Halloween is Just Around the Corner!

Safety Tips for You and Your Family to Enjoy a Fun and Safe Halloween

By Susy Yusung, MD, Torrance Memorial Physician Network Pediatrician

While celebrating Halloween this year it is important to continue to remain cautious about sending your children trick-or-treating and to Halloween parties.

There are steps every household can take to best prepare children and families for Halloween. Traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating still remains the most popular way to enjoy the holiday, and there are simple, yet effective safety measures you can take to keep everyone safe this Halloween. And don’t forget to check candy for tampering, and no one should never eat any type of unwrapped food from an unknown source.

Tips for Trick-or-Treaters

· A responsible adult should accompany young children on neighborhood rounds

· If older children are going alone, plan and review an acceptable route

· Consider adding some reflective tape to a costume or candy bag for better visibility to drivers

· Agree on a specific time children should return home

· Teach your children never to enter a stranger's home or car

· Instruct children to travel only in familiar, well-lit areas and stick with their friends

· Tell your children not to eat any treats until they return home, and take care to avoid any food allergies

· Children and adults are reminded to put electronic devises down, be alert, keep heads up and walk, don't run, across the street

Safety Tips for Motorists

· Watch for children walking on roadways, medians, and curbs

· Enter and exit driveways and alleys carefully

· At twilight and later in the evening, watch for children in dark clothing

· Discourage new, inexperienced drivers from driving on Halloween

Dr. Susy Yusung is a board certified in pediatrics and pediatric gastroenterology. She practices at Torrance Memorial Physician Network Pediatrics Manhattan Beach, 855 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Ste. 103, Manhattan Beach. She can be reached at (310) 939-7850.