to put a sign on my front door saying......

[LifeIsButtercream]

...... "No trick or treaters please - my toddler is getting frightened"

Some earlies came the other night, not even older kids, but they had masks on, and 18m old DD pottered to the door with me and was alarmed. Happened again the other night, again not older kids, about 8yrs old, masks again and she started crying hysterically and now gets upset when the door goes (even if its the postman).

I feel a bit bad that she is finding this alarming! She isn't bothered by masks etc in the supermarket, just when they appear at her door.

AIBU, or a PFB? [hbiscuit]?

Off topic - how horrific are some of the masks on sale this year?

YANBU. Parents should respect that not everyone wants to get involved with hallowe'en. Anyone going without parents after dark is too old to be doing it.

Last year I put a photo of my baby on the door with a note saying 'please do not knock, she has just gone to sleep!'. Nobody knocked

My DD brought a sign home from Junior Neighbourhood Watch, it's great.

If I were you I'd get the most terrifying mask you can find and answer the door in it should you get people ignoring the sign.

What on earth are people doing trick-or-treating NOW?

Why not just a sign to say "No Trick-or-Treating"?

Go for it.

Although, maybe you should get her a costume and do it yourselves so she understands?

@Loopy, she has a costume, that she thinks is really fun, and we have made Halloween cakes and been round the Halloween sections at the supermarket (where she thinks most of the things are hilarious). I'm stumped as to why it scared her!

I'm not against young trick or treaters, with parents or an older sibling, early evening on Halloween night, but just dont want a scared toddler on my hands!

YANBU, and not PFB. I didn't like random children and teenagers appearing at my front door wearing horrid masks before I had children, and now that I do, I like it even less.

Oh bless her, I can see how frightening it would be to a little one.

If it were me, I would probably put a bowl of sweets outside with a sign saying "please don't knock, my toddler is scared of the masks, but help yourself to sweeties"

Or an empty bowl if you can't be bothered with the faff

YANBU.

Trick or treaters piss me off and start 2 of my 3 dogs barking, thus upsetting my neighbour. I've got a big sign printed out which I found here.

It says, "No trick or treat here. A bit more polite than "Piss off, you're pissing well pissing me and my dogs off". :o

tell them to piss off, it's not halloween yet.

I'd just not answer the door tbh.

Can I get a sign that says "If it's not October 31st, bugger off." [hgrin]

I don't like trick or treaters anyway so YANBU.

You are so going to get egged, better just to have a baseball bat with a nail in it by the door.

I thought that you only trick or treated houses that had pumpkins out? Isn't that the rule?

We are going to put ours out early evening so that if the children in the road want to knock then they can, but we will take it in when DS goes to bed.

I have a 'no trick or treat' sign which goes in my window every year and I make it widely known that I don't like it so most people avoid us now anyway.

Have a look on your local police force website. My local force has a poster to print out requesting "No Trick or Treaters" and has the county badge, police logo etc on. Looks nice and official. I printed one off for me and a couple for elderly neighbours. That said a local country park does a "Spooky Walk" on Halloween that I take the DCs to so it will be my DH that has to get up and answer the doorbell if we get any trick or treaters (that can't read)!

we, and everyone else, follows the pumpkin rule here.
i can't believe you have had trick or treaters already! tell them to go away.

when it gets to about 8pm and the DDs are going to bed/we have had enough. i simply take in the pumpkin. sometimes i leave the bowl of sweets in the porch saying "children asleep, please help yourself"

YANBU or PFB!

In previous years I have put up a sign saying "No trick or treaters until the 31st" and it's been respected. I hate with a passion anyone coming round earlier, and the door would not be answered if I realise what they are doing.

YADNBU. You have a perfectly valid reason to ask them not to come to your house and I would do exactly the same as you.

YANBU or PFB. We only trick or treat to the few houses in our road who have children we know, or where we are friendly with the owners. If someone had out a sign like this, we'd respect it.

I put a pumpkin out and don't mind children coming here, but we live in a semi-rural area and we pretty much know all the local children, so get about 3 or 4 knocks all evening. Would not be at all happy to get people coming before halloween!

You would be better of saving everyone effort by smearing your own door in god poo for the next few days ;)

Or, even better, dog poo!

YANBU. I know a few Muslim families who'll have a sign up like this. It's totally up to whether you want to participate, and people should respect that.

Chances are she's scared because the masks have gone from inert pieces of plastic, to tall moving monsters! Very scary for a tiny one!

I'm going to do what I did last year- put sweeties outside with a pumpkin, and a sign saying 'Please don't knock, dog will bark, but do have a sweet'

My husband put a sign up years ago saying
No, so fuck off which did the trick