Welcome to Halloween!
Safety is always on a parent’s mind as kids venture out into the confectionery abyss of the night.
Let’s face it, kids are excited and often even a bit out of their minds. Can you blame them? I’m excited even in middle age!
As you all go out, keep in mind the true safety risks to your little ones and let go of an old myth…
- Traffic – don’t count on your kids to be “aware” and look both ways. They are wound for the pursuit of treats, not wired for precaution. This is the number one concern.
- Masks and Drapes– impaired vision and running (thanks to tricky eye holes and a one track mind) paired with varied neighborhood terrain or droopy, dragging costumes makes a good recipe for slips, trips and falls.
- Sharp objects – Along with the trips and falls, it could be treacherous if your peanut fell onto his or her own sword, so to speak.
- Flames – need I say more.
- Choking – a hazard for excited kids or small, curious children.
- Oral health – dentists actually say that eating a bit here and there can be worse for enamel than eating a bunch all at once. When kids eat a lot at once, they tend to be done with it and then go brush it all off. A bit here and there leaves teeth constantly awash in sticky sugary bacteria. The moral, brush often!
- Belly aches – if we happen to overdo it, waiting it out is about the best we can do. Over the counter medications can help but check the dosage carefully if you’re treating your child. Belly aches only become a concern if fever and vomiting are present.
These are the real fears to address tonight. Be sure to stay with your child to stave off these risks. A small study says 12% of parents let their little ones roam alone – now that’s scary (the same study gave us many of the above tips too).
By contrast… Remember, though we should all check our kid’s haul for tampering, in the history of modern day Halloween, less than a handful of children have been poisoned by tainted candy and even that number is up for debate. Police reports also say nearly all recorded cases of food tampering occurred by a person close to the child. So, let’s focus on the real potential here: basic safety awareness.
My biggest fear is my own over indulgence. One common strategy to combat this is to eat a good healthy meal before the 600 million pound candy parade marches through your home (that’s right, that’s how much candy Americans purchase each Halloween).
Olga likes to do a little exercise before hand too, speed up that metabolism! Here’s a cardio-enhancing, leg-muscle building activity for you: a lateral shuffle with a hop!
Step to the side, hop over the cone (and target will do) and step away from the cone. Change directions and head back the way you came. Repeat back and forth working up to one minute. Go for three sets of one minute. You can repeat as many times as you feel up to it. Ten minutes makes a decent workout. The lower you keep your hips and center of gravity, the harder your thighs and buttocks muscles will work.
Enjoy the Halloween shuffle and have a safe, happy hunt for treats!
See you on the PATH Ahead.