As Halloween is one of the first major holidays that’s come around since the start of the pandemic, many parents are scratching their heads as to how to celebrate. Because of social distancing concerns, many areas have banned trick-or-treating, meaning the classic Halloween activity is a no-go. However, this doesn’t mean that Halloween with your baby can’t be special. There are still a number of ways to create adorable memories on baby’s first Halloween. 

Go all out with the costumes.

One thing the pandemic hasn’t taken away is your ability to dress your baby up in a darling costume. But why stop at one costume? Stretch out the fun by selecting a new costume for each day of the week leading up to Halloween. While you’re at it, don a costume yourself, or select a theme for the whole family. 

While trick-or-treating and parties used to be the prime methods for showing off these costumes, let’s not forget about a little something called social media. Just snap some cuteness-overload photos of your baby and post them on your channels of choice, or send them to select loved ones if you prefer more privacy. 

Tip: If you’re crafty, you can really get into the spirit of the season by making handmade costumes.

Carve and paint pumpkins. 

As baby’s love getting their hands in anything and everything ooey gooey, lop off the top of a pumpkin and have them help you pull out the innards. And because they won’t be able to help you carve it, you can cut up and roast the remainder of the pumpkin, then serve it to baby as a Halloween treat (if they’re six-months or older.)

You can also let baby decorate an uncarved pumpkin or two by getting out some finger paints and letting them work their magic.

Set up a spooky sensory station.

In addition to letting baby stick their hands inside a pumpkin, create a station with bowls of peeled grapes (eyeballs), spaghetti noodles (intestines), dried rice (fingernail clippings), and any other items you think baby might enjoy running their tiny hands through. 

Have a dance party.

Put together a playlist of classic Halloween-y songs like Thriller, Monster Mash, Ghostbusters, and other tunes and have a dance party in your costumes. 

Enjoy in-home trick-or-treating.

If you’d like to incorporate a taste of trick-or-treating into your baby’s Halloween experience, have members of the family stationed in different rooms of the house, or areas of the yard, with candy (or pouches of baby food if you want baby to be able and partake in the treats.) You and your baby can then go from station to station collecting the edible loot.

Do a dramatic reading of Five Little Pumpkins.

Wind down the night by reading (or singing!) the classic Halloween tale, Five Little Pumpkins Sitting On a Gate, by Dan Yaccarino.

Create a scrapbook of all the fun.

Ensure you never forget the fun you conjured on baby’s first Halloween by snapping a ton of photos, then having the best printed. From there, organize them in a scrapbook you can decorate with stickers, a calligraphy pen, and other scrapbook materials. You can even have baby help by making a print of their hands and feet with washable orange and black ink pads.

While the costumes, pumpkins, and other seasonal treats can certainly add to your family’s enjoyment of Halloween, the most important component of this festive time is who you’re with. As we’ve all been navigating the stressors that stem from the pandemic, Halloween is a great time to press pause and focus on the love of your family, get goofy and a little spooky, and allow yourself to kick off the holiday season (and the end of 2020!) with an attitude of joy.