Halloween is just a few days away, and we want to make sure you and your family have a safe and fun holiday! We’ve put together a list of tips in today’s article on how to stay safe, have a fun time, and not make candy an issue this Halloween.
Plan your route in advance.
Halloween can be a busy night, and while it can be tempting to see how the night goes, we suggest planning your route in advance and talking about where you’re going to go with your kids as well. Knowing all the neighborhoods and/or trunk or treats you plan on visiting can help you on the planning side, and it can help manage expectations for kids. Even if nothing else, it can be helpful for your kids to know your last stop, so they’re not disappointed when you suddenly say no more trick or treating for the night. If you need helping planning where to go, you can find our list of local trunk or treats here and neighborhoods here.
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Ensure costume safety.
Costume safety is often an overlooked issue, but it can be an important one. If your little one’s costume is too long, they could trip and fall and hurt themselves pretty badly in their excitement to get candy. If their vision is obstructed, it can become a safety issue, particularly in neighborhoods where you might be dealing with cars or golf carts driving around in low light. Take a minute now for your child to try on their costume and figure out any issues before Halloween night. You can pin up costumes that are too long and make other adjustments to ensure your child’s safety.
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Talk to kids about staying safe.
While costume safety is important, it’s not the only safety issue to talk about with your kids before Halloween night. While the safety concerns you go over with your child may vary depending on your Halloween plans, some of the top things to consider are:
- Looking both ways before crossing the street.
- Walking on sidewalks when possible and/or walking on the correct side of the road if no sidewalks are available.
- Checking in with you periodically if you’re at a big trunk or treat event and/or the buddy system.
- Being aware of any food allergy issues and knowing what to do if an issue arises.
- Not eating candy that is unwrapped, oddly wrapped, or suspicious items.
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Use candy as a teaching opportunity.
Halloween (and the days and weeks after) is known for overindulging in candy, and while it can be tempting to set intense boundaries or even outright bans, this doesn’t always have the best effect on children. For one, children can learn to lie and sneak candy if rules are too intense, but intense bans can also plant the seeds for unhealthy thinking around food. Instead, use candy as a teaching and talking opportunity. If the night of Halloween your child eats too much candy and has a stomachache, you can talk about why candy is best in moderation. You can also talk to your child about what candy they like best and only keeping their favorites.
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Have a post-Halloween candy plan.
Even if your kids overindulge on Halloween night, there’s still bound to be a lot of leftover candy in your house in the days and weeks after Halloween. Take the time to discuss what the plan for this is with your child now. Work with them to set some healthy boundaries around how much they’ll have each day after Halloween, when they’ll have it, where the candy will be stored, etc. Again, this can help to manage expectations ahead of time, so there’s not struggle and disappointment later (or at least that’s the goal).
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Be gentle on yourself and your child.
Halloween is about having fun and candy is a part of that fun. No one night of eating is going to run a healthy diet—it’s the overall habits that count. Don’t beat yourself up or be too hard on your child over a short period of time of “bad” eating.
Tifton Moms is a resource dedicated to the moms and families of Tifton, Georgia and beyond to help them find the information they need about events in Tifton and Southwest Georgia, resources in Tifton and beyond, educational tips, and so much more. We are passionate about all things parenting and our community, and we want to connect you to relevant resources, local businesses, can’t-miss events, and each other! Find more helpful articles at https://tiftonmoms.com/blog/.
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