The Tricks to Handling Halloween Night with a Sleeping Newborn

Halloween night is a fun tradition for all of us - big and small. When you have a newborn around this time of year, it can be a bit daunting to balance the festivities with your newborn's sacred sleep schedule. The good news is that with a dash of creativity and planning, you can enjoy Halloween while honoring your sleeping newborn's undisturbedness. Here are the tricks to treat yourself to a not-so-scary night with trick-or-treaters on Halloween...

1. Stage a Candy Station:

• Set up a candy station outside away from your front door. Depending on how much energy you have at this point, adorn your outside entry with themed decorations, but at the very least a sign that reads, "Don't you dare ring the bell for candy!" The last thing you need is endless doorbell-ringing, which if it doesn't disturb your baby, it could set off your well-meaning pet...

2. Early Trick-or-Treating:

• Join the fun! Get out for an early trick-or-treating stroll in your neighborhood while it's still light outside. You'll be back home in time for baby's bedtime routine and thankful you made some memories from your first Halloween as a family.

3. Baby Monitor Setup

• If you prefer being outside to greet the trick-or-treaters (aka: personally gourd (see what we did there) the doorbell), then put that baby monitor to use! Keep an eye (or an ear) on your sleeping baby while you're outside distributing candy. Have a plan, though, in case you need to bolt inside to tend to baby or use the restroom, so the doorbell doesn't ring.

4. Coordinate with Neighbors:

• If you've got friendly neighbors, ask them if they'd be willing to help you on this night in particular. It's likely they'll be happy to help by distributing your candy stash to trick-or-treaters on your behalf, and give instruction to admire your haunted house from afar and not to ring your doorbell.

5. Bonus tricks: Ensure your sound machine is activated near baby to disguise as much noise as possible (eek!) and of course remember to take pictures of you with your little pumpkin before bed!

Handling trick-or-treaters with a sleeping newborn may require some pre-planning, but with some fore-thought and communication you can enjoy both the fun Halloween traditions as well as maintain your newborn's rest routine. It's ok for babies to wake for a feeding; we can all agree we'd rather it not be due to a daunting doorbell. 

You're doing so great -- Happy Halloween!

FREEBIE: Pick a sign to download and print then affix over your doorbell!