Trick or Treat…..and Sleep!
Manage Halloween and Keep Your Little Pumpkin Well-Rested
As a parent, I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween. I enjoy dressing my kiddos up in cute little outfits. I love following them around the neighborhood as they trick or treat for candy. I even love standing behind them and reminding them to say “thank you” at every single door (ok, this part gets annoying after 10 houses). What I don’t enjoy about Halloween is balancing the desire to be part of the festivities with the desire to have my kids in bed at a decent hour. I also really enjoy having some quiet time at the end of the night to go through their candy and have a little for myself. Who doesn’t?
So, how can we do it? How can we make sure our little pumpkins get the best Halloween experience without completely ruining their sleep schedules for the next month?
Have a Plan
This is an all-encompassing kind of suggestion, but it is also one of the most important parts. In the week leading up to Halloween, you need to make some decisions as to how you want to manage Halloween. Here are a few things to consider:
Decide what time to go trick or treating. The earlier the better. Understandably, most neighborhoods start around 5 PM, and this can totally work for you.
Plan your route. Select a few exit points just in case things go south quickly.
Decide what time you head home. Set a timer and head home as soon as it goes off. Try not to linger around or say “just one more street” because that can become a rabbit hole.
Decide how you want to modify the bedtime routine. You may skip bathtime (if your child isn’t covered in paint or glitter because we know that no one wants that all over their house). You may choose to read only 1 book instead of 3. Simply decide where you can “cut corners” and shorten the routine. However, avoid getting rid of the routine altogether.
Decide how much candy you are ok with your child eating after trick or treating. I’ll dive more into this in a bit.
Family Meeting
Once you have determined all of the boundaries for Halloween night, you need to have a family meeting, especially if you have toddlers or older children. In the meeting, discuss these boundaries and let your children know what the plan looks like. Explain that this plan will make sure they have tons of fun, but it also makes sure they are still getting the sleep they need. If you are ok with extending bedtime a bit, let them know you are allowing that. This will make the night seem even more extra special!
Make Sure Your Little Pumpkin is Well-Rested Already
I am a firm believer in the 80/20 rule when it comes to sleep. That is 80% of the time you are sticking to the plan and schedule like glue, and 20% of the time you let loose and are a bit more flexible. If you ensure that in the week leading up to Halloween, you have stuck to the plan and schedule like glue, then being more flexible on Halloween night should not ruin your child’s sleep. They should bounce back fairly quickly if you do end up having a later night than you regularly do.
Essentially, plan for Halloween to be part of the 20% and the week leading up to it to be part of the 80%.
Keep Your Little Pumpkin Well-Rested
No matter what you decide to do on Halloween night, be sure that you jump right back into the swing of things the very next morning. I know that may be difficult if you are dealing with a hangover from eating too much candy, but keeping the normal wake-up time will help your child stay well-rested and keep them on their regular schedule. Even if they have a few wake-ups throughout the night, try to go ahead and just get up at the normal time. It’ll be worth it.
Consider Split-Ops
If you have an older child and a baby/toddler, you may consider moving to split-ops midway through the evening. Parent A can take the older child out to more houses for trick or treating and Parent B can take the little ones home and get them in bed. I know this isn’t always ideal, but certainly consider doing this, especially if your little one is a super-sensitive sleeper.
Other Considerations
You are not the only family in your community with little ones. Don’t hesitate to ask local community groups if anyone will be giving out candy early! Many times, you will find people that enjoy seeing the little ones in their costumes but they don’t want to stay up super late either! You could even coordinate with your neighborhood to do trick or treating earlier.
Another plus to going trick or treating early is that it gives your little one time to wind down after getting home. Trick or treating can easily become overwhelming and overstimulating for many children. So, getting out there early and coming home early may give them just enough time to settle themselves before starting the bedtime routine.
Limit the amount of candy you let your child eat on the night of Halloween. I mentioned this earlier but wanted to elaborate a bit. Increased sugar intake can cause night wakings. So, you want to be sure you are limiting your child’s candy consumption so that they don’t crash after getting home and wake up 20 times in the night. That doesn’t sound fun to anyone.
If you are handing out candy, turn off your porch light after you put your child to bed so that you don’t have late-night trick-or-treaters constantly ringing the doorbell. You could even just set the bowl outside your door and let them grab their own.
Stay calm. Take a big deep breath and remember that this night is all about FUN! Set your expectations for the evening early, but also remember that rarely do things go as planned when you are dealing with children, especially children on a mission to get candy.
All-in-All
Halloween should be a night for family, friends, fun, and laughter. Don’t throw your routine or plan completely out the window, but let this be a night that you relax and watch your little pumpkins enjoy themselves.
And don’t forget to enjoy yourself a little bit after the little pumpkins go to bed. Grab yourself some candy and enjoy it!
Happy Halloween!
Tracy
P.S. If you find that your child is not well-rested leading up to Halloween and you are ready to change that, book an evaluation call with me to see which of my services would best help you and your family. I’m happy to help! Just click the link below!
