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Home › Webmother's Musings

Have a Happy – and Safe – Halloween

By Elisa Ast All

"To infinity, and beyond!" That's what I've been hearing in my house all month, accompanied by a daring leap off the couch and an ensuing peal of giggles. Why? Because my children plan to be Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story's space ranger, for Halloween. Yes, all three of them. (We couldn't talk them into being Woody, Jessie and Buzz.)

Halloween has become the holiday of choice for children. The anticipation of getting dressed up as a favorite character – or a scary monster – makes them giddy. Or maybe it's the prospect of all that candy...

With all of the fun and excitement of Halloween, there also are practical considerations to make when planning for this special day. Depending on the ages of your children, there are psychological, logistical and safety issues to consider.

For young children, the blurring of fantasy and reality can be frightening. Explain to your kids that a person's scary mask is make-believe, with a real person behind it. This may ease the shock and confusion some kids encounter on Halloween when faced with people in costumes. Focus on fun rather than fright. It will only scare some kids to talk about ghouls and goblins – lay off the scary stuff.

Perhaps the biggest concern for parents on Halloween is safety. Trick-or-treating has the potential for danger in several ways. First, kids are so excited to run from one place to another that they may forget to look for traffic on the road or objects in their path. If you cannot go trick-or-treating with your children, make sure they are supervised by adults you trust. Remind them to stop at all street crossings and to always look where they are going. It's also good for them to know that Halloween is a time when things are not always as they appear. They should not talk to anyone they don't recognize, and they should never go inside a stranger's home.

And what about all that candy? First, remember to inspect all goodies your children receive on Halloween. Anything that doesn't look right should be disposed of immediately. Once you have a pool of "approved" items, allow your kids to select a few of their favorite pieces to eat themselves, and then leave the rest in a bowl outside the front door to be traded for a special prize. While the children are asleep, remove the candy from the bowl and leave a surprise for each child, such as a new toy, book or computer game.

If you would rather not trick-or-treat, there are many other things you can do. Stay home with your kids and give out healthy treats all night – it's almost as much fun as being out and about! Head to a community Halloween party, or even the local pumpkin patch. Make something fun to eat out of pumpkin. The texture of pumpkin adds wonderful flavor to soup without adding any fat or calories. Toasted pumpkins seeds make a great snack. When carving a jack-o-lantern, remove the pumpkin seeds, rinse and then dry by laying them on a towel and patting them with another towel. Heat your oven to 250 degrees F. Arrange the seeds on a cookie sheet. Drizzle about one tablespoon of olive oil over the seeds and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Spread seeds into a single layer and bake, stirring occasionally, about one hour. Let cool, then enjoy!

For more Halloween resources and ideas, click here.