Riverside Halloween Safety Tips
Kids really love Halloween – the costumes, the candy and those crazy-scary movies. To help ensure their night is safe as well as fun, here are some tips from Riverside Medical Clinic.
Because it’s all about dressing up:
● Make sure they’re seen: Have your child carry a glowstick or flashlight,
and add reflective tape to your child’s costume.
● Wings, capes
cause kids to trip or could come into contact with flames.
● Watch the accessories, too. Prop guns and knives could be mistaken for
the real thing. Make sure canes, sticks and swords aren’t sharp or too
long.
● Makeup can be a better choice than a mask because it won’t block vision.
If your getup calls for a mask or hat, ensure your child’s eyesight isn’t
hindered.
● Decorative contact lenses should never be used. They can cause eye
infections that could lead to permanent vision loss.
Staying safe at home and away:
● Never assume a car can see you and will stop. According to SafeKids.org,
twice as many kids are killed while walking on Halloween than on any other day.
● A parent or adult should always accompany young children.
● If older children are going out, agree to a route beforehand and a specific
time for them to return home.
● Stay on well-lit streets and only go to homes with a porch light on. (Yours
should be on, too.)
● Remove anything from your yard or front porch that could cause a child to trip. (That includes wet leaves.)
● Teach kids never to enter a home or a car for a treat.
● Carry a flashlight and a cellphone with you.
● Discourage your inexperienced teen driver from driving on Halloween.
The treats:
• Tell your child to wait until he or she gets home before eating any candy. Check it
carefully and throw away anything that’s unwrapped or spoiled. This is also
important if your child is allergic to nuts.
• Think healthier treats like stickers, bubbles and spooky jewelry, or gum, sunflower seeds, mini pretzels, raisins, and coupons for smoothies or frozen yogurt.
From all of us at Riverside Medical Clinic, we wish you a
