I LOVE Halloween, and so does my little guy – who doesn’t?! He gets to play dress-up for a whole day, and I get to watch adorable and oh-so-giddy little trick or treaters line up on our doorstep eager to participate in the only night each year that their parents allow bags upon bags full of candy to grace their homes.
Like many fun and sugar-filled “holidays,” however, Halloween can wreak havoc on your little one’s bedtime, and throw them for a bit of a loop for days to follow. Here are my top tips to ensure sugar and late nights don’t spoil your kiddo’s spooky day!
Plan ahead for trick or treating – There’s no need to wait until 8pm to start your little one’s night. Especially depending on where in this world you live, it’s already dark quite early in the evening, which means your kiddo can have a spooky adventure and still get to bed on time. So, plan ahead to have an earlier-than-usual, easy-to-make dinner, and then be among the first of the night’s trick or treaters so you can still get your child to bed at a proper time.
Don’t let sweets ruin sleep– Before you head out the door on Halloween night, talk to your kiddos and set some limits on how many treats they are allowed eat on Halloween night. Two or three treats is likely enough to allow your child to enjoy a taste of their bag o’ goodies, but to avoid really throwing off their night’s sleep.
Introduce your child to the “Switch Witch” – Rather than having a house full of sugar that may haunt your family for weeks to come, have the Switch Witch pay a visit! Tell your child to pick five (or 10, or however many you like) pieces of candy, and put the rest in a pile. At night, the Switch Witch will come and replace the candy pile with a special gift! (E.g. a favourite book or toy) – Kind of like the Tooth Fairy of Halloween!
Halloween still means routine – Especially on busy and out-of-the-ordinary nights, a consistent bedtime routine is very important to help our little ones make the transition from a hectic evening to a restful sleep. A warm bath, and a couple of stories as part of their usual bedtime routine will help them transition from an exciting day to a sound sleep.
My team and I provide loads of free sleep advice on our Facebook page. We welcome you to follow our tribe of sleep-passionate (or deprived) parents around the globe as we share tips, stories and the straight goods on sleep at WeeSleep and follow me on Instagram and Twitter so we can rock this #sleeprevolution together!