The Best Halloween Tips For Your Child With Down Syndrome
I love Halloween. I resisted hanging up my candy bucket well into my teens because I love it so much. And because I love Halloween I had these idealistic visions of taking my own kids trick or treating.
I imagined them holding their little pumpkin buckets as they skipped down the sidewalk eager to knock on the next front door.
I could hear their little voices singing “Trick or Treat” followed by a sweet little “Thank you” as the candy plopped into their pales. I could see their faces light up with delight as they excitedly ran back to Hubby and I as we waited on the sidewalk.
Yeah. That didn’t happen.
The reality of the situation is Max is not a fan of Halloween.
Halloween is sensory overload torture.
Kids and adults dressed up in costumes milling about. Loud children and creepy music. The dark of night, fluorescent street lights, dim porch lights, and spooky decorations. It’s all very overwhelming.
Not to mention the social expectations.
Navigating your way through crowds of other children…politely.
Waiting your turn without getting upset.
Knocking on a door… not too hard or too soft.
Saying “Trick or Treat” at the perfect volume and then remembering to say “Thank you”.
Dodging other kids dressed in costumes, some scary, to get safely back to your Mom and Dad in a sea of other Moms and Dads.
I can understand why Halloween is not his thing.
It’s harder for him to see. It’s harder for him to hear. It’s harder for him to successfully navigate walkways and steps. It’s harder for him to communicate. Halloween is just harder for him.
Not to mention, we teach him NOT to go up and talk to strangers or accept candy from them the other 364 days out of the year!
When I think of it from Max’s perspective I absolutely understand why he doesn’t get excited over Halloween. I know some families that decide to skip it altogether.
And that’s ok.
Each family is unique. Every Mama Bear has to do what feels right for her and her family. You are the expert on that. Not me.
I wasn’t ready to give up on Halloween.
Probably because I love it so much and there were snippets of joy in it for Max. He loves picking out his Halloween costume. He loves dressing up in his costume. He loves carving pumpkins. He loves decorating our house for the spooky day.
And because it wasn’t all bad for him I wanted to do what I could to allow him to enjoy Halloween as best he could.
Maybe you want this for your child too, so I’m going to share some tips and tricks we learned along the way. Maybe they’ll make Halloween a little more enjoyable for your kid.
Fun Alternatives To Trick-Or-Treating
You can make Halloween fun without the traditional trick or treating. If you choose to forgo neighborhood trick or treating, consider these options…
Fun Alternative To Trick Or Treating #1: Halloween Themed Movie Night
We’re big fans of movie nights. Pop some popcorn, turn off the lights, and gather around to watch some family friendly Halloween fun! Here are a few of our suggestions…
Fun Alternative To Trick Or Treating #2: Halloween Themed Bake Night
Bake cupcakes or cookies and then decorate them with Halloween as your inspiration. This may be a great option if your child has a lot of food allergies and is limited in what they can eat. You can make allergy friendly treats.
Fun Alternative To Trick Or Treating #3: Halloween Themed Game Night
Get out your favorite board games and play while snacking on your favorite Halloween candy and listening to spooky music! Here are suggestions for a Halloween playlist!
Fun Alternative To Trick Or Treating #4: Carve Pumpkins/Halloween Themed Craft Night
Carve pumpkins while drinking cider and listening to your Halloween themed music playlist! If your family likes to craft then create Halloween themed crafts.
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of picking out a craft and buying supplies, color Halloween themed coloring pages or buy some small canvases and paints and create a Halloween themed painting.
Fun Alternative To Trick Or Treating #5: Trunk Or Treat or Trail of Treats
A lot of schools, churches, or malls in the community will have Trunk or Treat or Trail of Treat events. These are nice because they are usually on a smaller scale, less crowded, and occur during the day or early evening hours.
Tips To Make Halloween Sensory Friendly And More Enjoyable For Your Child With Down Syndrome
Tip #1 To Make Halloween Sensory Friendly: Be wise about the costume
When Max picks out a Halloween costume I definitely lead him towards costumes I know will not be a problem. That means no masks, no face paint, comfortable, and something he can walk in easily.
Sometimes it does take a bit of brainstorming to come up with the perfect costume, but it’s worth it. The quickest way to derail Halloween is to choose a costume that is not a good sensory fit for him.
Just to give you a few ideas in Halloween's past Max has been…
A Buffalo Bills Football Coach
A Groom (one of his friends was a Bride)
A Policeman
A Fireman
Woody from Toy Story
An Astronaut
A Pirate
A Cow (Black and White Holstein to be exact...where are my farm girls at?!)
Max dressed as an astronaut for Halloween at school.
Tip #2 To Make Halloween Sensory Friendly: Go early
Trick or treating hours are usually from 6-8pm in the town where we live. Max really starts to struggle when it becomes dark. Hubby and I leave work early so we can eat a quick dinner together and start trick or treating right at 6pm. Starting early also means it’s less crowded which helps prevent sensory issues.
Tip #3 To Make Halloween Sensory Friendly: Troubleshoot things that may be difficult for your child
Before Halloween day think about things your child may struggle with on Halloween night. Identify the top three things and then troubleshoot them as best you can.
Perhaps your child struggles with walking or is easily fatigued. Think about using a wagon.
Maybe your child struggles with noise. Make sure they have their noise cancelling headphones.
It could be that your child struggles with communication and can’t say “Trick or Treat” on demand over and over. Record them saying it on their communication device and bring it with you. Teach them to push the button so it says it for them. Or make a sign and attach it to their candy pail they can point to when asking for candy.
Tip #4 To Make Halloween Sensory Friendly: Consider other options
You don’t have to go trick or treating out in your neighborhood on Halloween night. Keep an eye out for other options that may suit your child and family better.
Our local fire department hosts a Halloween party for kids on a weekend near Halloween. Malls usually have trick or treating events not on Halloween night as well. Libraries, zoos, and children museums may also have some fun Halloween events that may be a better fit.
Tip #5 To Make Halloween Sensory Friendly: Prepare
Be prepared.
Yes, prepare your child for Halloween night. Read the social story I created about Halloween with your child. You can find it on the Mama Bear Crew page. If you’re not already signed up go ahead and do it! You’ll get access to exclusive Mama Bear material.
You can also read children books about Halloween and trick or treating.
Books To Help Your Child Prepare For Halloween
Here are a few suggestions…
Llama Llama Trick or Treat by Anna Dewdney
10 Trick or Treaters: A Halloween Counting Book by Janet Schulman
The Berenstain Bears Trick or Treat by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Tip #5 To Make Halloween Sensory Friendly: Practice
Practice makes perfect or at least it may translate into an easier trick or treat experience! We would practice trick or treating before Halloween.
Max would get into his costume. I would go into our bedroom and shut the door. Max would practice walking up to our bedroom door, knock on the door, and when I answered he would say “Trick or Treat” holding up his candy pail. To make it more authentic I would place a few treats in there for him. It may or may not have incentivized him to practice more!
Tip #6 To Make Halloween Sensory Friendly: Keep expectations and commitments low
When we first started out our expectation was to trick or treat for 30 minutes. Yep, all that preparation and planning for 30 minutes.
That’s all Max could handle and we recognized this. If we expected more we were setting ourselves up for failure. It would’ve been too much and inevitably something would have happened to make it a negative experience for him and for us. We wanted to make it as positive of an experience as we could. For everyone. Every year we tried to stay out a little later, eventually working up to the full two hours.
We also made sure to not over commit. This meant we were not doing a ton of stuff leading up to Halloween night or on Halloween night. When Max was in elementary school, Halloween day included a Harvest Parade at school along with a class party and then trick or treating for our family.
There was no meeting up with this family or that family before or after. After trick-or-treating we’d go home, turn on It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and eat some candy before calling it a night.
Tip #7 To Make Halloween Sensory Friendly: Host your own small Halloween party
Max is most comfortable in our home. Forget traipsing all over the neighborhood and invite a few friends over for your own mini-Halloween celebration.
Tips To Make Halloween Food Allergy Friendly
Full disclosure, Max does not have a food allergy. Here are a few suggestions though to make Halloween a little more food allergy friendly.
Tip #1 To Make Halloween Food Allergy Friendly: Hand out non-edible Halloween treats
If you’re a special needs Mom and your child doesn’t have a food allergy consider buying a non-edible treat to hand out to support Mama Bears and their kids with food allergies. Stickers, temporary tattoos, spider rings, little notepads are all great ideas.
Tip #2 To Make Halloween Food Allergy Friendly: Make a list of safe treats.
Make a card with a list of candy your child with a food allergy CAN have. If possible, encourage them to choose candy that’s on that list.
Tip #3 To Make Halloween Food Allergy Friendly: Make the candy sorting fun.
After trick or treating, watch a Halloween themed movie while you go through their candy and remove what they can’t have. Be sure to have bought replacement candy that they CAN have to swap.
So, there you have it Mama Bears!
Tricks and tips to help make Halloween night a success for your child with special needs and you!
If you enjoyed this post then you may want to check out…
5 Morning Routine Ideas To Make Life Easier For The Mom Of A Child With Special Needs
As always, it’s important to keep in mind what works for one family may not work for all families. So read this blog, feel free to share with all of your friends who are also in the trenches of parenting, and pick and choose what will work for YOU!
Let’s rock this special life!
Dandelion Tribe Takeaway: Halloween can be tough for your child with special needs. Make it easier with these tips…#1 Choose a costume wisely #2 Go early #3 Troubleshoot things your child may struggle with #4 Consider other options #5 Be prepared #6 Practice #7 Keep expectations and commitments low #8 Host your own mini-Halloween party
Mama Bear Share: I want to know what YOU do to make Halloween a success for YOUR child with special needs.
