Packing your ToteSavvy for Trick or Treating

I can’t believe Halloween is almost here! I’m extra excited because this year my daughter is old enough to start to grasp “Trick or Treating.” I can’t wait to see her go door to door with her little candy bag….eeek! While Halloween is super fun for the kids, it is pretty damn chaotic for parents. Here’s what to pack in your ToteSavvy mini to help you survive the night.

For me, there are two main categories that come to mind when talking about Trick or Treating: safety and comfort.

Let’s talk about a few things to help keep everyone safe, especially since it’s dark outside. My town doesn’t have streetlights (like, people do. not. want. them.) and I live on a windy road, so safety is very important to me.

• Visibility is really important, so pack some glow sticks from the Dollar Tree or the Dollar Spot (at Target) for your kids to wear. I have yet to see a kid object to putting on a fun glow bracelet or necklace, and you can always use the extras in the bathtub another day Have you tried that? It’s a big hit in our house. Make sure to dim the lights!
• Lots of costumes, while cute, are pretty cumbersome. You have poofy dresses, ill-fitting bottoms with fake feet, and all sorts of crazy accessories. That, combined with excitement, other kiddos, and darkness, it can lead to some falls and scrapes. Diaper Bag Buddy is a mini first aid kit that’s perfect for an occasion like this! This way, you can fix up that boo-boo (see what I did there?) and be on your way.
• You also want to be able to see where you’re going when you’re walking from house to house! Grab some flashlights for you to light the way for your little ones. You can never have too many around your house (or in your emergency kit). I also love these safety sticks. They turn on and off and are reusable, which is so great.

Now that we have safety out of the way, let’s talk about comfort. It’s nice to bring this up a notch to make this a memorable experience!

• Snacks. Any parent knows that a well-fed kid is a much happier kid (hell, this could apply to any person in general). No one likes to be hangry. Make sure to pack some nutritious snacks because they’ve probably had some sweets already.
• Since there will be snacking and candy-eating, grab some Neat Cheeks to make clean up a snap.  The last thing you want to be dealing with is a sticky mess in the dark. #nope
• Don’t forget to take an extra sweater for yourself and for the kids. The last thing you want is a cold and whiny kiddo on Halloween.
• On that note, grab some hand warmers to keep you extra toasty as you walk from house to house! There's nothing worse than being too cold.
• While Halloween is mostly about kids, don’t forget about yourself! Maybe it’s just my neighborhood, but every parent can be seen with a red cup in their hand while kids go from house to house. Get yourself through the night by taking your beverage of choice in a cute Halloween container. Red wine would look great in this cup… so spooky!

If you want to go over the top, here are some other things you could add:

• Grab an extra (empty) bag to carry around in case your kid gets tired of their obnoxiously large accessory, or to carry extra candy. Baggu makes bags that squish up into practically nothing.
• With all of this house-to-house going during flu season, bringing some hand sanitizer might not be a bad idea.
• This glow in the dark tape also looks cool, and it could be a nice addition for a costume.

Happy Trick or Treating!