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Local leaders offer tips for staying safe on Halloween night
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Local leaders offer tips for staying safe on Halloween night

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Superheroes and princesses will roam the streets of Columbus on Halloween night. WRBL spoke with a child safety expert about ways parents can keep their kids safe during all the festivities.

A top priority for children’s trick-or-treating is making sure they can be seen by others and that they can see others. Pam Fair, director of Safe Kids Columbus, says it all starts with costume modifications.

When thinking about a costume, you may want to, instead of using a mask, use non-toxic face paint, something like that that totally clears a child’s vision. Maybe a head covering that doesn’t obstruct the view,” says Fair. “We find that many children these days want to use colored contact lenses as part of their costume. We should definitely consult your eye doctor and use only approved colored lenses in your eyes.

Fair says making sure kids’ costumes aren’t too long can also prevent injuries. She recommends that parents and guardians walk children on uneven surfaces like a hill or driveway to see if there is any interference in the child’s walking ability. She also recommends putting kids in sturdy shoes for the festivities.

According to Fair, in the United States, there are 32,000 emergency room visits on Halloween each year, with half of those injuries related to pumpkin carving.

Fair recommends that parents carve a pumpkin while letting the child draw the design and clean out the pulp and seeds. Fair reminds adults to cut in short, controlled strokes away from themselves.

“Remember, you want to make sure you have a clean, dry surface. You want to make sure that sharper isn’t always better when it comes to carving a pumpkin,” says Fair. “You want to use a pumpkin carving kit. You want to make sure you take your time and do it nice and slow if you’re going to carve a pumpkin at a party.

Parents and guardians have been haunted for years by their children ingesting drug-laced candy.

Fair says, “The first thing would be to trick or treat in a safe place, here you will feel safe about where you are going to receive the candy. Otherwise, you want to examine each candy before your child eats it.

Fair recommends that parents and guardians examine each candy before a child eats it, making sure the wrappers are intact or noticing other unusual abnormalities.

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