When did you start doing Halloween with you child?

[OnEarth]

Especially the first one. When you have older children you bring the younger one along, but when did you first start doing dress up for Halloween, or trick or treating? My daughter is 19 months, I definitely don't want her to have all that candy, but I do intend to do it with her eventually. I'm wondering how much enjoyment she'll get out of the whole thing?

[ssh]

We waited until almost 3 with our DD.

[Chamomile Girl]

We took DS last year. He had just turned four months old. We're taking him this year too at 17 months. He is going as a cow (or a 'moo' as he says).

[lach]

When DD was 5 months, we had a playgroup Halloween party and dressed the kids up and took lots of photos.

When she was 17 months, she dressed up and we took her to a few neighbors that we're close with that I knew would want to see her in her costume. Mostly the little old ladies on the block who think that she is cute Then we came home and put her to bed and ate her candy.

Last year, when she was 2.5, that was again our plan but she got smart somewhere in that year and she figured out EXACTLY what was going on and what all this was about. Still, she couldn't much count and we gave her a few pieces of candy and ate the rest after she went to bed and that was the end of that.

And this year she's almost 3.5 and she remembers last year clearly, and is very excited. I think she's still a little fuzzy on the candy, but she's looking forward to her costume and keeps saying things like "when it's Halloween you have to say trick or treat when you go to someone's house."

[leighi123]

3months we went trick-or-treating just a few neighbors and then handed out candy.

15months we handed out candy and went to a casino where they had trick-or-treating (that sounds weird, I know, it was Circus Circus, they had a kids event there) They mostly handed out toys/stickers/glow sticks, so ds didnt get any candy

Last year we had a party at our house with trick-or-treating, did Boo at the Zoo, and did a couple church events. Ds only got a couple lolly-pops and the pretzels people handed out.

This year so far we did the zoo thing, and are having another party at our house (our neighborhood is great for kids!)

This year we know of a lot more of his food allergies, so like last year, we are donating all of his candy to a dentist who gives your $2/lb and a light up toothbrush and then mails the candy to the troops. Last year ds got a pet beta fish with his $$, I'll let him pick what he wants again this year. A fun toy/book is better than candy!

[~Charlie's~Angel~]

Birth.

[becoming]

At birth! Literally. Our oldest was born 6 days before Halloween, and we dressed him up & took him trick-or-treating. I should add here that we were 18 and just thought it was the most fun thing in the world... probably because we were still basically young enough to go trick-or-treating ourselves.

[ollyoxenfree]

About 2.5 years. It's funny that even though they are 3 years apart in age, they both reacted similarly to Hallowe'en.

i have spring-born babies, so they were both only about 6 months old for their first October. There was no point in taking them out. I found that they both were too young for the second Hallowe'en. At approx. 18 months, neither of them wanted to put on a costume - DD cried. So we didn't go.

Both of them were happy to go out on their 3rd Hallowe'en, at 2.5 years. They knew other kids who were going out too, they understood the concept of dressing up and knew it was all about having fun.

[mooshersmama]

We've dressed Ellie up every year, but this is the first year that she's seemed to really "get it". She chose her own costume and I think we may take her trick or treating for a few houses. We've never taken her before. She's 3.

[Alyantavid]

I took both my boys out when they were infants. At that point, we just went around to the grandparents and some friends.

[rhiOrion]

dressing my six month old up this year! but not trick or treating. we're going to our neighborhood block party.

[averysmomma05]

Birth for us too. Actually, Averi was like 1 month old and we dressed her up and went out with our friends with kids to different places. Didn't get candy tho.

[4evermom]

Ds was a couple months past his 3rd birthday. With the candy, he mostly just wanted to unwrap everything. He gave some things some licks but he really didn't eat much at all.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

3 months. We went to my old job in costume and then ended up going on a little kid trick or treat parade with friends. We've gone every year. Ds is 3yo now and this is the first year he seems to kinda "get" it and have opinions about what his costume will be.

[mooshersmama]

I wanted to add that Ellie doesn't have any idea about the candy aspect yet. She is just into costumes, ghosts, pumpkins, witches, etc. I think her mind will be blown when we actually go trick or treating and she gets candy.

[frontierpsych]

We are going this year! Probably just a few houses, though. DS just turned 2. He is allergic to eggs and dairy, so he can't eat a lot of the candy anyway, so of course, mommy and daddy are going to get fat! We have dressed him up every Halloween since birth (poor thing! ).

First he was dressed as a girl (I dressed as a "daddy" but my husband refused to dress up as a "mommy"
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...loweengirl.jpg

Last year we went to the Halloween gathering at the park, and he mostly rode in the stroller. He was Raz from Psychonauts (video game)
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...prose/ras1.jpg

This year he is going to be a lawn gnome. I'm not usually into store bought costumes, but both my husband and I agreed that this was an awesome costume!

[One_Girl]

We started at two and did a little bit around the block. Every year we go a little further.

[meemee]

my dd was 2 months old. and my friend had given me all her son's clothes.

so for her first halloween dd dressed as a boy. we didnt do TOT but i loved putting on typcially boy things the whole day and correcting people when they said hi. a lot of them thought it was a great idea.

[odenata]

For DD's first Halloween (six months) we did a Halloween playgroup/party. Kid's playing in costumes, pictures.

For the second, at 18 months, we went to a Halloween carnival.

All the years after that, we have done trick or treating.

[hopefulfaith]

Until they figured out (a) that Halloween existed and (b) that they wanted to dress up.

My kids were 15 months apart. My son wore a pumpkin onesie when he was 2 months old, to help me hand out candy. His second Halloween: he was 14 months old and I was due any day with dd. No freaking way was I doing anything. He didn't know any better.

We finally started dressing up in 2008. He was a firefighter and his sister was a unicorn. In 2009, he wanted to be a firefighter again and his sister was a unicorn again. I will be sad when they figure out they can be different things than the costumes we already own for dress-up!