The first time we went trick-or-treating with our children it was indoors at a mall. This was fairly easy except for a couple of scrapes or falls. As my littles have gotten older, however, we decided to start trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. Having always gone trick-or-treating at a local trunk or treat, or event before dark, I was not prepared. I found that both my littles were not that fond of the dark. All the houses we had passed many times with their Halloween decorations were much scarier in the dark. We didn’t have lights for trick-or-treating.
My youngest was scared and even refused to go up to a couple of houses that he found too scary and dark. I realized that I needed to put some thought into how to make us all feel safe, so we could focus on the fun of trick or treating. Here are some tips for illuminating Halloween costumes and bags for little trick-or-treaters.
Flashlights
I know, I know, this seems like a no-brainer, but I am not talking about the one on your phone. I mean buy little flashlights for your kids to use when you go out trick or treating. That way they have their own light to control at will. This will help ease the fear of the dark.
I realized the first-year trick-or-treating with littles that all the littles wanted a turn with the flashlight (my phone at the time), and I did not trust them to not drop it. Now, I buy enough flashlights for all the littles who are trick or treating, and almost everyone takes one. Make sure it is small and can be easily held in one hand. This is so the littles are less likely to drop them or you to be left holding their candy bags as they play with the flashlight (Yes, you probably will still have to hold a bag or two but hopefully not as many).
Glow in the Dark Bracelets, Pins, Masks, Necklaces, etc.
There are plenty to choose from and they are not very expensive. You can find them at local grocery stores, Walmart, Dollar Stores, etc. They are made from plastic and glow for at least a couple of hours after you bend or shake them. This year my littles each picked out a necklace with a Halloween character on it. My oldest chose a purple bat and the youngest a green spider.
I also buy multiple glowing bracelets in a myriad of colors for both adults and kids. This helps us identify each other in the dark from the other trick-or-treat groups (It also works great at other outdoor events such as the Glow Balloon festival). That way you can find your kids and they can find you. Win-win.
Light up Halloween Necklaces, Headbands, etc.
If glow bracelets and such are not your ideal, you can also purchase battery-operated light-up Halloween-themed necklaces. My littles love the cats and pumpkins. The first year I bought them, they worked for about two events before the batteries died. If you want to be able to reuse, make sure you have the necessary batteries on hand. These are great for those who like to use lights for trick-or-treating and also attend a lot of nighttime events for Halloween.
Light up Candy Bags or Lights for Candy bags and Pumpkins
They now also have trick-or-treat bags that light up, flash or you can buy small magnetic lights to stick on plastic buckets or bags. You can find these at Amazon, local grocery stores, Target, etc. These are another great way to make sure your little ones have enough light to make them comfortable, and you can find them easily. They are also more earth-friendly than one-time-use glow jewelry if you make sure the batteries are replaceable.
This year, we will have a bit of everything as I love to drag my littles to as many Halloween events as they will let me. They are also getting older, so we will have more events at night rather than just during the day. We will enjoy all the different ways to have lights for trick or treating in the dark and the safety of being able to keep track of one another. What are some of your ideas for lighting up Halloween?
