Most kids will probably say Halloween is one of their favorite times of the year. It’s a time of great excitement—there’s picking out the perfect costume, school parties, trick or treating and trips to the pumpkin patch. Just don’t forget to keep your little goblins happy and safe this Halloween season with a few simple tips. Whether you’re a Beggar’s Night newbie or a seasoned trick or treating pro, life gets hectic and we may skip a safety step or two in a hurry. 

Here are a few refresher tips and ideas to ensure your Halloween:

Find Community Events. Younger kids can be apprehensive about going door-to-door trick or treating.  If that’s the case, head out to a kid-friendly community Halloween fair or event. There will still be “trick-or-treating” (just maybe booth-to-booth instead of door-to-door) as well as costumes and fun. My kids love this as there are usually extra and unusual activities like bobbing for apples, face painting and more.

Don’t let your little tyke get overtired this Halloween. Plan ahead! Trick or treat early; plan on only going to only a few houses then head home so you can stick with your nightly routine. After dinner allow your child to stay up and help hand out candy for a certain amount of time before taking a bath and going to bed.

Wear a costume that can easily be seen. Add reflective tape, wear glow-in-the-dark tights, and throw a blinking light in your candy bag. Do whatever you need to do to make sure you and your child can be seen regardless of how dark it gets.

Don’t mix running and costumes! Remind your children to walk (instead of run) and don’t forget to use the sidewalks. Steps pop up in the dark, roots suddenly appear, dresses seem longer, shoes are bigger… remind your child to slow down. The candy will be at the door regardless of when they arrive. The trick is to arrive safely.

Set a meeting time and place. If your kids are a bit older and don’t want mom and dad cramping their style. Regardless if you plan on separating from your children or not, set a place where you will meet should you become separated.  Most towns have a set time for trick or treating so the residents know when people will be coming and going.  Respect others by sticking to this time and ask your kids to do the same.

Find safe areas for trick or treating. Stick to neighborhoods with a lot of homes like a subdivision and good street lighting. This isn’t a time to roam new areas that you and your children are unfamiliar with.  If you do not feel your neighborhood is as safe as it should be, find a better one for your kids.

No porch light, no stopping.  Do not stop at a home with no porch light on.  This is the owner’s way of declining visitors for whatever reason. And only accept candy from someone’s doorway (preferably someone you know). It’s always a good idea to check over your kid’s candy before they dig in as well (it also gives you first dibs on the best candy!).

Swap the door-to-door with a party at home.  If your kids are willing, skip the whole door-to-door routine and have a party at home.  Invite friends, put on spooky music, play games, serve a fun dinner like hot dogs or tacos and Halloween themed party snacks.  A party like this can be more fun than traipsing around in cold weather waiting for a Tootsie Roll. 

Have fun! Trick or Treating should be one of the great adventures of Halloween for kids.  It’s also a great time for families to spend time together. So relax, take lots of photos, have fun and be safe!

Have a happy Halloween!

Daddy Nickell

Robert Nickell, aka Daddy Nickell, father of 7, offers his “5 cents” worth of advice to expectant and new parents.  Daddy Nickell is the founder of Daddyscrubs.com, delivery room duds and daddy gifts and apparel, and the DaddyScrubs blog where he covers topics about parenting all from a Dad’s perspective.

The post Daddy Nickell’s Safe Trick or Treating Tips appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

(BPT) – Whether prepping for trick-or-treaters or hosting a party fit for Frankenstein, turning your home into a haunted house can be fun and easy. With these tips, before you know it, your home will be transformed into the spookiest house on the block.

Create terrifying tombstones. Set the stage before trick-or-treaters even hit the front door. Use wood, cardboard or thick Styrofoam to create tombstones that you can put in your front yard. After cutting out the desired shape, use a matte gray spray paint to cover the surface, and then use black paint to write creative epitaphs such as “Dare to Disturb” or “Happy Haunting.”

Get creative with pumpkins. Everyone enjoys a good jack-o-lantern, but why not choose to think outside the box when decorating with pumpkins this year? Instead of carving, try spray painting or using your favorite Halloween candy to decorate pumpkins in fun, spooky patterns. Plus, this is a project that even the littlest witch can enjoy.

Download a haunted playlist. Nothing is quite as spooky as the sound of doors creaking or ghosts shrieking. Put together a haunted playlist that you can listen to while guests arrive, or stick speakers near an open window to entice the nearby trick-or-treaters to stop by for some candy.

Serve spine-chilling treats. Use your free time on Halloween to make these simple but yummy treats designed to look like spiders. Serve them when guests arrive to kick-off the scary festivities.

Reese’s® Peanut Butter Pumpkin Spiders (6 Servings)

Ingredients:

• 6 Reese’s (R) Peanut Butter Pumpkins
• 1/4 cup Hershey’s (R) Milk Chocolate Chips
• Large pretzel twists (2 -1/2 to 3 inches)
• 12 yellow Reese’s Pieces (R) Candies

Directions:

Line tray or cookie sheet with wax paper. Remove wrappers from peanut butter pumpkins and place alongside each other on tray leaving 1 inch of space between each peanut butter pumpkin. For each spider, cut 8 matching curved sections from pretzels which will form the legs. Set aside remaining pretzels pieces.

Place milk chocolate chips in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at medium 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at medium an additional 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and smooth when stirred. Transfer to small heavy duty plastic food storage bag. Cut off one corner of bag about 1/4 inch from the tip.

Attach pretzel legs and yellow candy “eyes” to spider with melted chocolate; place dot of melted chocolate on each eye. Allow chocolate to set before moving spiders.

For more wickedly delicious recipes, visit CelebratewithHersheys.com.

The post No tricks here: Treat guests to a hair-raising Halloween experience appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.