5 ON YOUR SIDE: Halloween safety

Halloween is just around the corner. Soon your kids and their friends will undergo an autumnal transformation and become ghosts, witches and superheroes. And here’s something you might not know when it comes to certain costumes for little kids: those bulky or inflated costumes can pose a serious safety hazard.

Consumer Reports explains why and offers advice on how to keep trick-or-treaters of all ages safe on spooky nights.

Puffy Halloween costumes and outfits look super cute on our kids, but when it comes to driving around doing tricks and collecting candy, all that excess material can compromise the child’s car seats’ ability to keep them safe in the event of a crash. to obstruct.

If your child’s costume causes too much extra slack in the harness or interferes with your ability to secure it properly with the chest clip and crotch buckle, CR recommends that you wait until you have arrived at your final destination before placing the costume in the harness. costume does. .

Halloween is one of the deadliest days of the year for pedestrians, especially children. The risk of pedestrian fatalities is 43% higher on Halloween. And Halloween night is a perfect storm of risk. It involves darkness, heavy pedestrian traffic, especially that of children, and many additional distractions.

Decorative contact lenses, such as vampire or cat eyes, can make a costume stand out, but they can be risky and cause serious eye damage if not used properly. The Food and Drug Administration advises: “Never buy contact lenses from a street vendor, beauty salon, flea market, novelty store or Halloween store… and you should always have a prescription.”

A homemade costume saves a lot of money, but if it is too big your child could trip, so adjust it so it fits properly. And avoid masks that block vision.

Also add reflective tape to suits and bags. And give kids glow sticks so they can be seen more easily on dark and spooky Halloween nights.

Stay on sidewalks rather than walking between cars or lawns, where tripping hazards can arise.

If you’re going to be driving on Halloween, try to park in a spot where you won’t have to back up. But if you must, have an adult stand outside to make sure no children are in the way when you do.

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