Trick-or-treating with toddlers: 6 tips for an enjoyable halloween

I took my daughter trick-or-treating for the very first time when she was two years old. In my head we were going to have a blast walking door to door together collecting candy, looking at all the pretty Halloween decorations, admiring other children’s costume and returning home to enjoy some candy and hand out treats to other trick-or-treaters. Sounds like the perfect Halloween, doesn’t it?! Unfortunately, the idea I had in my head could not have been farther away from what actually happened. There was screaming and meltdowns, my daughter got scared many times by creepy costumes and I ended up carrying my overtired child all the way home, where she had the next meltdown, because I wouldn't let her take her candy to bed. The following year I came prepared and implemented various strategies which led us to a fun trick-or-treating experience. I am not going to pretend it was stress free and all easy, because we are still talking about toddlers.. BUT we had a great night and everyone was happy at the end of the night.

For a meltdown free, fun trick-or-treating experience with your toddler, follow these six tips:

1. Pick the right Costume

This is an important one, learn from my mistakes. I let my daughter chose her first Halloween costume and guess what she wanted to be… a firetruck. Yes, you heard that right. She was set on wearing a firetruck costume we had seen in a store. When Halloween rolled around and it was time to put the costume on I pretty quickly realized that I had set myself up for failure. Her firefighter hat kept falling into her face, the strap holding the truck costume up kept sliding down and she refused to wear a jacket underneath, because it was uncomfortable. She was already frustrated before we had even left the house. I could also not comfortably pick my child up so carrying her home at the end of the night was exhausting.

When picking out a costume for your child, make sure it fits comfortably and that you are still able to pick up and carry your child easily. Comfort and practically over looks is definitely the way to go when you want to have a fun Halloween experience. If you have an older toddler, you may also want to make sure that the costume can easily be taken off for potty runs.

2. Let your child wear their costume before Halloween

You may think it’s a great idea to put away your child’s costume until Halloween, so it stays exciting and special (and clean), but from my experience it is quite helpful to pull the costume out a few days in advance and have your toddler wear it a couple of times. That way you can make sure the costume fits properly still and your toddler can get used to wearing it. When it’s then time to go trick-or-treating your toddler will know exactly what they are going to wear and there most likely won’t be any meltdowns about it.

3. Prepare your toddler for what to expect

Toddlers like to feel in control. They want to know what is happening to them and in the world around them. So you want to make your trick-or-treating adventure as predictable as possible. In the weeks and days leading up to Halloween narrate over and over what exactly trick-or-treating means and what your plan is. From putting on their costume to knocking on doors, to returning home, there can not be too many details. Let your toddler know who will be going with them, talk about costumes they may see, mention that there may be lots of people and lights and probably some scary costumes. This is also a good time to reassure them that it is okay if they get scared by costumes and decorations and that you will be right there with them, keeping them safe.

Another good idea is to walk around your neighborhood in the evening time in the days before Halloween to look at the decorated houses and get your toddler familiar with some Halloween characters. It’s even a good idea to practice knocking on doors. Let you child knock on your own front door and practice what to say.

Least but not last, I recommend doing some Halloween crafts and reading books about Halloween with your toddler. I have put together a list of books that are great for introducing your toddler to Halloween in a recent post. Many of these books should be available in your local library.

4. Set realistic goals and Stay Flexible

It’s important to always keep in mind that Halloween is a fun and exciting time, yet it can be very exhausting for children and parents too! Stay flexible, don’t plan a certain route that you want to walk or houses you will visit, because reality is, you never know how things will go. Your child may be fine walking a mile, knocking on 30 doors, but they may also be done after five houses, and that is okay. They are still new to Halloween and just started learning about all the traditions that come with it. In the end all that matters is that your toddler and you spend quality time together and have a fun experience.

5. Don’t wait until bedtime to go trick-or-treating

Halloween can be very overwhelming, especially for younger toddlers. If your toddler is tired and exhausted before even starting your trick-or-treating adventure, chances are they will get overstimulated and just melt down after a short amount of time. To prevent this from happening consider heading out for some Halloween fun early, when your toddler is still full of energy. In our former neighborhood it was common for the little kids to trick-or-treat in the early evening, so all neighbors were aware and had their candy ready to go. Being out earlier in the evening will also give you the advantage of less crowds and daylight, which is very helpful if you have a child who gets easily scared in the dark.

6. Discuss what you will do with the Halloween candy

This may seem silly at first, but trust me. If you have a candy-loving toddler like I do, you will want to discuss what will happen with the candy before Halloween. Is your child allowed to eat any candy while you’re trick-or-treating? How much candy may they have after returning home? Where will you store the candy? When can they eat more from it? Let them know what to expect.

If you have a child with any food allergies you will also have to talk about what they can and cannot eat. Even tho you will be by your toddlers side the entire time, it can never hurt to make them aware of their restrictions. Having worked with children with food allergies, I can not recommend enough having them wear an allergy bracelet for Halloween. You will most likely own one already, if not you can find various options on here (affiliate link).