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How to Make This Halloween Safe & Fun for Your First Child
The bad weather is here! Halloween has fun and memorable traditions for the whole family. From reminiscing about old costumes to hanging out with your best friends, Halloween is one of our favorite times of the year.
With young children, a few simple reminders can keep Halloween from being scary and less scary. Continue reading for Mom on Call founder, Laura Hunter’stips and tricks to keep little ones safe and trick or treating!
Remember: Halloween fun can be overwhelming for kids who are new to these traditions. Masks, scary costumes, new areas and lots of candy can make some kids too excited. So keep it simple and close to home for these early Halloween festivities!
Halloween Safety for Kids
Start Early
Young children have an early bedtime so it’s best to start having fun before dusk. If you can sneak off to work early or schedule work from home during the day so you don’t have to worry about traffic, even better. We recommend that your Halloween fun begins immediately after dinner. Pizza with vegetables and hummus is a great base to get food in your kids before the sugar kicks in!
Stay Close to Home
Small steps can go a long way. If your child is two years old, try to have no more than 10 houses and let your toddler know how many houses he visits. If you have older siblings, make sure you bring a driver so that when your child is tired and the older kids are eager to go. (Plus, you can hide candy under the stroller when the bags get heavy!)
Be Bright (Even Bright)
Avoid dark clothing that makes it difficult for young children to see at night. Stick to bright colors and add glow sticks or a flashlight to make them easier to see. You can add glow sticks to their clothes or put one in their candy jar.
Give Check Candy
Always check your child’s candy to make sure nothing has been opened or contains anything they might have. Halloween may not be the best night to try new foods that your little one has never had. Do not eat open or homemade food from someone you do not know well.
Road Safety
We love seeing crowds of kids running around on Halloween night. But keeping young children safe can be difficult when there is so much excitement. Stay on your side of the road and stay on the road if possible. Be sure to hold your toddler’s hand when crossing the street and give plenty of room for passing traffic.
Synthetic Clothing
If you love Halloween, get out your glue gun and go for it! But you don’t have to have a sewing machine to make clothes that your little one will love. We try to avoid masks (since most small children don’t like having something on their face) and look in your basket for inspiration. Young children often like to wear hats and tutus outside – it’s a chance to wear their favorite clothes for everyone to see. And we guarantee they won’t remember it’s new!
Here is another outfit that you like and feel comfortable: grab a red sweatshirt and pants and a blue wig or hair dye for the amazing thing 1 and thing 2.
Forgot about Halloween until last night? Put on your favorite pajamas and your favorite animal and you’re good to go!
Halloween Fun for Kids
Halloween fun lasts all month! Pumpkins provide endless ideas for crafts and can make snack time fun for your child.
Pumpkin Patch (Without Drive)
We all love a good piece of pumpkin pie. But weekends are busy and sometimes you don’t have time to hang out at the pumpkin patch. Don’t worry – your little one will have tons of fun playing with pumpkins outside your local grocery store or at your church’s fundraiser. The same silly fun without the crowds!
Find a Bag or Medicine
Ask your neighbors if they know about your special events. This is a fun way for little ones to get to wear their Halloween costumes a few times and take some of the stress out of the big day if you get Halloween rain or a sick child. Many elementary schools offer trick-or-treating nights during Halloween week and they love to see new faces smiling!
Pumpkin Fun
Save the jack-o-lantern for older kids who can be more confident with carving tools. For younger children, we recommend drawing pumpkins or decorating them with stickers. You can use your regular wash paint on pumpkins and try using brushes, sponges and other crafting tools. These Halloween stickers Let your child make their own silly faces!
Face Painting
Don’t forget about face painting while keeping your child safe on Halloween. Make sure you stick to non-toxic paints. We recommend testing a small portion on their hands first to make sure they don’t react before painting the whole face. No one wants to spend Halloween night in the ER!
Halloween Recipes for Kids
Here are some of our favorite Halloween treats that toddlers love.
The banana ghost: Add some chocolate chips to a mashed banana and you have instant ghost.
Cookie decoratingg: No need to wait for Christmas. Decorating Halloween cookies is a great way to let little ones enjoy the season. Take some sugar cookie dough and wrap it in a Halloween shape (or keep it simple with circles to decorate like pumpkins). Let your little one decorate with icing, chocolate chips and sprinkles.
Granola and Pumpkin: Mix granola, pumpkin puree and honey and cook to make a delicious fall. Great with yogurt for a filling meal!
Enjoy your Halloween!
We hope you enjoy celebrating Halloween with your family. With these simple tips, you can make sure it’s safe and fun for your child. More than any outfit or party, they will remember this special time with YOU!