Trick or treat etiquette

I love the Trick or Treaters coming round .. especially the little ones.

Usual etiquette here as everywhere else .. lit pumpkin & decorations means you are open for visits.

Go out and have a bit of fun …..

My similar age DC is only coming because of older siblings. So I agree to hold off and wait. In a couple of years or so you might know people on the street better to see who is happy for a visit/do reciprocal visits to other houses with DC.

Definitely don't just knock on random doors, it'll be very awkward.

Most neighbour/community groups agree a sign like a pumpkin in the window. If yours hasn't done anything I'd certainly leave it for now.

If you're not being mithered by her yet to do it then take the opportunity to not have to do it for another couple of years

DD was 3 during Covid so she went trick or treating round all the doors in our house! Worked quite well for that age if you want to phone it in 😂

When mine were that age, I took them to toddler Halloween themed parties with other friends rather than actual trick or treating and the helped give out sweets to trick or treaters who came to the house.

When they were older and at school and asked to go, we took them. Our street had a WhatsApp group so I just asked in there if anyone was happy for them to pop by.

Etiquette wise - another's have said, only go to houses obviously decorated. Dont go too late. Be polite. Take one treat.

Ahh go for it! It's great fun!

I will add to 'only knock on houses with pumpkins' the really obvious 'only go out at Halloween!'
This follows some particularly cheeky sods on our local estate who decided as Halloween falls on a school night they'd do it the saturday before instead.

I wouldn't bother at 3 unless there's obviously decorated stuff around you. But yeah, what everyone says - decorated households only. It's a lovely, wholesome thing that MN loves to suck the joy out of every year.

As others have said only knock on doors with decorations outside, only take one sweet, always say thank you. Also, don’t repeatedly knock/ring the bell. Do it once and if no one answers move on.

Not even 3 is too young unless you’re just doing a few houses that you know imo.
Last year we just stayed in to greet trick or treaters and my 2.5 year old loved that.
Personally at 3.5 this year I think she’s still too young, she isn’t even allowed sweets like harribo and stuff so it seems a bit mean to go trick or treating and then take it off her.

Definitely do it. Most kids round here do it in groups, usually with parents as they tend to be aged 2-8. Some older ones about 10-12 come round alone. Any house that's decorated should be a good bet. Obviously it's easier to knock on doors that are facing the open street so maybe that's the easiest option. Unless you live in a block and then you try your neighbours in there also.

We didn’t start until 4, I wouldn’t bother at 3.

This reminds me -

Time to look out the decorations.

Scope out the neighbourhood the day before or morning of. Are there places decorated? Is there a nearby primary school? Usually houses near a school are more inclined to celebrate. Flats are difficult.
I love Halloween and as I'm within walking distance to three primaries and we are mostly terraced houses we get at least 100 visitors. Three is old enough! But if your child goes to nursery and you know any of the parents ask if they are going out and can you team up. And as stated only go to houses that are decorated/have a pumpkin.
I remember moving to a new area and my kids were mega excited only to find the new area did not celebrate. We only got one trick or treater who were on holiday and the mum said they'd walked what seemed miles. Mine were so disappointed!

If they have decorated their house, they are happy to join in. Simple rule. It's huge around here!

Honestly the fact some people HATE children having a bit of harmless joy is actually really sad.

Only go to decorated houses. Only go actually on Halloween.
Say Happy Halloween not trick or treat!

Or a duff joke.
Why did the ghost 👻 not go to the party?
He had no-body to go with!

So can it be assumed you are strongly against children visiting Santa as well.

Initiating the contact ibetween your child and a stranger is very different as you well know. The difference can also be taught

If a house is decorated, has pumpkins out etc then it's fine for guisers to knock.

If no decorations then move on to the next one.

My mum hateed trick or treating until she came out with DD and saw how unofficially organised it was. Some people go to real effort and raise money for charity.

The unwritten rules here are that you knock on people's doors that have decorated and not those that aren't. The church opens up for a light trail and has hot drinks and soups available and some Jesus is the light crafts, but is open to everyone and is more of a community thing than a religious one.

When you get home, get rid of any home made treats and lollipops and hard sweets that aren't appropriate.

All the guisers that come to us always have a song or a poem ready.

There's no rule that stipulates you have to take your two year old trick or treating. Common courtesy dictates that you only knock at decorated houses and not bother anyone who isn't participating.

If I were you, I wouldn't for a couple of years. I'd wait until your child had friends to go around with as it's not as good with just a parent, and as a PP has pointed out, a lot of people put up quite gruesome and potentially frightening decorations. You also want your child to understand the process, that this night is different and taking sweets from a bowl offered by a stranger is OK (it helps that there's a parent with them) and that you must be polite to others.

I don't know about the flats, I wouldn't expect them to be decorated somehow but if you go to the houses, that's probably enough walking with such a young child.

It's a lot more fun when they get a bit older! At your child's age we just did little Halloween parties indoors and left ToT until they had started school.

Only knock on doors with decorations/pumpkins. It’s also fine to go to nearby neighbourhoods if yours doesn’t have many houses that are participating.

In Scotland it's called "guising" (from disguising) based on the tradition of disguising oneself to fool the witches about on All Hallows Eve.

Children going guising were expected to sing a song or recite a poem/ nursery rhyme or tell some jokes in return for the sweets/apple/nut.

I hate the assumption that Halloween is an American import - they got it from us !!