Safe Spooking!

Ready to get your Halloween on? Want to enjoy fun and frights, instead of injuries or ill health?

In Oz*, Halloween has always been an in/out fad; some years it seems the streets are teeming with witches and ghosts, then the next it’ll be as quiet as a kookaburra with a gob full of worms*. In the land of the stars and stripes, however, Halloween is always huge! In fact, it’s such a big deal that even the Center for Disease Control (CDC) writes safety recommendations and health warnings (included within).

So without further mucking* around, read on mates* to learn how to spook safely this year!

Home safety
Before you start decking out your castle* in spectacular haunted trimmings, consider fire safety and falls minimization. For example, beware flammable decorations near fireplaces, decorative light bulb chains near young nippers*, and ropes and cords along walkways. And don’t just think about the inside; make sure the outside is safe too.
Protecting trick-or-treaters by trimming overhanging branches, and ensuring the path to the front door is well lit and clear of obstacles is a good place to start.

Costume Safety
Before you get your nippers* all scrubbed up*, check
- Costume labels for flame resistance
- Costume length (long costumes can get caught underfoot and result in a fall) - Ties/straps that could pose a strangulation risk
- Masks that could reduce the wearer’s visual field - Props/accessories that may be sharp or dangerous (e.g. knives)
Also, beware of fancy light up costumes; whilst dazzling, they can be a disaster. Besides being a fire hazard, they are often powered by button batteries, which, if swallowed, can be fatal.

Allergen Caution
Protect skin by performing a patch test on the inner arm before applying face paints/make ups. Regarding food allergy concerns, the best advice is to avoid putting any foods in your gob* that you cannot confidently confirm are allergen free. Instead, consider a candy trade with your child (they trade you candy they have collected for a safe treat- e.g. home-made cupcakes, safe candy, small non-food gifts, screen time etc.). The candy can then be donated to charity if you don’t want to be left with a source for midnight sugar binges (e.g. Operation Gratitude, which sends candy to U.S troops).
Also, look out for teal pumpkins on your trick-or-treat route and consider this for your own home. The Teal Pumpkin Project was started by FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education). You simply place a pumpkin, painted in the color teal, on your doorstep if your household offers non-food treats (check out the website for more information: www.tealpumpkinproject.org).

External Threat Avoidance
Road safety is important, cars going flat chat* can come out of nowhere, including driveways. Supervise young children closely and consider placing reflective tape on costumes, carrying a torch* and walking in groups rather than alone.
In regard to treats, be mindful when accepting treats from strangers and inspect for tampering and choking hazards (as well as allergens, of course!).

Aim for Health
People with medical conditions should seek advice from their health professional about any particular things they should consider before trick-or-treating. For example, asthmatics should carry inhalers with them (in case of smoke machine irritation) and those with severe food allergies should carry rescue medications with them (in case of accidental allergen ingestion).

Ok, enough with the safety spiel, it’s spooking time!

*Australianisms
Castle: a home (from the old English proverb ‘a man’s home is his castle’, made popular in Australia by the Australian film “The Castle”)
Flat chat: fast
Gob: mouth
Kookaburra: a native Australian bird, which is known for calling loudly, but with a mouth full of worms, is quiet.
Mate: friend Mucking around: messing about, wasting time
Nippers: kids (Nippers is actually the name given to children who are learning surf life saving, but colloquially it also refers to children in general)
Oz: Australia
Scrubbed up: dressed up/nicely
Torch: flashlight