Halloween Safety

With Halloween right around the corner, it’s a good time to think about safety. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the most common reasons for a trip to the hospital are eye injuries from sharp objects, burns from flammable costumes and injuries from collisions with motor vehicles.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has the following tips to help parents help their kids be safe on Halloween:

• Costumes, wigs and accessories should be made of flame-resistant fabrics and material. Candles and jack-o’-lanterns that glow on porches and walkways can ignite flammable costumes, especially baggy ones.

• To help avoid injuries from falls, select soft, flexible props. Any swords, canes or sticks, if used, should not be sharp or too long. Masks impair vision, so encourage trick-or-treaters to dress up in hats and nontoxic makeup instead.

• Flashlights, glow sticks and bags and costumes outlined with reflective tape will make your kids more obvious to motorists.

• Parents should accompany young children walking door-to-door, and ensure that trick-or-treating is confined to familiar areas. Stick to sidewalks, cross at corners and avoid darting from house to house. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic.

• When trick-or-treaters arrive home, check their candy. Discard spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.