To think that Halloween isnt for toddlers?

[Sutherlandgirl]

DS is 2.6, my friends with little ones the same age seem to be fully into Halloween, and delight in talking about how "scary" everything is with their little ones. I realise they are only doing this to have fun but I just dont get why you would want to scare a toddler with witches, skeletons and monsters?!?

(I realise this sounds very bah humbug, I'm just not a Halloween fan!)

;-)

Clearly..! I love Halloween and, frankly, it's as scary, or not, as you choose to make it. My DD had her first Halloween costume at two months old. We have a party every year. It's fun.

I wouldn't have thought so but then again, not all toddlers are the same.

But they look so cute in pumpkin outfits and stripy tights!

Hehe I knew I was being a party pooper!

DD is 2.5 and doesn't seem remotely scared of witches etc, in fact she showed me a really quite horrible witch on a stick that her childminder had in the playroom and I was bloody terrified, it was hideous, but she thought it was really funny. She also wanted me to buy her a plastic severed arm in Tesco the other day, but fortunately I was rescued by an assistant who came and took it away and said DD looked scared by it! She didn't (and wasn't), but I don't really want a plastic severed arm if I'm honest, so I was grateful for the intervention.

I don't expect DD to be scared of Hallowe'en until such time as she is told that witches, ghosts, graveyards etc are scary (probably by her peers). Until then, she's not remotely bothered so I will gladly take her to Hallowe'en parties for all the lovely cake and toffee apples oink. YABU.

DS is 2.6, he's a scooby doo fanatic and is very excited about Halloween because "ever'fing is BOOKY wike dooby dooby doo!". It's all panto and play acting to him. He knows its make believe.

Kids love being scared. Did you never notice how gruesome proper fairy tales are, before Disney cleaned them all up?

It's the only age you're ever likely to get them in those cute pumpkin costumes

Both mine loved witches and ghosts, the scarier and grusomer the better

i'm pagan, hallowe'en is a very important time for me. I wouldn't dream of leaving my toddler out of it.

Toddlers ...yes! Surly teenagers demanding sweets...no!

wow! DD's nursery have decorated specifically for Halloween, pumpkins, witches and skeletons allover! They have even done the baby room and younger toddlers room. My DD is very excited about dressing up, having a party and doing some Halloween crafts.

My 3 year old doesn't think that skeletons and ghosts are scary because he doesn't know that they're supposed to be scary. What's scary about them is their association with dead people and I presume that toddlers don't know that. He thinks that they are funny and he loves spiders. They're all Incy Wincy Spider to him.

That said, I can't be doing with trick or treating. Pumpkin carving, yes, that's a nice activity.

yabu
of course they are not ready for full blown scarey stuff.
just tailor it for them

Going against the grain. YANBU. Halloween is a bag of shite. Why the obsession with dead things, spiders, begging at doors, and fingers falling off or whatever?
Can't see the attraction myself. Yeah, lovely thing for your toddler to get interested in.

"Toddlers ...yes! Surly teenagers demanding sweets...no!"

Aaaw, don't be too hard on the teens. My teens love it much more than when they were younger. As toddlers and young children they could take it or leave it. Now them seem to get really excited. But DD1 was talking to her friends today about how none of them can go trick or treating any more because everyone is scared of teenagers and shoos them away. I can't see why they are being any more demanding than the younger kids.

My DDs are planning on rounding up some of my friend's younger children so they have an excuse to go!

Mine loved Hallowe'en at that age.

Yes, they could get scared, but it was a "safe" scaredness, which imo is very good for children.

My teenagers are also sad they can't dress up and TorT any more. They are looking for toddlers to mind [hgrin]

Musicposy Not hard to see that teenagers in groups knocking on doors can be seen as intimidating, though?!
(Not having a go, honest, just pointing out.) Not everyone likes Halloween. Some people may be old, or frail and living alone and may dread opening the door to a gang of teenagers on the doorstep asking for sweets.
How do they know whether they're sweet teenagers meaning no harm, or ones out to be a nuisance if they don't get exactly what they want?

I can see that in big gangs they can look intimidating, yes.

But if you are logical, and have and know teens, there is absolutely no more reason why they should be out to do harm than the 8 year olds. And any sensible trick or treater will only go to doors where there are pumpkins and halloween decorations. No one, of whatever age, should be knocking on the doors of the frail and elderly.

YANBU. Its a serious pagan festival. Not an excuse for eating sweets and annoying people!