Newswise — It’s that time of year: costumes, candy and trick-or-treating. As families celebrate this season, Johns Hopkins Children’s Center experts are available for interviews on a variety of tips to help ensure a safe and fun Halloween.
Navigating COVID-19, the Flu and the Common Cold
With COVID-19, the flu and the common cold circulating all at once, how safe are Halloween activities such as trick-or-treating? Pediatric infectious diseases specialist Aaron Milstone, M.D., M.H.S., is available to offer helpful suggestions about vaccines, mask-wearing, physical distancing and general infection prevention to help keep kids healthy.
Healthy Halloween Habits
Candy and sweets are common staples for Halloween. But bringing home too many from trick-or-treating or parties can be a scary situation, particularly for some parents of children with diabetes or food allergies. Children’s Center experts are available to speak about how to have a healthy Halloween. Pediatrician and obesity expert Eliana Perrin, M.D., M.P.H., can provide advice on how to handle junk food eating during holidays, pediatric endocrinologist Kristin Arcara, M.D., offers tips on how children with diabetes can enjoy treats safely, and pediatric allergist and immunologist Jennifer Dantzer, M.D., is available to discuss tips for parents with children who have food allergies.
Handling Spooky Situations
Halloween decorations, costumes and movies can be thrilling for some children, but frightening for others. What should parents do if the spooky season brings more anxiety than fun? Children’s Center child psychologists Joseph McGuire, Ph.D., M.A., and Andrea Young, Ph.D., M.A., can offer tips to help combat fears that kids may have.
Safe Trick-or-Treating
Children and their parents don’t want to spend Halloween in the emergency room. Pediatric emergency medicine physicians Joanna Cohen, M.D., Mary Beth Howard, M.D., M.Sc., and Leticia Ryan, M.D., M.P.H., are available to speak about issues that could send a little one to the ER, and how to prevent them from happening. For example, with kids roaming neighborhoods to collect goodies, the risk of a pedestrian-related accident is 43% higher than usual. Also, eating candy may be a choking hazard for small children.
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