This post has been sponsored by Methodist Health System. Dallas Moms Blog proudly supports our sponsor.
October 31st is fun for every age, costume or not. Since many little feet will be crossing the street in search of sweets, here are some good reminders of what to watch out for (besides monsters, of course).
Cruising your neighborhood with costumed children in search of a sugar high sounds like a fun way to spend a Saturday night, right?! It’s hard not to smile at some of the crafty combinations parents and kids come up with for costumes, and the excitement those tikes have running door-to-door filling their plastic pumpkins.
This will be our first Halloween trick-or-treating with our toddler. Vivienne is 21 months old and will no doubt love seeing the other pint-size ghouls, goblins and Frozen characters on our street. While she is a very good walker, who often prefers to run, we are going to play it safe this holiday and keep her close to us.
As a former news reporter, I learned firsthand safety goes beyond looking both ways before crossing the street, so I looked up some helpful information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
- Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers trick-or-treaters
- Shorten costumes so kids aren’t tripping on them
- Test makeup on a small area and removing it before bedtime to prevent possible skin and eye irritation
- Carry short, soft, flexible accessories (like knives and swords for those dastardly pirates)
- Eat only factory-wrapped treats, nothing homemade by strangers
- Enter only well-lit homes with a trusted adult
- Never walk near lit candles or luminaries
- Make sure costumes are flame-resistant
I now work for Methodist Health System and have heard real horror stories from our emergency department folks about Halloween injuries. Dr. Joseph Kim with Methodist Urgent Care in The Colony says the most common are ankle and wrist sprains from poorly-fitted costumes, eye injuries from fake weapons, cuts and bruises, and burns from costumes that catch fire. Of course kids are going to gorge on candy which will likely cause a stomach ache, but that sugar rush can be deadly for kids with juvenile diabetes, so try to keep the sweet intake to a minimum.
Many parents forget the sun sets earlier now and leave the trusty flashlight at home. We want you to be prepared, so Methodist is giving away FREE mini-flashlights to everyone who registers here. Orders in by October 16 will make it to you in time for Halloween!
October snuck up on us this year, so I’m sure like many of you, I hurriedly ordered Vivienne’s costume online. Now, I am counting down the days until she can make her debut as a pink gnome. I might have to post a picture, “gnome is where the heart is”!
Methodist Health System delivers on its mission to improve and save lives by sharing timely medical news, healthy living tips, and information about their fun and educational community events. With this in mind, they’ve created answers2, a newsletter relevant to you and your family, helping you live better while having some fun along the way. To learn more about special offers like the Halloween freebie above, sign up for answers2 at MethodistHealthSystem.org!
* * * *
Calvert Collins-Bratton is the Public Relations Manager at Methodist Health System. She spent ten years as a news reporter working in Omaha, Las Vegas and Dallas-Fort Worth at FOX 4. When not working, she and her husband Vince love taking Vivienne to neighborhood parks, the Dallas Arboretum, White Rock Lake, and to visit her family nearby.
For more from Calvert, read her “Old World Paris” Nursery Tour interview on Dallas Moms Blog!
Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Methodist Health System. All opinions are of the guest writer, but supported by Dallas Moms Blog.
