Baby-friendly Halloween ideas

Halloween can be such a fun time of year for all the family, however trying to find the balance between soaking up the seasons scary festivities whilst making it baby-friendly can be… well, tricky.  

Plus, with all the activities, decorations, and costumes, not only can the cost of this holiday start to run up but also the environmental implications of single-use plastics and disposable waste. So, it’s worth having a few cost-saving, sustainable ideas under your belt that will be sure to keep the little ones entertained this Halloween, all while doing your bit for the planet.

Read on to discover some of our favourite Halloween-y ideas for your little one…

Pumpkin-based ideas

Many of us will flock to our local store or PYO farm this Halloween to pick up a pumpkin for carving, but what can you do with all the filling? Well, if you're stuck for ideas, we've got a few great pumpkin recipes for all effort levels, so you can keep waste to a minimum.

1. Pumpkin recipes

Pumpkin Puree

Effort: Easy

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 20-30 mins

Serves: 4-6

Try our easy pumpkin purée recipe, then turn this sensational seasonal ingredient into cakes, pancakes and glorious pies. Pumpkin can be steamed over a pan of boiling water or cooked in the microwave 

Method

• Step 1
  Microwave the pumpkin
• Step 2
  Cut it in half (no need to peel it or cut out the seeds) and sit cut-side up in the microwave. 
• Step 3
  Cook for 20 mins, then check the flesh is soft by poking it with a fork. Keep cooking if you’d like it softer.
• Step 4
  Scoop the flesh into a bowl, then mash and leave to cool. 

Pumpkin Guts Choc Muffin

Effort: Medium

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Serves: 12

If you're up for a little more work, these pumpkin and chocolate muffins make the perfect combination! Follow this step by step guide, you never know - it could be a new family favourites!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon clarified butter
• 1 ¾ cups pumpkin guts
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• ½ cup butter, cubed and at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Method

• Step 1
  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter.
• Step 2
  Separate the seeds from the stringy pumpkin guts. Place guts into a blender or food processor; pulse until pureed.
• Step 3
  Mix brown sugar and butter together in a bowl until combined. Add pumpkin puree and eggs, whisk until well blended.
• Step 4
  Sift 3 cups flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a bowl. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir until absorbed. Add as much of the remaining 1 cup flour as needed to create a batter that is moist but thick enough to stand a spoon in. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Step 5
  Divide batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups.
• Step 6
  Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick poked into the centre comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Guts Slime

Effort: Hard

If you have a bit of a fussy eater, maybe try out a non-ingestible recipe instead! You can make some fun pumpkin guts slime with the family this fall! Don't throw out those pumpkin seeds, put them to some use!

Ingredients

• 1airtight container
• 1 5oz bottle of clear glue
• ½cup water
• ½tsp baking soda
• 1tbsp contact solution
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Pumpkin Pie Seasoning
• Orange food coloring
• Small bowl 

Method

• Step 1
  In a bowl, pour the entire 5 oz bottle of clear glue.
• Step 2
  Add in ½ cup of water 
• Step 3
  Add in ½ tsp baking soda and stir.
• Step 3
  Drop a few drops of orange food colouring + stir.
• Step 4
  Pour in some pumpkin seeds.
• Step 5
  Add a few drops of pumpkin pie fragrance oil.
• Step 6
  Add 1 tbsp contact solution. It will instantly begin to form.
• Step 7
  It will be STICKY! Don’t panic! Mix the solution in the bowl until it starts to form. 
• Step 8
  Knead the slime until it is no longer sticky 
• Step 9
  Store in an airtight container.

2. Bumpkin prints

One super cute idea is to make a little baby ‘Bum-pkin’ print which can be a family favourite fridge decoration or even framed some office giggles! This craft is ideal for newborns and younger babies who aren’t yet old enough to paint and makes for a charming keepsake for years to come! 

What you’ll need:

• Orange child-safe paint
• Green child-safe paint 
• A small plate
• A sponge
• A piece of A4 paper
• A coloured pen of your choice
• baby wipes to clean your little one up afterwards.

Craft-based ideas

1. Halloween Vampire bat leaves

Take the kids on a walk and gather some leaves to be painted black with matte spray paint. After they dry, they can use a white marker to make little vampire faces

2. Halloween toilet paper roll crafts

One toilet paper roll, so many possibilities! Let your little ones take the reins on this scary-easy craft by choosing between Halloween favourites like Dracula or Frankenstein, or more traditional fare like a mummy or pumpkin.

3. Macramé ghosts

Begin by painting embroidery hoops with black paint and let dry. Cut equal lengths of macrame cord about 50” long (you will need 12 - 14 pieces of cord per hoop).

Follow instructions below for simple knots or make your own:

• Lark’s Head Knot: hold 2 pieces of cord together and fold in half. Wrap the folded half around the embroidery hoop and pull all 4 tails through the loop. Pull tight to secure. Repeat around the top of the hoop.
• Square Knot: Start by creating Lark’s Head knots with one cord each across the top of the hoop. Starting with leftmost piece, wrap it over the next 2 cords to the right. Then take the 4th cord and wrap it behind the previous two cords on the left, tucking it through the space between the first 2 cords. Pull to tighten. Continue across the embroidery hoop.

Costume-based ideas with Babiators

If you're looking for a super simple costume idea that doesn't cost the earth - then we have got you covered! The Babiators sunglasses range makes for the perfect Halloween accessory, recreating any outfit that may already be in your little one's wardrobe!  If you are looking for a staple piece that can be used for costumes and more, we've even added some of our Natural Baby Shower brands to help piece the complete outfit together!

1. Army

Door-to-door trick or treating at this time of year can be quite chilly, so why not integrate your little one's outerwear with their costume! The TOASTIE Waterproof Camo Print suit is ideal for the mini-soldier in your life, plus to make it extra cool - you can add even add the Babiators Original Keyhole Sunglasses - Black Ops Black!

2. Men in Black

A classic look that all the family can wear, a black outfit and black sunglasses is the perfect costume that can be easily dressed up for Halloween. For your baby, the Tobias + the Bear Black Cub Romper is super cute, and perfect for layering in chiller temperatures. Pair with the Babiators Original Navigator Sunglasses - Black Ops Black for the ultimate Men In Black outfit!

3. Prisoner

We love a stripe, which is why a Prisoner costume this Halloween just seem perfect, especially using AW21 Turtledove range. The Turtledove London Dungarees gives the perfect prisoner aesthetic, paired with the Babiators Original Cat-Eye Sunglasses - Black Ops Black to finish off the eye-mask accessory!

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