HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS & TRICK OR TREATERS
The T.W.C.CT.W. Asociation cares about al little ghosts and goblins this Halloween. Here's some very important safety tips for all parents.
Treat your little ones to a safe and sound Halloween this year.
Halloween originated from several customs, the earliest of which dates back to Ireland
in the fifth century B.C. As we know it today, the October 31 celebration is a fun
way to dress up in sometimes scary costumes. But experts warn that precautions are
needed to ensure that disguises are the only frightening things on All Hallows' Eve.
The number one cause of injuries on Halloween night is accidental falls from tripping
over hems of costumes, steps, curbs or unseen objects, according to that National
Safety Council. But even more startling is that four times more children are killed
annually in pedestrian/automobile accidents on that holiday night than on any other
night of the year, reports the CDC.
Use these tips to avoid injuries and danger.
"The most important thing on Halloween is that children are escorted and watched.
They have a great potential of running from in front of or behind a car," says Richard
Douglas, a Lewisville, Texas, police department community relations officer. "We
prefer that the young ones are in from trick or treating before dark."
Indeed, the CDC reminds parents that the return from daylight-saving to standard
time lengthens the period of darkness and that a number of other factors could put
children in the path of a car. These include their short stature, inability to react
quickly enough to avoid a car or evaluate a potential traffic threat, lack of impulse
control and distractions because of shouts from other children, eye-catching costumes
and urges to acquire the best candy.
"Children are so excited on that night that they aren't using their normal safety
sense," says Kerri Totty, a certified hand therapist at Harris Methodist Fort Worth
Hospital.
Totty deals with some of the injuries that children and their parents may receive
during the days leading up to Halloween as well as on the holiday itself, such as
cuts and burns related to turning a pumpkin into a jack-o'-lantern.
"We see a lot of kitchen knife injuries. These can be devastating because of the
structures in the hand," Totty tells WebMD. These include tendons, nerves and arteries.
She says that major therapy is required when the tendons and nerves are severed when
a child or adult uses an inappropriate knife or uses one incorrectly. Physical therapy
to prevent scarring from permanently disabling a hand can last for eight to 12 weeks.
"Usually these injuries happen because [people are] not paying attention to what
they're doing or they're cutting toward themselves or using the knife like an ice
pick," Totty says, adding that knives should be clean because the bacteria on it
can cause a major infection in any cut.
For adults, the medical experts advise using sharp knives; small children should
just draw the jack-o'-lantern design on the outside of the pumpkin with a marker
and let someone older do the cutting. Youngsters who are old enough could use knives
intended for carving pumpkins.
"With my own children, I let them use the special pumpkin cutters that have the serrated
edges. These work as well as anything," says Mark Mason, MD, a plastic surgeon at
Harris and also at the Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth.
Safety organizations warn parents and trick-or-treaters alike to be aware of other
dangers.
Finally, therapist Totty says, "You have to be their eyes and ears to protect them.
And don't allow them to suck suckers when they're running down the street!"
It's a lot to remember, but it's better to make Halloween a night for frightnot
fear.
Web source Courtesy of Web md
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