Avoiding Choking Hazards This Halloween

Halloween is one of those holidays that has a lot of prep work involved. There is the obvious prep work you need to do such as planning parties, purchasing candy, planning trick-or-treat routes, and picking out costumes,  but there is one thing you should be doing that isn’t so obvious – removing choking hazards. There are so many potential choking hazards that your child can encounter during the Halloween season that is an unpleasant topic that must be discussed.   Removing Choking Hazards from Halloween Costumes Many parents pick out Halloween costumes based off of looks, but sometimes the cutest costumes are the most dangerous. When picking out a costume for your child keep the following things in mind so there are no choking hazards:

• Avoid costumes that have extremely small parts such as sequins, glitter, or beads. This is especially important if you have younger children who like to put things in their mouth. Even older children will sometimes suck on small parts out of habit.
• Think carefully about accessories. Parents are often so focused on picking out accessories for their child’s costume that they don’t think about the possibility of a choking hazard. Make sure any accessories you pick out (masks, headbands, wands or swords) don’t have small pieces that can fall off.
• Be mindful of wigs and other items that could shed or cause small pieces to fall off.

Avoiding Choking Hazards with Halloween Candy Halloween candy is so tasty, but it is probably the biggest choking hazard that your child can encounter. Keep your child safe by doing the following:

• Inspect all Halloween candy and look for candy with small pieces. Remove any candy that may have small pieces so it doesn’t tempt your child.
• Be careful with hard candy. It may not be small, but sometimes children will instinctively swallow it and it will get lodged in their throat.
• Avoid candy that is too soft. Things such as marshmallows and taffy are soft but a child could swallow it and start choking.
• Avoid candy that has things such as peanuts or gum inside
• Be careful of candy that may have small toys inside them. Children won’t choke on the candy, but the toy could prove dangerous.

Other Ways to Keep Your Child Safe This Halloween Reducing or removing choking hazards isn’t the only thing you can do to keep your child safe this Halloween season. Some other things you can do to keep your child safe include: Verify that any cider or juice your child consumes is pasteurized. Harmful bacteria, such as salmonella, can grow in unpasteurized products. Prevent food-related illnesses by making sure you serve drinks that are safe and free of bacteria. Keep party food safe. Make sure perishable foods have been properly chilled. Don’t allow food to sit out too long if it is perishable. Bacteria can grow on perishable food after two hours. Avoid potential food-related illnesses by making sure all perishable food is properly stored and only out for a minimum amount of time. Pick costumes that will make your child visible when they are outside. Some parents encourage their children to have two costumes: one that is used for indoor parties and one that is used for outdoors. This allows the child to have a fancy costume while also having one that keeps them safe at night. Plan for an After-Halloween Professional Teeth Cleaning Appointment If you want to be completely prepared for Halloween, you will schedule an appointment to have your child’s teeth cleaned sometime in November. Children will do a lot of snacking on candy filled with lots of sugar. Even if they brush and floss regularly, the candy could still cause tooth decay to develop. Scheduling an appointment for a professional cleaning will make sure your children’s teeth and gums are healthy after all that candy. Prepare now for Halloween by calling our office. Call our office today to schedule an after-Halloween professional teeth cleaning appointment for your child.