Halloween Safety Tips for Kids and Teens

While parents worry about their young children going out on Halloween, Debbie Sauers, RN, nurse at Naugatuck High School said that teens still need parental guidance to stay on track over the holidays.

 Halloween is a time when many parents look the other way from candy but Sauers said, “It is important to keep track of what your kids are eating as much as possible,” Sauers said.

 “We see between 60 and 80 kids in the nurses office everyday,” Gail Rossi, LPN, noted. 

 Sauers advised, “You need to encourage them to avoid caffeine, have a discussion with them about energy drinks. Kids come in with headaches from those drinks. They think they get the energy but they don't make that connection when they feel sick a couple hours later. Those energy drinks have three to five times more caffeine than coffee, and they have high fructose levels and their insulin goes up.”

 “Sometimes kids don't eat and they get weak,” Rossi added. “Kids come in dizzy and we ask, 'Did you eat?'" Rossi shook her head, "No.”

 Especially at Halloween and as the holiday season approaches, Sauers recommends, “Teens need a good night's sleep, they need more than the younger kids, a minimum of nine hours sleep. Their biorythm is meant to be up a little later, but they are getting up so early for school. Good eating habits, that's the best thing they can do. Kids are not attuned to their bodies needs or following family rules. They are more into their social lives.”

 “A lot of kids are home alone in the morning, with their parents are off to work early,” Sauers said. “Make sure you have a snack for them to take to school, especially if they are missing breakfast. They can keep a box of crackers in ther locker so they always have at least something they like to eat.”

 “With Halloween, make sure they have their cell phones when they go out and make them check in regularly. Parents have to know where their kids are, what they are doing, and who they are with. They need to ask questions and know who they are are going out with,” Sauers advised.

"Families who eat dinner together have 10 percent higher grades and know how to connect with their families. When parents aren't engaged with their teens, the teens are not getting positive attention. If they don't get that, they may act out for negative attention," Sauer said. 

"I've been a nurse here for 12 and a half years," Rossi said. "The kids want structure and guidance.  They need it.  It's good for them."