Tips for Taking a Baby Trick or Treating

When taking a baby Trick or Treating, be prepared. Naturally you have to have bottles, wet wipes, diapers, all the things you would normally carry. If you live in a cool or cold climate, you have to also be prepared for the weather. It could be warm, cool, cold, raining, or snowing. It is a very unpredictable time of year. Usually Trick or Treating is done in the evening when it is cooler anyway. It is best to layer the baby's clothing. If buying a costume, many Halloween costumes for infants are warm and fit over clothing. If baby is too warm, you can take part of the clothing off. If it is too cold, you can add more clothing. Always take along an extra outfit in case of accidents. Making a costume can sometimes be better. It doesn't have to be complicated or hard. Winter pajamas with cartoon characters make good costumes for babies. So do a set of sweat shirts and sweat pants. A black set can become a black cat, a red one could be a little devil, a brown set a little puppy, or teddy bear. Use a little felt material for details like ears or tail. Using a stroller is a must, and hopefully it has a place for carrying things. The diaper bag can get rather heavy if you have to lug it around for very long. If you are taking older children, they usually say, "Hey Mom, will you hold this a minute?" They almost never come back for it and you're stuck with it for the night. A baby carrier might come in handy, too. Babies are notorious for having to be held part of the time. Bringing along some extra arms never hurts, either. Even a small baby gets heavy after a while. Older babies may be frightened by some costumes. They are not old enough to understand that is is just a child dressed up. For these children, it is best to try and keep them out of large crowds of Halloweeners. Also, be on the alert and try to avoid especially frightening decorations. Sometimes you may be able to distract them. Read the baby picture board books about Halloween every day during October. Books like "Frankie" by Piggy Toes Press are wonderful way to teach baby about Halloween. It introduces Frankenstein as Frankie, a werewolf as Wally, a mummy named Milton, Gus the ghost, and Wanda the witch. The pictures are cute and non-threatening. Everything rhymes. Picture by: dizznbonn