Sensory Friendly Halloween for Kids and Parents

As a child Halloween was my favorite holiday and that lasted long into my adulthood. The costumes, the candy, the parties what’s not to love? Then I had kids. A son with Sensory processing disorder (SPD), a neuro-typical (NT) daughter and a son on the Autism spectrum (ASD). And I realized that parents work really hard to make holidays perfect for their kids, no matter what your kid is like. I have come up with a brief guide to making this holiday a little less intense for those of us who have sensitive kids or are sensitive ourselves.

The costume; itchy tags, the too thin fabric, or for the warmer climates the suffocating faux fur. Trying on the costume and a march through the store may seem silly, but can save you some tears later on. Face paint and masks are fun but can be too itchy and annoying for a sensitive kid, and some schools don’t allow masks. Last year I sewed a plush dinosaur tail for my ASD son and Velcroed it to the back of a colorful shirt and dressed him in a pair of sweat pants and sneakers. He loved it!!! It was comfy, easy to remove and original. I had to convince him not to wear it everyday. Not all of us can sew, or are crafty or have the time to do this and it took many brain cells for me to come up with that idea so don’t think I’m one of those Betty Crocker moms. But if you can come up with a costume that’s comfortable and is whimsical, you will be a winner.

The pumpkin patch; what can possibly be overly sensory about the pumpkin patch? The rides and the maze. Most kids do fine with those, I’m writing this for you the parent! Those rides are not cheap and if you have a litter like I do you are going to drop cash on the rides and the pumpkins and maybe some gourds and colorful corn cobs too!! You just spent a $100 and you are all sweaty and your nose itches. And then the kids want to run through a maze? Oh hell no. Pick a pumpkin patch with no maze and maybe one ride. And make sure the bathroom is available. One year my son couldn’t hold it and relieved himself on a pumpkin right in the middle of a pumpkin patch. The only thing I could do is take a picture. And please forgive me but I didn’t choose that pumpkin to take home.

The big day; Halloween; at the risk of sounding uptight you will need a schedule today. A picture schedule or a written schedule but it’s imperative or they will nag you into pulling your hair out. Can we go now, can we go now, can we go now? And I mean a schedule from the minute they get out of bed until the minute they go to bed. They need to know they still need to go to school, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and only when it is dark can they go trick or treating. And they need to know what is expected of them when they are out in the neighborhood and when they get home. When we took our son trick or treating for the first time the neighbor opened the door and Mitch walked right on in. I didn’t realize I would have to tell him that we stay on the porch to collect our treats.

So whatever your rules are they need to know them. Whether it is no running, no crossing lawns, no competing (fighting) and remember our please and thank yous.

If age appropriate, bringing a stroller or wagon with supplies would be great for those who need a sensory break. Hitching a ride, and drinking some water, can lessen the anxiety of all the spookiness. And you can pack a few beers in there for the parents.Avoid the houses that are going for serious scare factor. Going for the friendly well-lit houses without blaring music ensures no tears. Also reviewing with your kids that when you are at home you will be answering the door and sharing candy with others. Some kids don’t get the fact that their parents are giving candy to others and that we calmly answer the door, and not get all hyper and run around.

Having a plan for all that candy helps too. Maybe they get 3 pieces when they get home before they brush their teeth. And then one in their lunch, one after school and one after dinner. There are pediatric dentists who buy candy from their patients if you don’t want to be stuck with Halloween candy for 6 months.

Be prepared and have a wonderful time!