Trick-or-Treating With a Toddler: 12 Survival Tips

Trick-or-treating with a toddler goes best short, early and planned. Go out while it’s still light, keep bedtime where it normally is, dress them in a costume that fits over their coat, and stop after a couple of houses to check how they’re doing. Agree on the candy rules before you leave, because nobody negotiates well at the front door holding a full bucket. Below are twelve tips in the order you’ll need them, from the week before to the walk home. Most come from the AAP’s guidance for babies and toddlers, and all of them can be planned before October 31.

The week before (tips 1–4)

1. Practice the costume at home. The AAP’s tips for easing toddlers into Halloween suggest letting your child “practice dressing up in their costume before the big day.” Do it twice, on an ordinary afternoon. You’ll find out whether they’ll keep the hat on, whether the sleeves bother them, and whether they can climb a step in it.

2. Buy the costume a size up, to go over the coat. Halloween weather is a gamble, and the AAP says to check the forecast and add layers if needed. A costume that only fits over a T-shirt means a choice between cold and covered up. A costume that fits over the coat solves both. It still has to be short enough not to trip on. The AAP says to choose a costume “that is not too long or too bulky” and to make sure your child can “see, breathe, walk and move their arms easily.”

3. Plan the car seat before you plan the look. If you’re driving to a friend’s street, the coat-plus-costume combo can’t go under the car seat harness. The AAP’s winter car seat guidance says bulky clothing, “including winter coats and snowsuits, should not be worn underneath the harness of a car seat,” because the padding flattens in a crash and leaves the straps loose. Buckle them in a thin layer, then put the coat on backwards over the buckled straps, or drape it over them. Put the costume on at the curb. If buckling is already a fight at your house, my car seat fight tips help with that part.

4. Skip the mask. The AAP recommends non-toxic face paint and hats instead of masks, and says hats should not slide over the eyes. Test any makeup on a small patch of skin ahead of time. Leave swords, wands and sticks at home, because a toddler who trips with one can get hurt.

On the night (tips 5–9)

5. Go before dark and keep bedtime. The AAP says “try trick-or-treating while it’s still light outside so you can stick to your child’s regular bedtime.” If trick-or-treating doesn’t start until after dark where you live, it suggests looking for daytime events at your library, rec center or neighborhood instead. This year Halloween falls on a Saturday, so there may be more daytime options than usual. Run your normal bedtime routine when you get home, at the normal time.

6. Feed them a real meal first. The AAP suggests giving your child “a good meal before trick-or-treating to discourage sampling.” A toddler who just ate is less likely to grab candy at every door. It also means dinner isn’t a fight at 7pm.

7. Run the two-house test. Go to two houses, then stop on the sidewalk and look at your toddler. Happy and pulling toward the next door means keep going. Clingy, quiet or crying means the night is done, and that’s fine. The AAP says a house that’s too scary, a fall or “just a hard day” can tip a toddler into a meltdown. Its advice: “If your little one doesn’t want to participate in Halloween, then let that be OK.” Decide on the two-house check before you leave so it doesn’t feel like giving up. If the meltdown arrives anyway, my public tantrum tips cover the walk home.

8. Hold hands on every step and porch. Most toddlers are still unsteady on their feet. The AAP says to help your child “climb up and down any steps and porches,” and its general Halloween page says child pedestrian injuries are more likely on Halloween than on any other night. Stay on sidewalks, cross at crosswalks, and only go to houses with a porch light on. If you’ll be out at dusk, a strip of sew-on reflective tape on the back of the coat helps drivers see a small child. The AAP recommends reflective tape on costumes and treat bags.

9. Nothing goes in the mouth on the walk. The AAP says to keep an eye on what your child has in their mouth “at all times” and that “it’s best to avoid eating while walking or running.” Make it a rule before you start: everything goes in the bucket and gets checked at home.

Back home (tips 10–12)

10. Sort the bucket before anything gets eaten. The AAP lists what babies and toddlers should not have: “hard candies, caramel apples, popcorn, gum, small candies (jelly beans, etc.), gummy candy, pumpkin seeds or anything with whole nuts.” Wrappers, stickers, small toys and temporary tattoos are choking hazards too. Pull those out first. Throw away anything unwrapped or suspicious. If your toddler has a food allergy, check every treat, and the AAP says if you’re not sure what’s in it, don’t give it.

11. Decide the candy rules in daylight. Settle it that morning, not at the front door: how many pieces tonight, how many a day after that, and when. The AAP suggests rationing treats over the following days and weeks and keeping candy rules “realistic, consistent and positive.” Tell your toddler the plan before you go. Then the bucket at home isn’t a surprise and there’s nothing to argue about.

12. Have a backup plan for the costume and the evening. The AAP suggests packing a spare costume for “leaky diapers to spit up to toilet training accidents,” and rethinking a complicated costume if your child is newly potty trained. If you’re mid-training, my potty training on-the-go tips cover the bag. If trick-or-treating doesn’t work out, the AAP suggests letting your toddler hand out candy at your door instead. Betteroo’s by-age Halloween safety table also covers pumpkin carving and getting your porch ready if you’re the one opening the door.

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FAQ: trick-or-treating with a toddler

What age can a toddler go trick-or-treating?

There’s no set age. The AAP says to always go with young children on their rounds, and that a toddler who doesn’t want to take part can skip it this year. “There is always next year, and 12 months can make a big difference!”

What time should toddlers go trick-or-treating?

Before dark, if you can, so bedtime stays where it is. If your neighborhood doesn’t start until after dark, look for a daytime event, or do two or three houses as soon as it starts and head home.

How much Halloween candy can a toddler have?

The AAP doesn’t give a number. It recommends limiting added sugar every day and rationing treats over the days and weeks after Halloween. Leave out the items it lists for babies and toddlers, and pick a daily amount yourself before the night.

What if my toddler is scared of the costumes?

Talk about what will happen ahead of time. The AAP says toddlers “need to know that Halloween is just for fun.” Skip the houses with big decorations, and stop when your toddler has had enough.