What’s a kid to do when all he or she wants is to come home with a bag full of sugary treats and scarf them all down? While most kids can’t wait to trick or treat, many parents are worrying about what can go wrong on their child’s night of fun. Especially this year.  As Halloween approaches, it is our job as parents to prepare and make sure our little ones are not only safe from Halloween injuries, but healthy from candy allergies and the flu. COVID-19 is still very much with us,  and we need to make sure that wherever we go with our children that we are not exposing them or others to COVID-19.

Here’s your guide on how to be safe and healthy this Halloween 2020.

Inspect the Candy!

Don’t let your child go trick or treating alone. If they have food allergies always carry an auto-injectable epinephrine. It’s hard to know if the candy being given out contains peanuts or other allergens or not. But, at a minimum, instruct your child not to eat anything until they get home where it can be inspected.

Also, If the candy wrapper looks old, smashed or wrinkled it’s most likely last years candy. Toss it. If houses are serving foods or candy that are homemade, unless you know them personally, politely say no. It’s best to go to houses that have candy stations set up outside. This reduces the contact between our children and people you don’t know when trick or treating.

Have an injury free Halloween

Costumes play an important role when staying safe from traffic dangers, trips and falls. Try to help your child choose a costume that will be comfortable for a night out walking in the streets.
Here’s what you can do to help your child stay injury free:

• Help them choose a costume that’s light-colored or has a reflective tape.
• Make sure that all masks and costumes are labeled flame retardant
• Give them a flashlight or glow stick so they can be more visible
• Making sure your child uses sidewalks on lit streets and crosswalks
• Props like swords, wands and other weapons should be short and flexible
• Making sure everyone wears a seatbelt if you plan on driving your child from house to house
• Obey traffic laws and drive especially slowly and vigilently in neighborhoods with a lot of trick or treaters

Here’s what not to do and what to avoid:

• Avoid costumes that are too dark that cars may not see when driving.
• Avoid double masking. A costume mask is NOT a substitute for a facial mask when protecting from COVID-19. Double masking will only restrict breathing. Instead, have your child wear a normal facial mask and decorate it to go with their costume.
• Avoid oversized costumes or ones with capes. This can cause them to trip or fall in someone’s yard
• Avoid props that are sharp and pointy that could pose a danger to the eyes

Get your child Flu vaccinated

Flu season has already started and if your child hasn’t been vaccinated yet it’s important to pay a visit to the doctor to get them one. During Halloween, our little ones will be going door to door and accepting candy from all sorts of people who may or may not have had their flu shot. Touchy touchy, germy germy!  We need to make sure that our kids stay healthy if they do come into contact with someone who does have the flu.

COVID-19 information for Halloween

The Department of Public Health wants to make sure that everyone takes the extra precautions when participating in Halloween festivities this year especially. Remember to avoid large groups of people you don’t know and to avoid attending or hosting parties of more than 25 people. Wear a mask, use social distancing measures and use hand sanitizer frequently throughout the night.

More information on Halloween and COVID-19 guidance be found on their site.

AFC Urgent Care West Hartford wishes you a healthy and safe Halloween!

At AFC Urgent Care West Hartford, we are open 7 days a week and ready to treat you, or if you’d like to use our TeleMed services they are available as well. If you get injured, need a flu shot, or need to be COVID-19 tested before Halloween, come to our urgent care center where we are now offering the COVID-19 Rapid Test.  We are located on 1030 Boulevard, West Hartford, CT 06119-1801.  We also accept most insurances.