To put out sweets at Halloween?

[GinAtMerlottes]

I’m in a tier 2.

I don’t really understand why people are saying we can’t do trick or treating? It’s a big thing here and the children will miss it if we don’t go. Obviously we won’t be going around in a big group and will be keeping distance.

I have a wall alongside my drive, and I plan to set out small bags buttons/lollies etc along one by one so children can take as they walk past. I can literally see no problem with this. AIBU?

I don’t think we should even put out sweets, though I think the risk is minuscule.
In defence of children’s manners, in other years we’ve done that and no one has taken them all.

I just think people need to put the national picture ahead of these things, like Halloween, that aren't really very important.

Sometimes we just have to do the boring, helpful, 'I-know-hand-on-heart-I-am-not-contributing-to-a-problem' thing.

It’s pointless, the first few kids will just take the lot.

I really don’t get this idea that not going trick or treating for ONE year is going to damage children so much that they absolutely MUST do it. Do something fun at home? I don’t understand how you don’t “get” the problem with strangers coming to your door in the middle of a pandemic.

Let's be honest, kids don't knock doors for freebies the rest of the year. It's fine to just have a family bubble party for this one day this year.

I don’t really understand why people are saying we can’t do trick or treating? It’s a big thing here and the children will miss it if we don’t go. Obviously we won’t be going around in a big group and will be keeping distance

Covid aside, because it's begging.

@Happenchance

I plan to set out small bags buttons/lollies etc. I would be wary of leaving chocolate out unattended because it is toxic to so many animals, including dogs, cats, foxes and squirrels.

Agreed. Why can't parents just provide sweets for their own children?

@ohhwoooooooooooooo

How do I know what tier I'm in ?. assume it's ok .. will leave sweets out .. hope kids won't take more than one.. will put up a sign take 1 .. hope to leave DH out whilst I take DS out.

You really don't know which tier you're in?

I wouldn't do it personally. We're taking part in the pumpkin trail. I think that will be fun using the pumpkin trail map going round the area finding decorations then putting a sweet in your child's bucket.

I am not doing it this year. I am in Scotland in high risk area and I don't think its appropriate. We are going to have a movie night at home. Halloween movie, party food, will decorate inside house and dress up and have treasure hunt and have a halloween sweet box. My little girl loves Halloween but I know she will also love the alternative I have planned.

Tier 3 here so leaving sweets for all to rummage their dirty hands through would be vvu and irrisponsible. You can do without for Halloween for one year surely?

How do I know what tier I'm in ?

🤷‍♀️

Here you go for what tier you're in
www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-54373904

Definitely not putting sweets out but decorating the house, will play some games and dress up.
Might do a local trail but imagine it'll be mobbed.

We definitely will not be partaking in a traditional Halloween and to be fair it will be a far better Halloween for it as I've got creative and we will be having a whole day of fun!

Twins will be nearly 4 so we will be walking round finding pumpkins, then doing a "pin the face on the pumpkin" style game, we will carve pumpkins, bake some cakes. Watch some Halloween episodes of Disney junior shows or some Halloween films (got some recommendations off another thread on here).

On Oct 13th I made up a Halloween pack of sweeties for a few kids we know and my two, in a Halloween themed paper bag and it has stuff like chocolate ghosts, malteasers etc in so we will be getting those to the kids this week to have on Halloween (and the packs inside will all be fully quarantined by the time Oct 31st rolls round)!

I got some pumpkin percys and spooky Colin caterpillars so will make wormy mud cakes (chocolate angel delight with crushed chocolate biscuits on top with worms coming out) and other Halloween themed food for tea.

We will not be putting sweets out, all our lights will be off etc

I imagine where I am kids will be still be knocking. I have sweets to give out If they do. We’ll all have masks on

My little girl loves Halloween but I know she will also love the alternative I have planned

This is the best way to approach it I think, we just need alternatives.

We don't trick or treat anyway, but this Halloween we are doing an Easter egg style hunt in the garden but in the dark with a torch. Could also be done indoors, we found some little chocolate pumpkins to hide. Trick or treating may be low risk, but it is unnecessary risk.

We love Halloween here but it's just not appropriate to try and hang on to the usual here. Use some imagination and do things differently for your children, they'll love it whatever we do as long as it's a bit special.

We're having a spooky film, some crafts, some silly games and then a treat hunt round the house in the dark with torches (and a few spooky tricks thrown in). Tbh, I can see dc wanted to do this every year as I know they will love it (I've got all of their favourite treats for a start 🤣)

We are doing it just for the houses on our street. There are only ten houses and seven children. We will all be wearing masks and plastic gloves to hand out sweets in wrappers in plastic bags. I have already put the sweets in bags and am now quarantining the bags. My DC is too young to care but the older children have had their school party cancelled, aren't doing bonfire night and can't have any friends around where we live. It's crap for them. One girl missed the end of primary school, all her leavers' parties and events and settling-in at secondary school.

Even several of the houses with no children have agreed to take part.

Tier 3 here. The next village has a scarecrow trail.

Right I'm tier 1, thanks for the link ! It's the lowest risk also known as medium which is why this tier stuff has passed me by.

My sweets will be put out all exactly the same so no rummaging needed. I could work in the supermarket, people touch your food to put it out on the shelves. So I am touching the sweets as little as possible as bought in mini packets, so not loose and will be left outside. My child did their first trick or treating last year and loved it. They have been asking all the time when Halloween is, I will do it for other and hope there are a couple of houses for us to get stuff from.

I don’t get it either as you can buy sweets in shops and they’ve been touched too.

But apparently they are now plague ridden items and the fun must be stopped 🤷🏻‍♀️

Please do not do this.

In our school the risk assessment specifically states that students cannot retrive anything from a box or a tub because of the risk of contamination, and that is nothing to do with them giving pens back (because we can't share) this means they can't keep touching the same surfaces. I also have to clean every desk and chair and anything else they may have touched at the end of a lesson so that other people can then touch those surfaces.

Think about the glitter analogy (this is actually how we teach infectious disease transmission). One person has glitter on their hands. They touch other surfaces, their face, other people etc. After 10 minutes in a classroom, how many students do you think have glitter on them? Same applies to COVID, but COVID is also airbourne, so a kid could breathe, sneeze cough on your sweets too. You might see it as a minimal risk, but why have that risk at the moment?

We are expecting numbers to climb again after half term having heard about the plans parents and students have over the holidays, and by having seen students who should be isolating waiting outside school for friends in other year groups on Friday....

Just have a little Halloween party at home with your children, play games, do a little Halloween themed tea. YANBU for wanting to go but I feel it’s just another one of those things that this year we’d be better of just not doing, in the hopes that next year life will be normal again!