Halloween night is so much fun, but it can also be a bit chaotic. Here are some of our favorite Trick-or-Treat tips for safety and fun to help you and the kids have the best night ever!
As I was writing about how we plan to conquer the Halloween chaos on Halloween night, I thought I’d share some of our favorite tips for Halloween night. I realized I had so many tips to share that I needed a whole new post. So, here it is! Our Trick-or-Treat tips for a safe, fun, and a little less crazy night!
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Trick-or-Treat Tips
Safety
The most important thing for a successful Halloween night is being safe. I’m always surprised by the number of kids out in all black in the dark on Halloween night. They’re almost impossible to see!
That being said, it always embarrassed the heck out of me when my mom would stick a bike reflector on my back before heading out the door.
You better believe I’m doing everything I can to keep my own kiddos visible now! Luckily, we have some really fun options now and kids actually like them!
Lights
There are so many fun options for battery-powered lights! We love to put a small light right in their candy bucket, and battery-operated tea lights work great. They have color-changing ones that you could even stick right to the side of the bucket.
I love the small strands of battery operated fairy lights for making the kids more visible in the dark. A lot of them just use a watch battery and are on light, wire strands. We try to pin these to the back of the kids or incorporate them into their costumes.
Glow Sticks
Always an easy option! You can find glow sticks anywhere. Put them around the kids’ necks. on their wrists, or even around their waists. A glow stick is another great option to put in the candy bag or bucket to make it easier to see.
You can even have the kids do a fun craft ahead of time and have these Coco inspired glow-in-the-dark bracelets ready to go!
Weather
In Minnesota, we often pick out Halloween costumes that we know will fit over snowsuits. Not kidding, remember when I mentioned the Halloween blizzard of 1991? Not all costumes work for a few hours in freezing temperatures, but we do our best.
Layers
The most important way to help kiddos stay warm and still rock that awesome costume is to dress in layers. Fit as many sets of clothes under that bad boy as you can! Long underwear, leggings, sweats, etc. Check out the nighttime temps, remember that you’ll be out there for a while, and get as many layers as you can under that costume.
Prep gloves, hats, and scarves ahead of time.
Halloween night is always crazy with school/work, dinner, getting ready, and getting enough time for trick-or-treating. We’ve had some chaotic nights, but we’ve learned from our mistakes and prepare ahead of time.
The first things to go missing on Halloween night are little things like hats and gloves. Having some – and maybe a backup pair – ready ahead of time will be a big help!
If we can, we try to pick the best outerwear for the costume. This year, we have a dragon, so red or black will look best. We also have a white bunny, but we may have to stick with pink for her paws.
Little Ones
Our first year trick-or-treating was when our little guy was 1-year-old. His sister was only a week old and stayed home with Grandpa. We’ve taken them every year since then and have come up with a couple trick-or-treat tips just for little ones.
Keep it short
The key with very young kids is to set a short route. They can only make it so long. Have a smaller route planned and then tack on a few more houses if they’re up for it. Don’t get too far from home without gauging if they’re going to make it, or it could be melt-down city!
Stroller or Wagon?
We’ve tried both a stroller and a wagon. The wagon was great at first. We kept one of the side down and were able to get both kids in and out pretty easily. They could climb in and out mostly by themselves and we didn’t have to waste the time we would have getting them in and out of a stroller.
We retired the wagon when we got our double jogging stroller. They have the bonus of being as easy to climb in and out of as a wagon, and they’re easier to push.
Parents
Once you’re a parent Halloween night may be more for the kids, but these trick-or-treat tips are for the parents!
Everything is better with friends
In the last few years, we have been fortunate enough to have friends in our neighborhood (our old neighborhood which is still just down the road). We have been meeting up with them before we hit our trick-or-treat route. It’s a lot more fun this way! It’s so fun to chat with adults while the kids run door-to-door, and take a trip around your neighborhood – maybe with a beverage in your hand.
Be prepared
The biggest trick-or-treat tip for parents is to be prepared for anything. So, I’ve gathered a few things that are helpful for parents to bring along…
- Tissues – Cool nights and kids mean sniffles are likely. Check out these Halloween ones!
- Extra gloves or scarves – It gets progressively cooler as the night goes on, so it helps to have extras.
- Water – How many times do your kids tell you, “I’m thristy!” in a day?
- Band-aids – As I said, we have a kid trip at least once a year. It’s always good to be prepared.
Even more Trick-or-Treat Tips!
Bring an extra bag or empty backpack.
No matter how long you plan to stay out, or how old your kiddos are, being able to empty that Halloween bucket sometime during the night can be a lifesaver! Little ones will have an easier time finishing the route without such a heavy bucket.
I don’t care how old the kids are, someone always trips on Halloween night, and that candy can really fly! The tears of lost candy, and the groans of the parents with their phones searching for the remaining pieces, will be lessened with a smaller load.
This 3 pack of Halloween drawstring bags would be perfect! Kids or parents could wear them!
Have a Plan
Finally, the topic that inspired all of these trick-or-treat tips. Having a plan for Halloween night is the best way to conquer Halloween Chaos. Plan ahead what dinner will be, what time trick-or-treating will start, and have everything ready. Get those customized trick-or-treat pumpkins out and ready. Maybe even have a Halloween snack, like cheese bats ready when they get home from school.
Knowing how much time you have and where everything is, along with these trick-or-treat tips will have you ready for a very fun Halloween night!
Tell me: What are your kids costumes for Halloween?
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