people: Consider having a Halloween hunt in which, similar to an Easter egg hunt, you hide pieces of candy around your home and have your child spend the evening finding them.

- If you live in an unsafe neighborhood:  Consider trick-or-treating at a local mall, or see if a church or school is hosting a safer trick-or-treating experience for your children.

Looking for more safety tips? Check out the American Academy of Pediatrics or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Halloween should be a time of excitement for children and adults alike, but it can also be a dangerous one if we are not careful. Follow the tips above to help make the holiday a safe and fun one, full of treats rather than tricks!

Does your child need a primary care provider? The physicians at Brigham and Women’s Family Care Associates at Brigham at Women’s Faulkner Hospital are accepting new pediatric patients. To make an appointment, contact us Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, at 617-983-7025. Appointments are available in English and Spanish.