Halloween is just three little weeks away, and everyone is so excited!

It’s time for spooky fun and sweet treats! It’s time for amazing costumes and themed games! It’s also time for meltdowns between stops, masks that spend the entire night in a parent’s hand, and some of the slowest walking you’ve ever experienced.

So, if you’re celebrating Halloween with a toddler, here are some quick tips that will make the event flow a little more smoothly.

Talk To Your Child About Spooky Costumes

Your toddler is getting ready to see more monsters, ghosts, and bloody things than he can remember ever experiencing before. This can be scary.

You may want to show him photos of some costumes in advance or even walk him down a store aisle where he can look at masks in person. Showing him some masks in a safe setting, and even showing him that a parent can use a mask to look different, can help prepare him for when you assure him on Halloween night that those monsters aren’t real, just kids in costumes.

This is also your opportunity to gauge his readiness and decide if you want to take other steps to control what he’s exposed to, such as a Halloween party geared toward littles, with no super scary costumes.

Practice Trick-or-Treating In Advance

If your child doesn’t have experience holding hands, walking in a group, stopping at crosswalks, or waiting for permission to cross, now’s the time to get some practice before the big day.

Emphasize staying together and watching out for cars. If possible, use the route you’ll be using for trick-or-treating. This will also hint at how far you can expect your toddler to be willing to walk.

You can also practice saying “trick-or-treat” and “thank you.” Even if your toddler routinely says “thank you” now, this is a different context and may be confusing.

Set Up A Cute Countdown

If your child is in daycare, goes with you to stores, watches television, or looks out the window when he rides in the car, he’s probably getting messages about the big holiday coming up. I can tell you that my four-year-old asks to go trick-or-treating every time that she sees a decoration because to her, skeletons don’t mean Halloween season; they mean it’s time for costumes and candy, right now.

So, we’re working on counting down. You can use a paper calendar page, one of those whiteboard calendars that you customize with dates and magnets each month, or even a storebought advent calendar-style system.

Make sure it’s marked off at the same time (something identifiable like “after supper” or “before bath”) daily, and count how many days remain until the big event.

Let Your Toddler Paint A Pumpkin

Carved jack-o-lanterns are great, and it can be fun for toddlers to watch the process, but because of sharp tools, it’s a little tough to involve them in the full process safely.

However, they can definitely get into paint. Choose a real pumpkin or a ceramic, plastic or foam one (that you can keep forever) and kid-safe paints, and set them up on top of a disposable tablecloth.

Show your toddler some cute jack-o-lanterns for inspiration, but prepare for the end result to not look much like a face.

If you’re using fake pumpkins, you may want to apply a clear coat after your child is done to protect their artwork, and make sure that you only put the finished product outside if its heavy enough not to blow away and wasn’t made with paint that will wash off in the first rain. Otherwise, pop it in a window.

Choose A Comfortable Costume & Have Your Child Try It On

If possible, allow your child to wear their costume for a little while and move around in it, while there’s still time to buy or make something different if it doesn’t work out.

Remember, sizes in storebought costumes are very approximate, and you’ll want to know ahead of time if you’ll need to fold up a pant leg and add a stitch or two to prevent tripping, if the mask is going to be too uncomfortable, or if a Velcro closure is too scratchy on the neck and needs adjustment.

If your child finds premade costumes uncomfortable, you can turn a sweatshirt, sweatpants, or a basic dress and tights (make sure they’re a comfortable fit first!) into a costume with fabric paint, iron-on pieces, or sewn-on parts. Frugal Village has a list of basic ideas, like a skeleton made by adding white felt bones to a black sweatsuit or a cat by attaching a tail to the pants and ears to the hood or a headband.

Eat A Meal Before Heading Out

If it’s too early for supper, you can still choose a healthy and filling snack. If there’s only one night of the year, though, when it’s reasonable to have a bowl of hearty chili at 4 pm, Halloween is probably it.

A full belly will help reduce your child’s desperate need to eat each piece of candy the second it hits their bucket. It will also help ease your anxiety about how much candy they eat. You’ll know they have something nutritious in their system.

This may also reduce the risk of tummyaches from a belly full of nothing but candy.

Carry Along A Snack And Bottle Of Water

Even though you already fed your child, you may want to carry along something like graham crackers or a cheese stick, especially if he’s still too little to eat most hard candy. Even if he’s eating candy, you may want to give him something a little more hearty to balance all that sugar.

Water is a good plan for any long walk anyway, and if you’re planning to allow your toddler to sample sweets as you go, then you’ll want something for him to wash it down with

Be Prepared For An Excruciatingly Slow Pace

If your kids are anything like mine, the first Halloween they’re big enough to walk instead of traveling in the carrier or stroller will be characterized by an unprecedented number of stops.

I remember my now-teenager stopping at one house, being given multiple pieces of candy, walking back to the sidewalk, and sitting down with a clear intention not to move another step until it was gone. With work, we got him moving a little, but by the end of the block, he was very frustrated with his parents, who didn’t seem to understand that he had candy and wanted to eat it.

Even once your toddler gets in the groove of moving along from house to house, don’t be too surprised if he wants to stop every time he encounters a particularly exciting treat, an especially cool decoration, or a friendly pet. (One year I had to pick one of my kids up because a neighbor’s cat was just so much more interesting than their candy, and he had no intention of walking away before she was done being petted.)

You already know that doing things with a toddler is incredibly slow. Just be aware that on Halloween, that speed will be dialed to maximum.

Be Prepared For A Toddler To End His Evening Early

Be aware that your toddler may finish the festivities before you are. If there are houses that can’t be missed—your favorite aunt, your kid’s daycare teacher, or anyone else—plan to visit those early in your route if possible, and be prepared if your little one is ready to go home after fewer stops than expected.

If you’re taking the toddler and older children, make a plan in case this happens.

You could take a stroller to keep his options open, or the adults can split up if necessary. One parent can take the little one home, and the other can keep going with the bigger kids. Or, you could coordinate with another mom to split up if the littles get tired.

Have Fun And Be Safe!

Look for reflective or bright-colored costumes, or add reflective tape to costumes.

Throw out any treats that are opened or in damaged packaging. Check through treats for anything that your child shouldn’t have, including choking hazards or allergens. With lollipops, you can check to make sure the treat is firmly affixed to the stick by tugging lightly.

Make sure that treats are age-appropriate for your toddler. According to Mott Pediatrics, the American Association of Pediatrics does not recommend hard candies, popcorn, or gum for children under age four.

Also watch out for other choking hazards like rubber bouncy balls that might be mistaken for candy, and balloons.

Being prepared is the key to giving your child a fun and safe holiday!