Some communities around Iowa have declared tonight their local “Beggars Night” for the little kids to go out, and many more will do their trick-or-treating tomorrow might. Either way, Pediatric E-R doctor Dr Charles Jennissen says the most important thing they can take with them — is a parent.You can make certain they follow traffic laws, because kids running across a street in excitement could be hit, the most tragic Halloween risk. Dr. Jennissen says the safety concern is the limited visibility with small eyeholes, so a kid can’t see a car coming. He adds kids can fall, or run into trees and other things in the dark with their visibility restricted, and the doctor recommends face-paint or alternative ways to disguise a young goblin. Store-bought or homemade, the costume should be designed and worn with safety in mind. Jennissen says a long costume or one with a trailing cape is a risk for tripping a child or getting tangled up. The pediatric E-R doctor also has a tip, not for the trick-or-treaters, but everyone else who’ll be out in the early evening hours. He cautions them to be aware that the kids out on the street will do unexpected things and they’d better be extra alert driving.
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