AHN Pediatricians Offer Families, Community Members Guidance for this Halloween Season

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Press Releases

PITTSBURGH - An estimated 65 percent of Americans intend to mark Halloween with parties or trick-or-treating this year, up from just 58 percent in 2020 and comparable with 68 percent in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Retail Federation. As households with children are much more likely to celebrate All Hallows Eve, Allegheny Health Network's (AHN) Pediatric Institute encourages participating families and community members to take appropriate safety and wellness precautions for the upcoming holiday this year, especially amid the ongoing pandemic.

"Vaccinated parents and their little ghouls and goblins should be feeling safer this Halloween - about 65 percent of Americans have been vaccinated and we all have a year-and-a-half of practice under our belts when it comes to mitigation measures," said Ned Ketyer, MD, pediatrician at the AHN Pediatric Institute in a recent blog post. "Wearing face masks, social distancing, hand washing, staying home when not feeling well, selectively congregating indoors only with those who are vaccinated and outdoors with those who are not, all help reduce transmission of COVID-19 and remain critically important this year."

AHN Pediatric Institute urges families to adhere to the following guidelines this Halloween season:

• Stick with outdoor trick-or-treating in small groups
• Keep a safe distance from others who live outside your household
• Avoid large groups of kids crowding together when treats are handed out
• Wash hands before diving into candy
• Wear face masks and observe safe social distancing, if attending indoor activities. Universal masking indoors continues to be important, since children under 12 years old are not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccines.

"Outdoor parades, parties and attractions are safer than indoor public events. Rather than a haunted house, for example, families can consider a haunted forest or corn maze or look for programs focused on safe ways to have fun offered by a park district, zoo or other outdoor venue," Dr. Ketyer continued. "At a high-level, it's important to emphasize that there's an array of precautions and measures parents, guardians and neighbors can take to ensure our communities have a joy-filled and safe Halloween season."

In line with efforts across the country to increase awareness of children with developmental disabilities this Halloween, AHN pediatricians also encourage community members giving out candy to be mindful of the following:

• Children who take more than one piece of candy may have poor, fine motor skills
• Children who don't say "trick-or-treat" or "thank you" right away may be nonverbal
• If a child looks disappointed at the candy bowl, they may have a known allergy to a listed ingredient
• Children that may look "too old" to be trick or treating may be developmentally delayed, and those without a costume, may have autism or a sensory processing disorder

Annual safety guidelines also still apply this year including keeping children in bright, reflective costumes, monitoring traffic, staying in frequent communication on whereabouts and inspecting candy after returning home. For a comprehensive list of safe Halloween practices, visit American Academy of Pediatrics' healthychildren.org.

For more on the AHN Pediatric Institute or to make an appointment, go to ahn.org or call 412-DOCTORS.

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