Carving a Jack-o-Lantern is a fun holiday tradition for Halloween. But if you’re not careful, the activity can end with a trip to the emergency room.

University Orthopedics’ Jonathan Schiller, MD and Julia Katarincic, MD want to see your kids as trick-or-treaters, not patients. 

They have some helpful safety information to keep your pumpkin carving session from turning into a ghoulish scene, including:

• Supervise children
• Choose proper tools – the biggest knife isn’t necessarily the best
• Keep pumpkin on a stable surface
• Carve in a well-lit room

If you do get cut, seek medical help if:

• Bleeding doesn’t stop after applying pressure for 10-15 minutes
• You can’t bend fingers
• Fingers feel numb