How to Survive Halloween with the Kids
Halloween is a magic holiday for children as it is a time where kids can truly let loose, dress-up, trick or treat and eat tons of sweets. However, with all this fun it can be a little nightmarish for parents who may have to host Halloween parties, create costumes or decorate the house, also while making sure the kids are safe outdoors. Here’s our list of what to remember at this ghoulish time of year and how to survive it!
Firstly, there’s no such thing as healthy snacks
Healthy snacks either given to your kids, their friends or trick or treaters may inspire real horror on their faces. Don’t be that household who just gives out fruit, but don’t be afraid to put a healthy spin on their drinks and snacks too. Lots of kids have allergies so try make sure your sweet or savoury snacks are without the big offenders such as gluten, dairy and nuts. There are plenty of recipes online or find out how to survive this holiday with allergies with our Navigating Halloween with Food Allergies article.
Keep your Trick or Treaters safe.
Sending your kids outdoors to scour the neighbourhood for sweets will make any parent nervous. If you want to survive Halloween (relatively) stress free than follow our advice on how to look after your little Draculas. Read our safety guide at Halloween.Sort out your costume, early!
Don’t leave it to the last minute and sort out your kid’s costume early. Nobody wants to be the left out, so get cracking either on a DIY or store bought favourite. We have a collection of the best DIY outfits that you can put together yourself with just a bit of planning and some props. See our Halloween Costume section for more.
Look after your pets!
If you are a pet owner and don’t want your pet going crazy on Halloween night then make sure they are locked up safe and well. Halloween is a scary time for animals especially with loud fireworks and bangers which are extremely upsetting for dogs. Keep family pets either in a bedroom or sitting room and make sure they have company. Don't dress them up! Dont let them outside and avoid them escaping when kids are coming and going. For more on animal safety at Halloween, see our article by Dublin SPCA on Halloween and Keeping Your Pets Safe. 
Spooky Halloween Games for parties
There’s nothing more frightening than having a kids Halloween party with sugar crazy kids running around causing havoc. Avoid bored zombies and get some games going. The most popular Halloween games for kids are apple dunking or carving a pumpkin. For more see our Halloween Games section.