So, how young is too young to Trick-or-Treat?

Magpie

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 27, 2007
Personally, I don't think there is any minimum age. I mean, yes, if the child is four months old, obviously they're not eating the candy. However, I love seeing them in their costumes, and I don't begrudge mom and dad a few treats!

I'm curious, though, what your thoughts are on this. Do you think it's greedy of parents to dress up a baby and carry them around door to door? Pointless, because the child doesn't know why any of this is happening? Awesome, because there's no such thing as getting too early a start on celebrating Halloween ("Ahm takin' mah fetus Trick or Treatin'!")? What's your opinion?

And finally, have a bonus baby in an awesome costume:

 
I absulove to see babies dressed up, the costumes are so cute. I dress up my dog every year, but I don’t TOT with her. Hmm, now that all of my kids are in HS and college, I won’t be getting any candy! I guess I am taking the dog!

I'm working on my dog's costume as we speak! :laughing:

I don't take her Trick-or-Treating, either, but the kids that come to the door really like to see her.

I got my own Trick or Treat itch scratched at MNSSHP this year. SO much candy!
 


I understand dressing up a baby to go out with older siblings. I don't really understand dressing up a baby and taking them out when they are an only child or not part of a group.

I don't really care. I just don't get it.
 
Speaking of taking your fetus Trick-or-Treating, I just found this pic... :rotfl:

7842d8bd269be86a120e77c438fa5a56--so-funny-funny-stuff.jpg
 
My sister and SIL both dressed up the babies when the took the older siblings out. They did not collect candy for the babie, but people did like the cuties in the costumes.
 


We waited until a little over 2 years old for traditional trick or treating.

My first was about 5 months old the first Halloween, so we didn't do anything (I think he had Halloween themed clothes, but no costume). The next year (17 months old), he did "trick or treating" at his daycare and other events around the community, but not door-to-door and that was enough for us. The next year, he would have been nearly 2 1/2 and we did traditional trick or treating.

With my twins, we did get costumes (to go with big brother) for Halloween and went to a neighborhood gathering and dressed them on the day, but didn't do any activities (they were 6 weeks old). Next Halloween, we dressed them up, and we might have done the daycare thing, but no trick or treating. Then the next year (just over 2) I think it was actual trick or treating.

Anyhow, I think dressing baby up is cute. Take pictures, go to a Halloween/Fall festival or event, but door to door trick or treating at night with just a baby would not be my choice (different if you have older kids in the mix as well)
 
We took DD1 out the first time when she was 3. Until then I didn't see the point. I did dress her up, took pictures, and she helped hand out candy before that. One year we dis go to the mall as they had halloween festivities.

With DD2, we took her to a few home of neighbours we knew when she was one along with DD1. She was born 4 days before halloween so obviously we didn't take her the year before.
 
We took my son when he was a little less than 11 months old. He was already walking. We put on his Mickey Mouse costume and took him to a few houses. We dressed my older daughter up when she was 6 months old to go trick or treating with her brother. He picked out their costumes that year. He was Peter Pan and she was Tinkerbell.
 
IMHO, never too young and never too old. To us, it's a fun time. We love dressing up (even to give out candy) and decorating. I play spooky music out the window and we get into the spirit. I love seeing the babies and I also love seeing the high school kids who dress up and get into the mood! (DS is one of them!) We only go this way once, and as long as you are having fun and not hurting anyone I say go for it!
 
Dd and I took dgd when she was 1, she was walking all ready.

She is now 2 and has chosen to be a princess with a pink wig,dgd loves pink lol.
 
We didn't take our kids trick or treating until they could walk and say trick or treat. Before that they were dressed up and we answered the door for other kids with the dressed up baby. If the kids aren't old enough to actually partake then I see no point in taking them around house to house.
 
I agree with a previous poster who said most people just want to show off their babies in their cute costumes, collecting candy is merely a byproduct of the traditional exchange. I don't care how old someone is as long as they participate (wear a costume, etc.), I'll give them candy.

We took DS out when he was barely walking. We had really only intended to have him at home, then take him to my sister's after t-or-t so she could see him in his costume. But several neighbors said "I hope you bring him to our house. I want to see him in his costume." so we took him to their houses, then several other neighbors said "Ooh, bring him over here." We ended up doing 5 or 6 houses, I think. He was too young to eat the candy, but he was not too young to understand collecting "things" in his little bucket. He had a ball.
 
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I understand dressing up a baby to go out with older siblings. I don't really understand dressing up a baby and taking them out when they are an only child or not part of a group.

I don't really care. I just don't get it.
We live in a neighborhood where everyone knows each other, and also in an area that gets a ton of kids. It’s a social thing, walking around and running into people you know.
 
How young is too young to send kids out trick-or-treating on their own without adult (or older sibling) supervision?
 
I don't think we took the oldest out until she was 3 or 4. Maybe to just a few friends in the afternoon--not actually going around the neighborhood. We did take the younger ones as babies, mostly because their siblings were going. We lived in a town that took Halloween VERY seriously--haunted mazes, hot cider, skits, fancy decorations, you name it. So, it was worth it for us all to go. That was in the tiny village--we lived out further, wouldn't ever get any ToT-ers. Also, I enjoy making costumes, so even as babies, my kids were dressed up.
 
Oh, and to answer the OP's question, I don't think there's a minimum age, per se. If, however, the sole reason for dressing up your infant in a costume is to haul them around so you can get candy, then yeah, that's inappropriate. I'd say that's probably a rare situation (or, at least, something that one is going to openly admit to ;) )
 

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