Easter safety tips

Easter is April 20 this year. The Easter bunny and Easter celebrations will be hopping along to many of our homes. To make sure all our family, friends and co-workers, and particularly children, have a safe holiday requires safety awareness. Here are some Easter safety tips to keep in mind.

Travel: Many of you may be traveling to visit family or friends during the Easter holiday weekend. Remember to drive safety, buckle up and not speed. Speeding is the leading cause (over 60%) of all fatal traffic accident on the roadways every year.

For your children:

Be sure that Easter toys and dolls are free of choking hazards. Pieces that can be removed from a doll or toy pose a potential choking danger to small children. Small candies, like jaw breakers, have the same risks. The fake grass used in Easter baskets is not easily digestible; keep it away from small children.

Chicks, ducks and bunnies may be cute and cuddly, but they don’t make good Easter gifts. Why? Because these animals can carry salmonella and other illnesses that can make your child sick. In addition to your child’s safety, consider the animal. Children can easily break a bunny’s back, or smother a baby chick or duck. In addition, when children tire of the pet, the pet ends up at an animal shelter and are often put to sleep.

Symptoms of salmonella includefever, diarrhea or stomach pain; nausea, chills and headaches are also possible. Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems usually have the worst symptoms.

Egg coloring, egg hunting and general egg safety tips:

Every year millions of children are on a quest to find their brilliantly decorated Easter eggs, candy and gifts. Sometimes we get carried away to give a little better challenge each year, sometimes not thinking of the safety factor.

The USDA (US Dept. of Agriculture) has a few great safety tips that can help you have a fun and safe Easter.

• Do not hide eggs near an electrical outlet or plugs, or in light sockets
   
• Do not hide eggs in, on, under or around glass.
   
• Keep eggs at or below eye level of the children.
   
• Do not hide eggs in pre-existing holes in the ground or trees.
   
• Do not hide eggs in any foliage that has thorns, or looks potentially dangerous or poisonous. (Rule of thumb: Before you put eggs in foliage, make sure you know it by name).
   
• Do not hide eggs in any animal’s home, food bowl or play area.
   
• If grass, foliage or anywhere pesticides or poisons have been dispersed, do not put eggs there.
   
• Keep count and track of the eggs you hid.

One last note about eggs. Use fresh, clean eggs. Cook them thoroughly before dyeing. And after they have been used for decoration or an egg hunt, do not eat them. Toss them in the garbage.

Consider food risks:

Chocolate Bunnies are an Easter tradition, however, be very careful when giving such gifts to people who are peanut or nut allergic. Make sure you read the label of contents, as many chocolates may have been in contact with nuts or peanuts during their preparation or packaging.

Easter dinner also present risks. Cook raw hams to at least 160 degrees F. Lamb and beef roasts should be cooked to at least 145 degrees F, in an oven set no lower than 325 degrees F. Ground meats, on the other hand, should cook to 160 degrees F; steaks and chops to 145 degrees F.

(If you have a question about meat, poultry or egg products, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline toll free at 1-888-MPHotline or 1-888-674-6854, TTY: 1-800-256-7072.)

Pet safety:

• All parts of the Easter lily, day lily, tiger lily, rubrum lily, and others are toxic to cats. Ingesting even a small amount of the plant can result in kidney failure and death. If your cat vomits, becomes lethargic, or develops a lack of appetite, she may have dined on your plants. In most cases, a cat must be treated within mere hours of ingesting the plant, or kidney damage will be irreversible.
   
• Most chocolate contains high amounts of fat and alkaloids that are toxic to pets. Cardiac failure, seizures, coma, and death can result if the chocolate ingestion is not found within four to six hours and treated appropriately.

Information compiled from USDA, FDA, CDC and NM Dept. of Health.

The Gayly – April 13, 2014 @ 11:20am