By Srujana Srinath
It was only after my daughter came into my life that I started paying more attention to Halloween. Before that it was mostly a social event for me where grown-ups dress up and act like kids for the day. The past two years is the first time I experienced Halloween in our current neighborhood. It was only two years ago that we moved into this neighborhood. Last year my daughter wore her baby goat costume which was super fuzzy and kept her warm for the chilly October night. She joined a parade of kids for the neighborhood costume parade and afterwards tagged along for the trick-or-treat. It didn’t take her too long to understand the point of trick-or-treat and she was on a mission to grab as much candy as possible. She was barely two years old then. Everyone had a wonderful time!
This year the Halloween season is going to be very different. The traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating may not be an option because of the pandemic. Depending on where you live in the country, there may be some strict guidelines on what is allowed and what is not. But that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate Halloween at all. It is not simply about costume parades and trick-or-treating; there are many Halloween-themed activities for toddlers that can be continued with modifications to keep it safe but enjoyable. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate this spooky season.
Create costumes with masks. This is one area parents can get creative with by bringing a Halloween-themed cloth mask into the outfit. Make sure these are protective masks. When it comes to toddlers, it’s always challenging to get them to wear a mask and keep it on for a prolonged time. But when you make the mask as part of the costume, it should be easier to encourage your kids to keep it on when they’re out. Make it an animal mask or a pumpkin mask or something spooky. There are several available online on Etsy and Amazon (choose “Little Wonders” as your charity through Amazon Smile).
Keep everything outdoors with social distancing. If you live in a small community where you know your neighbors well, you can have a costume parade with a small group of kids and allow for greater-than-six-feet distance between each other. Kids can show off their creative and spooky costumes to their friends in the neighborhood and keep the excitement. Try to have fewer adults by keeping one parent per child in the parade and masks on for everyone.
If you are not comfortable being outdoors this Halloween, you can always have your child dress up and stand in the garage or by the porch and wave at the passersby. Take the costume contest virtual by showing off your best costumes through a Zoom call with your family and friends. You can make the virtual costume party even more fun by making your background spooky with decorations, and your toddler can help you decorate.
Replace trick-or-treat with grab-n-go goodie bags. Based on your comfort level, you can make individually-wrapped goodie bags for families to grab-n-go with social distancing. It’s best if this is kept just to neighbors that you know well. Leave the bags on your driveway or porch for others to pick up. Make sure the adult who is preparing the bags washes hands thoroughly before they begin.
Make this year a season for fun decorations. This is one of the safest ways your family can celebrate Halloween. Go all out on your indoor and outdoor decorations. This can be a month- long event, get your toddler excited about it and let them help you. There are many simple ways you can decorate and in most cases all you need is some construction paper, glue and scissors.
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One simple home decoration you can consider is paper bat garlands*. You can easily make these at home or buy it on Amazon. For DIY, the materials you need are black cardstock, bat stencil drawing, printer, a bone folder, string, and black clothespins.
Pumpkin carving is another safe tradition you can continue. If you want some motivation, you can always have a family or friend join you outdoors with social distancing and have a pumpkin carving competition.
Visit a local pumpkin patch. There are several pumpkin patches that are following safe protocols for COVID-19. They require masks, appropriate social distancing and some ask you to make reservations to limit the number of visitors. Here are some in the San Francisco Bay Area:
Clancy's Pumpkin Patch - One of the best pumpkin patches that is close to the city. You’ll find all varieties of pumpkin and this year they have two locations open.
Webb Ranch Pumpkin Patch - Along with the free corn maze, your little ones can try out hayrides, pony rides, a train ride and a reptile exhibit. Purchase activity passes ahead online as limited numbers are sold per day.
Farmer John's Pumpkin Patch - A simpler version of a pumpkin patch with a great variety of pumpkins, including the Atlantic Giant, that can grow up to 1500+ lbs. There is an abundance of photo spots, including ones with giant pumpkins, a vintage tractor and rolling fields of pumpkins.
Spina Farms Pumpkin Patch - Located in beautiful Coyote Valley, it is bordered by bright yellow sunflowers and filled with an abundance of pumpkins. They have a train to explore the pumpkin patch and a hayride to tour the sunflower fields.
*Amanda Garrity. “78 DIY Halloween Decoration Ideas That Are a Mix of Scary, Cute, and Everything in Between.” Good Housekeeping. Sep. 8, 2020. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/halloween-ideas/g421/halloween-decorating-ideas/?slide=10. Accessed 3 Oct. 2020.