A Successful Halloween
My son LOVES Halloween. He loves everything about Halloween…the pumpkins, the decorations, the hayrides, the farms (oh, the farms!), the costumes, the candy that he can’t eat, the lights…everything.
He has been talking about Halloween since September when he saw the first pumpkin in the store. I’m certainly not looking forward to the Christmas decorations (which I know he has already seen).
He obviously loves carving pumpkins!
Luckily, since AJ loves Halloween we don’t have any trouble with the before and the costume…but we have tons of trouble with the trick-or-treating.
Some Helpful Halloween Tips:
1. Be Sensory Smart about costumes
Choose a costume that you know your little one will love. AJ loves soft and fuzzy textures and thrives on deep pressure. So, what does he want? Fuzzy Elmo, a Big Yellow Duck, and this year…A Fluffy Pumpkin (albeit…nothing with hats). They are all so soft he can pet them when he gets anxious. If your child hates tight clothing avoid it and go for the sweatshirt, the tail, the bunny/mouse/dog ears, and a touch of face paint (if allowed).
2. Be Sensory Smart when Trick-or-Treating
Start early, avoid the dark, dress warm (or cool), and stay away from crowds.
3. Be Mommy Smart
Eat before you go, hit the bathroom, head to houses you know and your child knows, don’t push it when things get overwhelming, have a buddy for you and him/her, do a practice run at the neighbors or grandma’s house, and know when to call it a night.
4. Be Smart
Avoid the scary night.
5. Be fun
Have your child open the door for trick or treaters, especially if they did not do well getting the candy…AJ loved giving the candy more than getting it last year. He was much more comfortable at home than he was at other’s houses. He did not know what to expect out “there” but LOVED opening the door.
6. Be crafty
AJ loves to do crafts at home and at school. Last week we carved our pumpkin (which has already molded), made a Gingerbread Halloween House, and colored a ghost. Yeah, I’m not very creative but I am sure you can be more innovative. Try Parenting our Children for some better Halloween Crafts and Family Fun Magazine.
Word Press, Technorati, Halloween, costumes, crafts, sensory integration, tips, trick-or treating, autism, carving, decorations, SPD, SID, Tags
October 17th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
What’s funny is that some of the things you have as “No”s are the “YES!” factor for my son:
He LOVES the dark (as long as the parent is right there) because he thinks the pumpkins glowing are cool. (Of course, any scary decorations can be frightful, but I look ahead of our path to make sure we don’t fall into any traps.)
And although he hates hats in the day-to-day, they seem to provide a fun “pretending to be someone other than me” on Halloween. It is the only time he’ll wear them!
Just goes to show that each kid has his or her own coping techniques!
Excellent tips… forethought is EVERYTHING!
October 17th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
He is fine with the dark. In fact, he loves the dark, the lights, the pumpkins. He hates the unknown people.
October 17th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Marcie - what a great list of advice - and it applies to trick or treating with all kids!
October 17th, 2007 at 8:45 pm
Thanks Char! One thing we also learned was that a wagon was really helpful with the younger ones. They could hop in and out on their own and if they got tired it was a welcome site!
October 28th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
[...] by this. Even Halloween can be a challenge for his mother. However, Marcie has some great tips on how to make it manageable and still let the kids be kids. In addition, her page is riddled with a million and one reasons to make you want to [...]