Confession: I'm a little bit of a Halloween fanatic. I blame it on the 5 years of my childhood spent living overseas (aka: the land of no Halloween). Those 5 years were prime trick-or-treating years. Even now, I still don't think I have fully recovered. Needless to say, I have a lot of Halloween catching up to do.
Conveniently, having an annual Halloween party has always been on my "Mom Bucket List". Last year this dream became reality with the inaugural Pumpkin Carving Party. With the second Pumpkin Carving Party just held, the dream has also become tradition! This kind of party is a nice chance to get together with friends and neighbors, carve a pumpkin, and parade your adorable kid around in a costume.
There is an art to throwing a successful toddler party. I'd been throwing adult Halloween parties for years B.C. (Before Chuck), however, a signature cocktail and mood lighting are not quite toddler party appropriate. I had to come to terms with the fact that a "successful" party is now something entirely different than it was just 2 years ago. Also of note: Toddlers are a tough crowd.
When I started planning last year, I desperately searched the Interwebs for a play-by-play on throwing toddler Halloween Party. Eventually, I stumbled across this Martha Stewart Carving Party, and that was it! The teacher part of this mama knew we needed an activity to keep everyone occupied. Since it's Halloween, carving pumpkins was a no-brainer. I pictured happy families, sipping hot cider, and tiny mitten clad hands.
Now, I think the best word that describes any toddler party is "chaotic". I'll set the scene: Chuck is running around, playing with her friends; I'm trying to be a good hostess, all while covered in pumpkin goop. Curiously, that Martha spread leaves out all the pumpkin goop. Amid all the chaos, though, it warms my heart to start creating traditions like this for my family. Because children of all ages were invited, I resorted to some very unMartha Methods for decorating our pumpkins. For the record: there is NOTHING that can't be glued or painted onto a pumpkin. Thank goodness pumpkins don't bruise easily.
We placed a table on the front lawn, and filled small containers with all sorts of things to with which to decorate our pumpkins! We had pumpkin pieces, foam stickers, and paint. At the "adult table" we had carving knives and templates SAFELY kept out of the reach of tiny hands. I also kept pumpkin buckets handy to catch all the ooey-gooey insides for future roasting.
Now that I have some experience under my belt, I have developed a few helpful general hints to keep things running smoothly. I'm excited to share them with you so you can build some traditions of your own!
Timing is Key
You are never going to avoid everyone's nap time. Pick a time that you think will work for most. Last year, that was 10:00 in the morning. This year, it was 3:30 in the afternoon.
Hide Everything
General rule: If you don't want it broken, hide it! Just because your child knows not to touch great grandma's priceless heirloom crystal, doesn't mean your guests know the drill (adults included) Also, hide anything you think will cause a toddler riot. You only have one ride-on horsey thingy that you know everyone will want? Hide it! You have drum sticks that could be turned into a weapon of miniature destruction? Hide them! Put it in a safe place! Future You will thank you!
Have a Start Time and an End Time
Everyone knows that a party has a start time. An "end time" is something relatively new to me, but toddler parties need one. It's a must. As the host, you need to know what to plan for, and how long to plan for it.
Have a Functional Plan B
Maybe today's the day that your kid will sit for hours decorating her pumpkin. Maybe its the day it will take 5 minutes. You need to have something on hand in case it takes 30 seconds. This can be anything! For this year's carving party, I purchased a simple Halloween game to be broken out in case of toddler boredom emergency.
Some kids have a sweet tooth, some kids have a salty one. Some kids have this whole eating on their own thing handled, some kids just don't. There is one thing I can guarantee you-- you do not want a hungry kid at your party. Serve a variety of foods so you can be sure that everyone will be able to find something that they like!
Extra LuCk
Chuck was quick to notice that pumpkins are hollow, and make a great drum! We made a game of it by having her choose her pumpkin by picking one that made the best sound. She ran all over the pumpkin patch 'tap tap tapping' each and every pumpkin.
Starting around 18 months, toddlers can keep time while banging objects together. So, grab yourself a pumpkin, and chant along to these classic Halloween chants! Sure, you may feel a little insane, but its Halloween! Plus, you are exposing your child to what experts like to call a "rich sensory environment". These chants introduce children to rhyming, counting, and new vocabulary. Need some enCHANTING ideas? Click here!
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