Toddlers can bring a certain element of innocence into the mix when celebrating Halloween. With a toddler, trick or treating or parties can become tiring, so it may not be possible for you to go out like you normally would. Toddlers can be naive and get scared very easily so safety is always an issue with them.
With that in mind, you can still enjoy Halloween with these tips to keep your toddler safe and happy.
* Avoid Scary Costumes
Children and especially toddlers can be prone to night frights. Many toddlers find it difficult, if not impossible, to separate reality from the "monsters" that they may see walking around. When dressing up, go easy on the make-up and keep the costume simple so that your child knows that it is you behind the costume.
Many parents, for varied reasons, are getting out of the traditional Halloween spirit of trick or treating. To replace the door to door trick or treating or Halloween parties, parents are instead choosing Harvest or Fall parties. These are basically a watered down version of the traditional Halloween.
Many of today’s parents who are Christians themselves placed Christmas as their favorite holiday as a child. Many of those same parents chose Halloween as one of their favorite holidays as a child too. Back then, they had no idea that Halloween could be a huge offense to Christians. Just as the Christian holiday of Christmas can be an offense to the non-believer.
In the 1970’s and 1980’s there were reports of razor blades and needles being put into apples being handed out to trick or treating children. Around the same time there were reports that candy and taffy were being laced with poison.
If you’re a parent you may be worrying about how much candy your child will be bringing home this Halloween. Candy not only has very little nutritional value, it is bad for your teeth and can cause nasty tummy aches when eaten in excess. If you’re looking for something different to hand out to trick-or-treaters this year, here are some great alternative ideas.
Nabisco has 100 calorie pack individual packages that trick-or-treaters will find enjoyable to their palates. Teddy Grahams and chocolate covered pretzels are my two favorites, but they have a whole line to choose from.
Individual packages of nuts or trail mixes are nutritionally beneficial to your ghosts and goblins. They not only taste good but they are good for you too.
Microwave popcorn packages are a great option. You can buy them in many different flavors, but if you’re looking for healthier alternatives skip the extra or movie butter kind.
Nabisco Handi-Snack offers a variety of healthy choices. A few examples that I particularly like are: Breadsticks and cheese Cheese dunk ‘ems Ritz cheese and crackers
These individual packages are a tasty choice. Fairly inexpensive, they are a great fit for children.
While not quite as healthy as some of the other options above, many restaurants, such as McDonald’sand Wendy’s, sell coupon certificates or books you can substitute with. You can purchase gift certificates for your trick-or-treaters and by using your Arch card and following some simple guidelines at the McDonald’s website you can not only give a non candy gift, you can also earn college rewards.
Non-Edible Gifts
If you visit a dollar store or a store that sells children’s books inexpensively, you can find non-edible gifts too. Items such as coloring books, crayons or audio books and more are great alternatives to sugar laden candy. Not only is this a healthier choice, it is educational as well. Some people even shop throughout the year to help spread the cost out.
A visit to your local dentist may be just what the doctor orders this Halloween. He may be able and willing to give you toothbrushes and toothpaste samples at a reduced rate to hand out to children. If you wanted you could even hand out sugarless gum.
Small games like jacks and jump rope fit well into a trick-or-treater’s bag and will last for longer than one night. While various different flash cards or games such as old maid and crazy eights are not what trick-or-treaters are used to getting at Halloween it is something they can use and re-use. Again, they are inexpensive and can be purchased throughout the year at dollar or general stores.
The choice is yours. Use some of these ideas to begin to change the suggestion that candy is the only choice for Halloween. Be creative and give your visitors something healthier this year!
Going out into the ghoulish night to troll for candy is not as innocent as it seems. It should be, but it is not. Parents and children alike want to enjoy their bit of frightful fun without real dangers lurking around every corner. Here are some safety tips to accomplish that task.
1. Begin trick or treating during the daylight. It used to be that everyone waited until dark for greater effect. Unfortunately, there are those who want to cause trouble and can only do so after dark. Now, trick or treating begins at dusk even if the sun is not down.
2. For smaller children, drive instead of walk. The concept is the same as far as kids are concerned. Their friends will still see their costume and they still receive candy. As the night wears on it may get cold and little feet get tired quite quickly. A car means a faster exit when everyone is too tired to go on.
3. Check the candy before letting any is eaten. It is a safety precaution that protects the kids. Not everyone is out to harm children but there have been incidents in the past where blades and pins were found in candy.
4. Stick together. Never let a child go trick or treating alone. If you can’t do it, entrust your child’s care to another adult friend. Let them walk a few feet ahead to feel independent but not so far that they are out of your sight.
5. Choose costumes that fit properly. Wherever possible, use homemade costumes or non-toxic paint to replace store bought masks. Most masks are too hot and don’t provide an adequate visual field. Kids who can’t see where they are going can trip and fall.
6. Refrain from taking homemade candy and treats. Even schools don’t accept homemade food items anymore. It is too easy to get sick and the liability is high. Homemade candy apples look scrumptious, but there is no list of ingredients to tell you what was used to create them. Stick to prepackaged candy for children to eat.
7. Use a cloth shopping bag to hold the candy. Plastic bags can buckle under the weight of the haul and your child could lose their loot on the front step or in the street. Plastic pumpkins don’t hold as much candy and the strap can break with the same results as a plastic bag.
Trick or treating is a fun Halloween night tradition designed to scare us silly. In the process, don’t forget to take precautions so everyone is safe.
Many of us have uttered those words or ones like them since we were old enough to wear a costume. Some say cute little rhymes at each house they visit. But, what is the origin of our current candy grabbing tradition on Halloween?
Trick or treating goes back to the celebration of Samhain by the Celts on the British Isles. This pagan festival was one that celebrated nature and its gifts. The practitioners also believed that on that night the boundaries between the living and the dead were compromised and spirits could once again walk the earth.
In an effort to appease the spirits, people would leave offerings of food and drink on their doorsteps. These rituals were thought to protect their harvests for another year. This was also the time for a practice called “souling.”
Souling involved food in exchange for prayers. During the celebration, poor people would take to begging for food from neighbors. This food was granted in exchange for prayers by the receivers for the souls of dead family members.
As the tradition was passed down, the begging became food left for these poor individuals who would continue to pray for the dead. Eventually, children were sent from house to house to receive food or bits of money for the family.In some countries, the wearing of masks and receiving of gifts is still called “souling.” Small food items or money are still received by children.
Trick or treating is a thoroughly modern and American tradition.When it first started, trick or treating was just that. If a homeowner didn’t provide treats, the costumed person would perform some trick. This could be playing a prank on them or egging the house. In some countries, this is a part of the mischief of the spirits. Any spirit that didn’t receive food was also likely to do something to the person of the house.
Now, kids go from house to house, saying this phrase and receiving a ton of sweet treats. People travel from neighborhood to neighborhood for sweet fare. Tricks are more a part of the fun of the night than a slight against any one person. If a neighbor is not participating, they turn out their porch light so children will know not to approach.
Of course there are those mischief makers that egg houses and cars, but most neighborhoods celebrate Halloween without incident. Even the adults get involved in the celebration with fog machines and costume parties.
Children and especially toddlers can be prone to night frights. Many toddlers find it difficult, if not impossible, to separate reality from the "monsters" that they may see walking around. When dressing up, go easy on the make-up and keep the costume simple so that your child knows that it is you behind the costume.
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