AFC Urgent Care Dedham would like to wish you all a Happy Halloween & wants everyone to get in the spooky spirit. Wearing scary costumes, eating candy & carving pumpkins is all part of this holiday. However, did you know that hundreds of kids go to Urgent Cares every year for pumpkin carving related injuries? We will give you some tips on how to stay safe while carving a pumpkin this year!

Make sure to clean

When you are about to start carving your pumpkin make sure to clean the surrounding area. First, start with the floor & make sure that there are no objects that you could trip over such as a box, spare toys, or shoes. The last thing you want to do is you or your child trip over something on the floor while holding a knife, that could lead to serious injury. Make sure to wipe down the surface area of which you will be placing the pumpkin down. A good trick to put down the newspaper, this will stop the pumpkin from rolling around & will also help clean up the mess!

Make sure you don’t sharpen any knives

This may seem like the opposite of what you should be doing but it actually isn’t! You should not sharpen your utensils before use. Odds are when you are carving your pumpkin this is not a normal activity for you. If you sharpen your utensils then you are putting yourself & anyone else whose carving at risk. You can possibly cut right through the pumpkin & hit your hand or your leg or someone else’s body part. You also have the possibility of the knife getting stuck in the pumpkin. When this happens you must pull the knife out slowly to avoid any type of injury.

Make sure to buy a kit

The easiest way to avoid injury when carving pumpkins is to buy a pumpkin carving kit! A kit will come with tools specifically designed for carving & will take away the need to use kitchen knives & utensils. A kit will also come with some stencils that will be perfect for the kids so they can have some designs! We hope these tips will help your pumpkin carving go smoothly this Halloween & we hope you enjoy the Holiday!