This Halloween was the first time Drake and Juliet went trick or treating. When Drake was Juliet’s age, we never took him trick or treating because we felt silly ringing doorbells asking for candy that basically would be for us, since Drake was too small to eat it. Even at two Drake was too young to get what the holiday was about, so besides dressing him up briefly with hand me down costumes, we didn’t really celebrate the holiday.
This year however, Drake is 3 and much more aware about Halloween. He learned about it in school, has seen a few Dora episodes where she goes trick or treating, and Mr. Chocolate and I mentioned it to him as we felt like he could understand this year. Juliet got to tag along making this her first trick or treating experience too, though she mostly slept through it.
Drake had a great time but since this was his first time going, he didn’t always get the concept so I thought I would share our experience for those of you who will be having first timers next year.
Go early – I asked Mr. Chocolate if he was going to come home early so we could go when it was still light out. He said that most people wouldn’t be home because of work, so he came home at his normal time around 5:30. Drake and Juliet’s aunt and uncle also wanted to come along and they didn’t arrive home from work til 5 then had to drive to us, so we didn’t start until after 5:30. By 6 it felt like it was midnight for us walking around. It was cloudy and rainy on Halloween which might have made it seem darker, but next year I am going to start by 4-4:30 at the latest so by the time it gets dark, we can just stop and go home.
Be prepared to be out for a while – I underestimated Drake’s enthusiasm for his first time. I assumed we would visit a few of the neighbors we knew and maybe a few more houses after that, and he would get tired or bored and want to go home. It started to drizzle on and off and I didn’t bring an umbrella or coat for myself. Drake stayed dry in his costume as did Juliet in her stroller with the canopy, but Mr. Chocolate and I both got wet so next time I will check the weather and be prepared to be out for a bit.
Explain the Rules– The first time the door opened at our first house, Drake tried to enter the home. I guess it makes sense to him since that’s what normally happens when we go places. He also liked to chat with the owners of the home which was cute to see. We had to explain to him a few times that the purpose was only to get the treats and then go on to the next house. Also the first time we got to a house where no one was home and no treats were left, Drake had a hard time leaving as he was expecting one or the other and this went against what he had learned about the day. We had to explain to him that not everyone would necessarily have treats sometimes, but it was ok and we would just find more somewhere else.
Leave Candy at Your House if You Won’t be Home- While we were out, we noticed that many people who were out trick or treating themselves would leave a bowl of candy out for trick or treaters. In past years Mr. Chocolate and I had done that, especially when Drake was a newborn and we didn’t want our bell being rung again and again at night when he was going to sleep, but this year we forgot. That now leaves us with a huge bag of candy just for us, which can be seen as a plus or a minus depending on how you look at it, since we didn’t get any trick or treaters after we came home. Next year we will be setting out a bowl while we are out.
Overall I thought it was a lot of fun taking Drake and Juliet out for their first trick or treating experience. We got to meet a lot of our neighbors since we just moved into the development last December and haven’t really gotten to know many of them. Since we don’t give Drake candy very often, I don’t even think he realized that what he was getting was candy; he just liked acquiring the treats and placing them in his basket. It was also sweet to see him sometimes ask for candy for Juliet and talk about how their costumes matched (she was a dalmatian).
Drake had a wonderful Halloween between trick or treating as well as all the activities his school did, and I’m sure next year will be even more exciting for him.
grapefruit / 4923 posts
sounds like drake really enjoyed himself! that’s wonderful that you all got to enjoy it together as a family, even little juliet! thanks for the helpful tips.
pomegranate / 3791 posts
Looks like he had a really good time! I never would of thought about explaining to not go in people’s houses when my LO is old enough to trick or treat. Also shows how different trick or treating can be in different places, because here you couldn’t start before 5:30 since the city has set trick or treating hours (6:30-8 here) and you know who is or isn’t participating because they’ll leave their porch light on.
pomegranate / 3414 posts
All good advise. While the thought of going early sounds great, like @wonderstruck said our townships approved ToT hours were 6-8 so getting an early start wasn’t an option, plus most people work and have a commute so they weren’t home.
guest
I would never start before 530 … People just aren’t ready for you yet. No need to make people rush around, I figure…
blogger / nectarine / 2600 posts
@edelweiss: Thanks we had a great time! By the way did you get my email?
@wonderstruck: @purrpletulips: Melissa: Oh wow I didnt know about cities having all these rules. I grew up in suburbs and still live here and I remember going right after school. A lot of the kids in my neighborhood started right away. I think a lot of parents take a half day and there are also lots f SAHM as well as older people so there are always people at home. Thats why after we got home at 7ish we got no one because everyone in the area goes early and stops once its gets darker.
I didnt realize he would go in the homes at first either! It makes sense but not something I thought about ahead of time either.
blogger / eggplant / 11551 posts
I was soo surprised by how well N did her first year trick-or-treating. We went with a few other kids her age and they picked it up really quickly. I guess candy is a great incentive.
pomegranate / 3414 posts
As for going into the homes, I grew up ToT by walking up to people’s front doors, ringing the door bell etc. We live in a subdivision and the trend seems to be sitting in the driveway; I guess so kids don’t have to go that far??
This was the first year that DD (3.5yo) really got the concept of ToT so that was fun. Since DH was against leaving a bowl of candy and both of us going, I took the kids with DS (14m) in the Ergo. After about the third house DD starting asking people if she could have another piece for her brother; while cute I had to stop her from doing it because I felt bad.
guest
Great advice! and I can’t even stand how cute it is that he was chatting up the neighbors and trying to go inside! Aww.
Another great tip from a friend – she bought her child a large goody bag (the kind you see everywhere, almost like a grocery bag). He was insistent upon carrying it, but that was difficult/impossible for him because it was so long compared to his height. So get a tiny bag/pumpkin they can carry and bring a bigger bag to unload into that you can carry!
cherry / 110 posts
Yeah, sort of echoing what others have said, The convention around different neighborhoods may be different. For mine, kids don’t really go out until after dark. I took my LO out around 6:20 pm and we were among the first ones (along with the other kids his age) to go Trick or Treating. And like what others have said, in my neighborhood, whether porch lights are on tell us whether the houses are giving out candy or not.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
Trick or treating starts at 4pm in our insanely packed of young kids neighborhood. We typically start around 5:30-6:00pm. We let the kids stay out late last year and this year — they were out to about 9:30! I love Halloween so much, I can’t deny them!
blogger / persimmon / 1398 posts
Great tips!! We live in a neighborhood where the earliest start time is 6:00ish. Not only is that rough with little ones… but hard to photograph!