Halloween Safety: What Doctors Tell Their Own Kids

It’s spooky season, time for costumes, candy and memory-making fun, but Halloween brings safety considerations for parents –– whether their trick-or-treaters are toddlers or teens.

How do pediatricians approach Halloween with their own children? Dr. Anna Neal and Dr. Kyle Torni, doctors at AnMed Pediatrics - Piedmont, are navigating the holiday, too.

Dr. Neal is the mother of two daughters, ages 10 and 12. She says her children plan for weeks, deciding on costumes and activities. 

“It's a big deal for us,” she said. “It's a really fun tradition that I think a lot of families participate in, and there are a lot of different ways that you can participate.”

Dr. Neal said whether your family is taking the traditional door-to-door neighborhood route or joining in a group event like a festival or trunk-or-treat, there are some things to keep in mind.

“From a pediatrician standpoint and also a parent standpoint, the biggest thing is that I want my kids to be safe,” she said.

Dr. Torni’s two daughters are ages 1 and 3, so his family did a family costume last year, dressing up as the Heeler family from “Bluey.” His wife made the family’s costumes and turned the process into something beyond Halloween fun.

It wasn't merely the costumes but it a whole ‘we're-making-it-all-together’ thing,” Dr. Torni said. “It's a fun way to promote early childhood development, getting the whole family involved and including the young kids on the project. I think that’s a good way to foster that relationship and some of the skills of being creative and having a project to work on.”

Be Visible and Have Visibility When Walking

No matter what their age, kids need high visibility on Halloween. Reflectiveness in costumes is great, and Dr. Neal said glow sticks attached to costumes or trick-or-treat bags or buckets can help, especially if costumes are somewhat dark. Glow necklaces and bracelets can also help kids be seen.

And it is also important that children can see as well as be seen. When planning costumes, Dr. Neal said to make sure kids can see where they’re going, have good peripheral vision and walk without tripping over parts of their costume. 

Be Careful Around Cars

Dr. Torni said statistics show that one of the most dangerous parts of Halloween is merely being a pedestrian. Excited kids and dark streets can be a deadly combination. 

The danger is very real for Dr. Neal.

“We have had several scares in our 10 years of trick-or-treating, where kids will walk out into the road and a car is going 30 miles an hour during trick-or-treating in the neighborhood,” Dr. Neal said. 

Be sure children cross at designated areas, and make sure children do not dart between cars where they might not be seen. 

“Pay special attention to curves in the road,” she said. “That’s where it almost happened for us.”

Parents should escort young children. 

“Don't assume that cars will just stop because you have the right of way,” Dr. Neal said. “Motorists are not thinking about that, especially the younger drivers, and especially this year, because Halloween is on a Friday. Nobody is thinking about school or work the next day.”

Children may be out later, in the dark, and drivers may even be impaired. Pair that with the excitement of the holiday, and Dr. Neal said it might be a good year to consider a festival or event in an enclosed area if circumstances warrant.

Inspect Candy and Beware of Marijuana Gummies

An overload of sugar isn’t the most pressing concern for pediatricians, though parents should inspect all candy before their kids dig in.

First, consider any food allergies. All children, but especially those with allergies, should know that they have to wait for parent approval before eating their candy.

Other issues to consider before allowing children to consume their candy hauls:

• Watch for choking hazards for young children. Some items may need to be cut into pieces. Dr. Torni is especially concerned about some gummy candies that are difficult to chew.
• Be wary of anything not prepackaged.
• Even with prepackaged candies, carefully inspect to make sure they are not lookalikes that contain marijuana or other drugs. Dr. Torni said some edible cannabis gummies look very much like kid-friendly counterparts and can easily be mistaken. “Those are more readily available, so keep an eye on the packaging,” Dr. Torni said. And anything in a plastic bag rather than branded packaging? “I would toss that,” Dr. Neal said.

There’s Opportunity for Older Kids, Too

Dr. Neal said it can be useful to remind children and teens, especially those old enough to venture out independently, that they should not go inside a home of someone they don’t know well.

And they should never pet dogs unless they are invited to do so with the pets’ handlers at hand. Pets might be especially nervous with the increase in activity.

For an opportunity to foster mindsets in young teenagers, meanwhile, Halloween is a good time to encourage them to consider “the little-bitties” as they are all out trick-or-treating, according to Dr. Neal. 

“Be polite, stand in line, don’t push to the front – practice being patient,” she said. 

Last Halloween, Dr. Neal said, teens in her neighborhood enjoyed gently scaring trick-or-treaters by popping out from behind bushes. 

“My kids are still talking about that and how fun that was,” she said. “It was just unexpected, and they really got us. A little bit of tomfoolery and pranking – in an appropriate way – is OK for the teenagers to do. It may give them a little bit more fun on Halloween, because they might consider themselves too old to walk around and ask for candy.”