Trick or treating for toddlers

[TahliasMom]

Since Halloween is approaching, DH and I had a discussion last night if we should take DD trick or treating. Both of us agreed not to because DD, who will be almost 18 months by then, doesn't really understand Halloween or trick or treating. And most important of all, has not been exposed to candy, and we don't intend to introduce it for as long as possible. So it would be kind of mean for her to get all this "candy" and not be able to eat it. We're thinking next year it will be more fun because we can explain to her the meaning of Halloween and why she can't gobble down a huge bag of candy!

We're still going to celebrate Halloween through costume parties (one with her playground, one with our local mom's club and one at a friend's house) and a visit to the local pumpkin patch. I'm sure this will be a more challenging scenario with 2 kids but for those with one toddler what are you planning to do?

TIA!

[Sillygirl]

I only have the one kid but my first thought was that you and your DH could "relieve" your daughter of the candy burden!

As per my siggie below, we'll be having quite the big Halloween party each year for the forseeable future.

[bcky2]

we will go trick or treating, i need the candy :P no, really the main reason we will go trick or treating is that we move into our new house 2 weeks befor halloween and it will be a good way to meet the neighbors.

[octmom]

Katie,

If you decide to celebrate Joanthan's birthday over the weekend (maybe on Sean's bday, 10/29), you should consider bringing him to the Lawn at UVa for trick or treating. I assume that they will do it on Halloween this year, since it is a Monday. The students and faculty who live on the Lawn hand out candy, but mostly it's just a reason to get little kids in costumes and play on the Lawn with hundreds of other families. We took Sean last year, but I used to go watch even before he was born. It's really a fun event.

Jerilyn


Jerilyn
DS, Sean 10/03

http://bd.lilypie.com/UB6Bm4/.png


"Baby makes days shorter, nights longer, home happier, and love stronger."

[mom2kandj]

How about dressing up and passing out treats(small toys, stickers, etc)? Then your DD could see all the older kids in costume, but not participate in candy overindulgence?

As for us in a two kid household, we pass out treats(spider rings and stickers) for a while and then both DH and I take the kids out to walk the neighboring streets(maybe 20 houses). By the time we come home, our bowl is empty and it it time to turn out the porch light and put the kids to bed after eating a bag of M&Ms out of mom's "safe" candy until the loot can be examined. HTH!


Rose
mom 2 Katie 12/02/00
& Jack 04/16/02

[pb&j]

I second Halloween on the Lawn! It's so much fun, even if you're not in to candy. It's a relatively recent development - I wish they'd had it when I was a kid.


-Ry,
mom to Emma, s/b 11/04/04
and Max, edd 01/15/06 - it's a BOY!

http://lilypie.com/days/060115/3/25/1/-5/.png[/img] ([img)

[muskiesusan]

Alex will go to a few parties as well as trick or treat at a few houses so the neighbors can see how cute he is. I will, of course, eat the candy. He then will probably sit with me and hand out candy.

Nick will go to more houses, but again, I expect to eat most of the candy!! He will also hand out candy as he tends to find that more fun.

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04

[Momof3Labs]

DS enjoyed trick or treating last year! He didn't eat a bite of the candy, and didn't care one bit about that. He just liked ringing doorbells and seeing people throw things in his pumpkin. We just went to about a dozen houses closest to ours, and I think that the neighbors get a kick out of seeing the little ones dressed up!

We plan to do something similar this year.

ETA: Read your original post again. I'm laughing at the idea of explaining to a 2.5 year old why they can't have a bag of candy - trust me, it will be MUCH easier to keep it from her this year!!

[hez]

When Payton was a newborn he sat on our lap to hand out candy. Last year he got dressed up and helped us hand out candy-- and we live near a cul-de-sac, so we wandered around that end of the street talking to neighbors (a couple of whom dropped a couple pieces of candy in his bag). We also had a separate trip to a pumpkin patch which was just flat out fun.

This year we'll probably do like last-- have him help us hand out candy, and take a little walk with one of us to chat with the cul-de-sac neighbors. Probably a trip to a pumpkin patch again-- but on a day when the Bengals have a home game :) (went on a bye week last year-- way too crowded on a Sunday afternoon!)

[billysmommy]

My dad's birthday is on Halloween and we always had SO MUCH FUN when my brothers and I were little. Dad would take us out trick-or-treating and when we got home, Mom would have the house all decorated and the cake out (he always asked for a chocolate cream roll-up cake, yum). My brothers and I could pick 3 pieces of candy to eat that night and then we also got cake and ice cream. I have always loved Halloween and my brothers and I went trick-or-treating with my dad alot longer than we otherwise would have (We were 17,15&12) when we finally stopped :)
Now I have a DH who's birthday is on the 30th so we get to continue with the tradition. We're planning to do a little cake on his actual birthday and then the big cake on Halloween :)

[KrisM]

Last year, we dressed him up as a pumpkin and went to 2 neighbor's houses. This year, we'll dress him up as something and hit 5-6 houses. It'll just be the people we know, most likely. Then, DH and I will eat the candy.

[almostamom]

Our block is full of toddlers. They just go to the houses on our street and when they're done, we end up having a mini block party in the middle of the street. Each family brings their bowl of candy, lawn chairs, coolers, etc. and we just sit around and gab. Last year we were the photographers (we didn't have DS yet) and took pictures of each of the munchkins in their costumes. I think we're going to try to do a group picture this year.

~Linda~
DS 11/04

[TahliasMom]

thanks for sharing your ideas and traditions. both DH and I moved to USA in our late teens so i guess we never got into the spirit of Halloween. And now we live mostly in a rental area, all duplexes, so i doubt we will get any trick or treaters. i guess if DH's SIL shows up with her dd, 9 years, maybe we'll hit a residential area. and the candy is not very tempting to us, we're chocolate people (the good stuff only) but i guess i can always take it to work and fatten up my co-workers...

[hjdong]

Last year we didn't so much trick or treat w/ DS (we went to 2 houses) and Halloween was his 1st introduction to candy, but boy did he get the idea (of course, he was a little older, over 2).

We went to my husband's work, a community college, which does something similiar to the lawn idea people are talking about, a retirement home with my mom's club, a pumpkin patch (no candy there, just halloween related fun), and the 2 houses on the actual day of. He got tons of candy with just that. And, to my surprise, he remembers it. We were at DH work a couple of months ago and he asked for Halloween. I was pretty blown away.

I imagine we'll do about the same thing this year. Last year, he had no idea how much candy he got or didn't get (i.e. how much he ate and how much went to dad's office). I think this year will be about the same except that he knows better what candy is and will want some right then.

FWIW, I had a friend who allowed her daughter no candy until 5 or so and took her trick or treating and they threw all the candy out when they got home. They had the girl convinced that the fun was the costume and the asking. I was amazed they managed to keep it up as long as they did.

I think at 18 months it's still totally possible to do the costume and avoid the candy.

Have fun,

[Twin Mom]

My twins were 2+ last year when we took them trick or treating. The only candy they were interested in eating were the lollipops. I didn't have a problem with that since I wanted the chocolate for myself anyway :-) We let them each have a lollie, ok 2 small ones, and they never saw the rest of the candy again! I think this year they will still only be interested in the lollies. I hope. LOL!

[Vajrastorm]

Last year, when dd was 13 months, we took her trick or treating around our cul-de-sac. Mostly to show her off, but she's a night owl and a social butterfly, and she had a blast. She couldn't walk yet, so we kettler-ed her. :D

http://pic8.picturetrail.com/VOL241/1522968/5566762/71627475.jpg

She chewed *on* the candy, but didn't ingest any of it.

This year we will be going around our street. She knows what candy is, and yes, she'll be eating a little. Mama will hide most of it away when she goes to bed.

I'm a huge Halloween fan. Its always been my favorite holiday.

We will also be going to a few costume parties, but nothing beats the real deal!

[jerseygirl07067]

I am planning on taking both Julia and Sammy to the houses we know in the neighborhood. I don't plan on introducing Sammy to sweets yet, and I know she really won't get what's going on yet, since she doesn't even know what candy is. Hopefully she will just enjoy people putting things in her pumpkin - and that I'm not being naive here!

DH and I will take our pickins and send the rest off to his work. Gotta love chocolate!!

Marcy

[cmdunn1972]

I did a Google search on healthy alternatives to Halloween candy, and this link came up:

http://www.palmettohealth.com/wellness/children/healthy_halloween.html

HTH!

[TahliasMom]

this is a great site. we have always done a mix of snack size candy bars with pretzels and gum but i like the idea of non-food. i found some really cute and cheap stuff at www.orientaltradingcompany.com

[asha]

KRis,
This is exactly what we did. DS was a pumpkin and we also took him to a couple of our neighbors places. He was pretty young (11 months) and did not really understand anything.
This time we are planning to do the same thing again. He thinks candies are little toys. We would love to keep it that way for a little longer. Keeping my fingers crossed.

~Asha