Halloween is nearly here! By now you’ve got your kids costumes ready (or maybe you’re panicking about when you’re going to find time to go to the nearest Halloween store), gotten some candy (and hopefully haven’t eaten all of it) to give out to trick or treaters, and have your plan in place for Halloween night? If you don’t, no need to sweat, we’ve got a handy list of everything you need to maximize your kids fun (and candy) this Halloween!

1

Wear Comfy Shoes

The first and most essential thing you can do to make sure everybody has a happy Halloween is to make sure everybody’s wearing comfy shoes they can walk a long distance in. That means flip flops for your surfer dude or stockings for your elf! That is, unless you want to have to run home or carry around an extra pair of shoes all night? (We didn’t think so)

2

Bring Water for Everyone

Halloween is the best because no other holiday lets you eat SO MUCH free candy! Unfortunately, all that sugar leads to a brief sugar high and then a crash that sucks all of kids’ energy away. One of the best things you can do to maximize the fun this Halloween is to make sure that you band of trick or treaters has plenty of water to go around. It keeps kids moving and helps fight off the effects of too much sugar and not enough real food.

3

Pack Healthy Snacks

Speaking of eating real food, make sure you pack some healthy snacks for everyone to eat too! Apples, carrots, celery, you know: stuff that’s good an wholesome for your kids. It can be particularly challenging to get your kids to eat anything healthy on Halloween, so feel free to get creative with your healthy snacks. Worst case, you can remind them that they’ll need the extra energy to finish trick or treating the neighborhood.

4

Bring a Wagon for Kids to Ride In and Store Their Treats

If your kids do get tired (what kids don’t?) why not bring your Deluxe Cruisin’ Wagon along so they can take a rest when they need to? It’s also a great place to store all that candy or loose costume pieces they accumulate through the evening.

5

Plan Your Route Ahead of Time

This one is a serious timesaver if you’ve never done it before. Pull up a map of your neighborhood and think through the route you want to go on ahead of time. Any time you can avoid doubling back, crossing busy streets, etcetera is time saved! Now, your kids may have other ideas about how to use that extra time, but that’s a problem for a different day…

6

Park a Car or Pick a House Along Your Route to Act as Home Base

Listen, we’ve all been somewhere when a 2-year-old suddenly has to use the bathroom and there is NOWHERE good nearby. It’s an inescapable truth that if there’s nowhere good nearby for kids to pee, they’re going to have to go. But that’s not going to happen to you this Halloween. When you’re planning your route, you’ll park the car in a central location (or pick someone who’s in your trick or treating group’s house) to act as home base while you wander the neighborhood. That way, when urgency strikes, you’ll be prepared!

7

Stick to One Side of the Street

In addition to saving you time, staying on one side of the street instead of crossing back and forth is a great way to make sure your kids stay happy and safe on Halloween. The busier the street, the better this idea gets.

8

Wear Something Reflective or Carry a Flashlight / Glowsticks

One of the best things you can do to make sure your kids are happy and safe on Halloween is to make them visible. Whether you give them a glowing jack-o’-lantern, a flashlight, or just add some reflective tape to their costume, it’s important to make sure your kids are extra visible to drivers. That goes double if they’re old enough to trick or treat by themselves

9

Swap Out Your Kid’s Mask for Face Paint

Costumes are one of the best parts of Halloween, but they’re not always easy to get around in. Masks in particular can be tough because they’re uncomfortable and make it hard to see (and to eat candy). If you can, try replacing your kid’s mask with some simple face paint or makeup. It’s a lightweight, comfortable way to achieve the same effect that also makes it easier for kids to see as they trick or treat. Just don’t forget to plan how you’re going to get that face paint off when you get home!

10

Wait (As Long as You Can) to Eat that Candy

Candy is a delicious, wonderful, and fun treat (that’s okay as long as it’s eaten in reasonably quantities), but it’s not exactly the best thing to eat while you’re hiking around the neighborhood in a cumbersome and heavy outfit. Try (if you can) to get your kids to wait to eat a bunch of candy until they’ve gotten home at the end of the night.

Give yourself the gift of planning ahead and do everything on this list before you head out trick or treating this Halloween. You’re going to look like an all-star, and you can reward yourself with an extra piece of candy once the kids are safely asleep. For 50 years Little Tikes has been a parent-trusted brand making kids toys that last. Looking for more great active play ideas? Check out www.LittleTikes.com for all our latest play tips & tricks!