I shared these tips last year!  I figured they were important enough to share again!

Halloween Safety and Etiquette

We all know your infant doesn’t eat candy!  If you want candy, don’t use your baby as an excuse to get more.  Go to the store and get your own candy.  Save the rest for the other kids.

Let each child hold his/her own flashlight! This way, you can see them, and they can see everything else.

Skip the houses that don’t have the porch light on! These are either families who are out trick or treating and having fun themselves, families who (for religious reason) do not participate in Halloween, or they just don’t have candy or don’t like kids!

Look both ways before you cross the street! On Halloween, people will be driving very slowly down most streets, but that doesn’t mean that it’s always safe to cross without being cautious!

If the homeowner does not put candy in your child’s bag/bucket/basket/, make sure he/she only takes one piece! There will NOT be a shortage of candy tonight, and you can guarantee that one per house will be sufficient!

Park your car and walk up and down the streets with your child. If you drive your car down the street parking as your kids stop, you’re going to cause a traffic jam, and this can be very dangerous if there is nowhere to stop in front of the house where your kids ring the bell.  Just park it and walk!

If your child is old enough to be walking the streets alone at night, then they’re old enough to either go to a party/festival or just stay back and hand out candy. There’s nothing more frustrating than a group of 15-18 year olds pushing past the four year olds so that they can ring the doorbell first and get the first pick of the candy!  In our old neighborhood, several families wouldn’t hand out candy to kiddos over a certain age!  They also had the no costume, no candy policy!  If you ran up to house with no effort or no costume, a wrinkled up Walmart bag, and you’re with a group of 15 year old kids, you’re not getting candy!  At least make some kind of effort to get in the spirit!  Rule of thumb (so I’m seeing), if they’re now a “teen”, then find something else fun for them to do!

Don’t let your kiddos go into anyone’s home unless you know them personally. If they’re not handing out treats AT the door, walk away, or go with them. (Yes, I thought the last episode of Modern Family was strange!  No way I’d let my kids walk into a house to fumble through a makeshift haunted house, alone!)

Only let your children eat wrapped or sealed candy. You take your chances on anything, really, but especially with homemade treats (from people you do not know) or fresh fruit.

Always say thank you and HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Remember, Halloween is just as fun for those handing out candy as it is for those receiving!  Make sure your children thank homeowners for their treats!

Be mindful of the yard and flowerbeds! Please make sure your kidlets walk on the sidewalk or driveways!  For homeowners, if you do not want your flowerbeds in front of your door trampled, try sitting in the driveway with a bowl of candy!

Most pets are friendly, but they might be scared of the costumes! If you’re a homeowner, before opening your door, you might want to put Fido in the back bedroom.  Yes, he may be great with children – most of the time – but there will be a lot of activity going on around your home, and you never know how he will react!

Don’t scare the little ones!! Yes, it may be fun for your tweens and teens to play “tricks” on each other, because after all, what is Trick or Treating without the Tricks, right?  Please remind them that the littles don’t find it as amusing and it can totally ruin the experience for the them!

HAVE FUN!