halloween with babes

Nya’s first Halloween

Halloween is nearly here and it can be a fun, happy family holiday!  There are costumes for any age available at almost any big box store or online, and let’s face it – itty bitty faces are priceless in a cute costume!

Enjoy Halloween at any age…

Under two years:

At this age it’s more about the photo-opp and having fun as parents.  Baby’s first Halloween can be great fun for us adults.  Keep baby away from scary & noisy sounds.

• get him/her a comfortable and warm costume
• get your moms group together for a costume party
• handing out candy on Halloween night can be entertaining until bedtime

2-4 years:

Their world is filled with pretend play, Halloween couldn’t be more exciting.  Remind them everyone else is also in costume and that potentially scary creatures are not real and also pretending, just like they are.

• ask for their input on costume choice, they’ll definitely have an opinion
• take them to a local pumpkin patch
• look for local community events that aren’t too scary
• decorate together around the house
• go trick’or’treating early, dressed warmly and back home early

4 and up:

Real fear (and the introduction of logical fear around age 5) can cause some children to come to dislike Halloween from coming across decorated houses and Halloween shows and movies.  While some children like being scared by irrational fears like ghosts and witches, keep an eye on what they’re exposed to.

• there will be School/pre-school parties
• check out your local pumpkin patch
• find local events (community centres, parks, etc)
• enlist them to help with decorating around the house
• baking special halloween treats
• trick’or’treating

I had a frozen-yogurt date with my 6yo daughter the other night and she professed that Halloween was her favourite holiday, beating out her birthday and even Christmas, simply because of ‘all the candy, and dressing up!’.
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