Tips for Trick-or-Treaters with Asthma

Halloween scares can be fun, but only when they’re confined to creepy costumes and horror movies. For parents of kids with asthma, the fear of an asthma attack can make it a truly scary holiday.

If that’s you, good news: there are a few steps you can take to help your child have a safe night of trick-or-treating.

First, costumes: your child is better off without a mask. Also, stick to fragrance-free hair dyes, body sprays, and costume makeup. And make sure your child grabs her inhaler when she puts on her costume!

Next, before your child heads out the door on Halloween night, check the air quality forecast at www.airnow.gov. You can also download the American Lung Association’s free State of the Air app to get air quality updates on your smartphone at http://www.lung.org/healthy-air/outdoor/state-of-the-air/app.html. Soot and smog can trigger an asthma attack, so if the air quality is poor on Halloween night, your child may want to take it easy trick-or-treating.

Also, food allergies can also be an asthma trigger. If your child has food allergies, help him go through his candy at the end of the night. Fun-sized candy sometimes has different ingredients than the full-sized version, so make sure to read the labels!

For more tips, visit http://www.lung.org/about-us/our-impact/top-stories/seven-halloween-tips-asthma-2014.html.