Parents - Doctors: How to avoid Halloween horrors

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Doctors: How to avoid Halloween horrors

DALLAS (UPI) -- A U.S. emergency doctor advises parents to check and see if their children's Halloween costume's swords, knives and wands are flexible with dulled edges.

Dr. Angela Gardner, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians, says Halloween horrors ending in the hospital emergency room might be prevented if adults take some precautions.

"Halloween should be about good times and fun with friends and family, yet sadly, each year we see kids who are injured while trick-or-treating," Gardner says in a statement.

Gardner advises parents to avoid other costume hazards, such as baggy pants, long hems, high heels or over sized shoes that cause tripping, vision-obstructing headgear and fabrics, wigs, or beards made of flammable materials.

Candle-lit Jack-O-Lanterns should be kept away from children so the kids -- or their costumes -- aren't burned.

Other ways to avoid Halloween horrors include:

-- Adding reflective tape to costumes to increase visibility and carrying flashlights while trick-or-treating.

-- Having children stay off streets and on the sidewalks as much as possible.

-- Making sure candy not in its original wrapper and all fruit are thrown away.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International

This news arrived on: 10/20/2009

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