First of all, if your child is not eating candy (they are too young), is it really worth taking them trick-or-treating? If they are coming along with older kids, I can see the fun in having them come along. But you really don't need to ask for candy for a child that is obviously too young to eat it.
And even if you do take your young baby trick-or-treating and you're taking candy for them, don't laugh and make excuses for the baby when they are sleeping and you are still collecting candy for them. Sorry, but I found that tacky.
I should also say that it is fun to dress a baby up, so I do understand wanting to maybe take them to an event to show them off a little. But it's the candy collecting thing that gets to me. If you, as a parent, really need candy just go buy it yourself. My son's first Halloween was when he was 7 months old. I dressed him up, mostly for me, and he came along to a party I was helping with for kids. But I never dreamed of going out trick-or-treating with him. I didn't feed my 7 month old candy, so why would I do that. In fact my son has only done trick-or-treating at the mall. He doesn't get tons of candy that way, and it's well light, indoors, and so much safer.
Which leads me to my second issue...Do your children really need to go trick-or-treating more than once? Really? I don't know about you, but I don't really need my child to have that much candy. We go to one event, so he can dress up and enjoy the trick-or-treating part. That's plenty for us.
This year we attending a Trunk-or-Treat event at our church. It was a lot of fun. But since we did this, we ditched going to the mall-o-ween like we have done in past years. One time trick-or-treating is plenty.
And yes, I'm totally judging my friend who took her 9 month old to the church event and to the mall. What is the point?!! He doesn't eat candy, and he's too young to even remember this and understand what's going on. I should be nice, though, and say I do understand they were having fun taking him out, so whatever.
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9 comments:
I agree totally!!
My little guy was six months old ofr his first hallween. I dressed him up, put him in the stroller, and we walked along the road while his 11 year old sister went door to door.
The next year, at 18 months, he went to doors and collected some candy. But once he got too tired to walk, that was it. His sister kept going, while I pushed him in the sstroller, but NOT to the doors!!!
If they can't WALK tot he houses on their own steam.... they're TOO LITTLE!!!!
Also really... just dressing a little guy up and taking him for a walk on halloween is fun on it's own... they can see the kids & costumes & colours, and that's really all they need atthat age!!
I love dressing the kids up. And I love to see them in their costumes multiple times. So, yes, we will go to several halloween activities. Mainly because I spent too much dang time/energy on those costumes and I want to make them count!
That said, we don't do candy for the baby.
A has a school party today. At that party, they don't pass out much candy at all (things like pretzles, water bottles, trinkets) so I don't feel bad letting him go trick or treating around our house, too.
As for candy, we ration it. Freeze some, and pull it out for the family every once in a while.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I think the dressing up is fun for kids and babies too. Zachariah dressed up for a hayride thing my mom's family did a few weeks ago and had a blast. It's just the multiple trick-or-treating thing that gets me.
Tracy, I love the idea of freezing some of the candy. Even with only one kid, it's way more candy than he needs.
I can totally understand wanting to do all the fun holiday stuff with your baby, especially the "firsts" with your "first," but Halloween is a little much.
Yeah, trick-or-treating with a baby irks me, too. Trick-or-treaters over a certain age (around 11 or 12) annoy me as well. Makes me wonder what their parents were thinking...
Oh yes, Jana, that too. Too old is just as bad, or worse, than too young!
I agree.
This was our first year of trick-or-treating and even I felt bad taking any candy, because with Gabe's allergies my boys can't eat most of it. I'll end up eating some of it and the rest will probably end up at our workplaces.
I just wanted my older son to have the experience of knocking on the door and saying trick-or-treat and his younger brother wanted to tag along. But he just turned 3 and this is the very first year we have done it. I haven't seen a need to do it prior to this age.
I agree with you! Younger than 2 and older than 10 unless they are with siblings in the age range I don't like to give candy to. I really hate the teenagers in no costume at all with a pillowcase. Of course you have to give them something so they don't come back and vandalize your house! We trick-or-treat around our neighborhood, which is so small it takes us about 30 minutes. We usually leave when the first person comes to our door (so we know others are out too) and leave a bowl by our door with some candy and a note asking you to take a piece or two. When we get home the kids go through their candy and help me pass out the rest of ours to the t-o-ters. The kids usually put things none of us like in our passing out bowl and I let them each eat 2 pieces of their choosing. Then we put it all in a bowl in the kitchen for everyone in the family (by which I mean me!!). When we are out of candy we turn off the light.
This year makes me mad because our town is asking people to go out on Saturday since Sunday is a school night (WTFever because it is really due to the uber-Christians here who still equate Halloween with devil-worshippers). The end result will be most kids going out BOTH nights! We are going to go out Saturday and pass out candy on Sunday I guess. Not sure yet, as I keep changing my mind...
I didn't mean to hijack you post, my apologies!
Kids in this neighbourhood generally go out to about grade seven or eight.... my eighth grader is going out this year, but only because last year she had a broken leg, and couldn't. She knows that this is IT though!!
But next year, she can take her brother door to door, without collecting for herself! (although, I expect that there will start to be parties by next year!!)
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