Pumpkin carving with your kids is a fun Halloween activity especially during a time like this when you need more at-home activities for your kids. However, there are certain safety tips to keep in mind when carving pumpkins.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, pumpkin carvings accounted for nearly 3,200 of the 16,706 Halloween-related injuries treated in the U.S emergency departments, doctors’ offices and clinics in 2017.
Learn more about the top five most common Halloween injuries and how to prevent them
OrthoIndy Trauma is partnered with Ascension at St.Vincent, providing care exclusively at the trauma center located at Ascension at St.Vincent Indianapolis.
To ensure you and your family carve pumpkins safely this year, follow our tips to prevent hand injuries.
How do you properly carve a pumpkin?
Click here for step-by-step video instructions on how to properly carve a pumpkin.
To prevent hand injuries, be sure you are in a clean and well-lit area with your kids.
- Gather your tools. Clay modeling tool, a spoon, a knife
and an apple corer (optional). - Cut into the pumpkin and start pulling out the guts and seeds.
- Use the clay modeling tools to scrape the inner walls of the pumpkin.
- Draw your design and cut out your design.
Safety tips for carving a pumpkin
While Jack-o’-lanterns can be scary, they shouldn’t be dangerous.
- Look for a pumpkin with smooth and less bumpy skin for younger children. A smooth pumpkin is easier for kids to draw on and safer for them to use.
- It is best if an adult handles the carving while the kids scoop out the pumpkin seeds. Carving utensils have sharp edges and can lead to cuts and lacerations. Tip – Save the pumpkin seeds and roast them in the oven as a healthy snack. Learn more about the health benefits of pumpkins.
- Use a pumpkin carving kit. Special kits are available in stores. These provide you with a serrated pumpkin saw that works better since it’s less likely to get stuck in the pumpkin tissue.
- Keep your hands and carving tools dry, so your hands don’t accidentally slip while using the utensils.
Schedule an appointment
Your well-being is important to us. Click the button below or call us to schedule an appointment with one of our orthopedic specialists. If your injury or condition is recent, you can walk right into one of our OrthoIndy Urgent Care locations for immediate care. For rehabilitation and physical therapy, no referral is needed to see one of our physical therapists.
