Over the next week, children and parents across the country will be picking out pumpkins to carve in the lead-up to Halloween. When it comes time to actually do the cutting, though, it’s important that parents do what they can to protect their children from certain hazards associated with the activity. A new report explains those precautions to take.
First, you have to take into account your child’s level of maturity when deciding whether or not they’re ready to carve a pumpkin themselves. A pumpkin can be hard to get through when a child isn’t strong enough, and the knife itself can get pretty slippery.
If your children are too young to cope with these difficulties, then take over carving for them, asking them to make a design on the face of the pumpkin while leaving the carving to you. Once you start, make sure your children are a sufficient distance away and that they’re not going to reach forward while the knife is being used. When the guts of the pumpkin have been scooped out, clean up any spilled remnants immediately so that no one in the vicinity can slip and fall.
For children who are very disappointed that they won’t get to do the carving, you can look into purchasing decorative sets that can be lodged into the pumpkin to form a character. And if you’re lighting the pumpkin, use an LED rather than a candle.