Although your baby will be too young to understand the concept of Halloween, baby’s first Halloween can still be fun and festive. From Halloween party ideas to trick-or-treating safety tips, this guide will provide all of the information you need to ensure that you and your little one have a safe and memorable Halloween.

Ideas for Baby’s First Halloween

Plan a Halloween Outing
An outing at a local pumpkin patch or fall festival is something that baby and family can enjoy. Most fall festivals have costume contests, arts and crafts for kids, and other fun activities. Locate seasonal events in your community, and don’t forget to take plenty of pictures!

Have a Baby-Friendly Halloween Party
Consider hosting a baby-friendly Halloween party for family and friends. Invite your baby’s playmates over for a costume party and Halloween treats. Encourage guests to dress up in costumes and provide age-appropriate treat bags and activities for the children. Below are a few ideas for baby’s first Halloween party:

Play music and dance – Your baby will enjoy dancing and wiggling to the beat of the music. Play fun, upbeat Halloween music to set the mood.

Read Halloween stories – Choose an age-appropriate book filled with Halloween stories and have the kids gather around for story time. Make sure the stories aren’t too scary, though.

Take pictures – You will want to have a memory of baby’s first Halloween, so take plenty of pictures of your child in his or her Halloween costume.

Prepare finger foods and Halloween-themed snacks for kids – Consider festive snacks such as pumpkin-flavored yogurt, pumpkin pie, or other soft treats that babies can eat.

Have parents bring their favorite dessert or candy – Grown-ups will want to indulge in Halloween treats, too, so have each adult brings something to share.

Trick-or-Treating Tips
If you decide to take your baby trick-or-treating, make sure you go when it is still light outside. That way, your baby will be able to experience trick-or-treating with other small children before the older kids come out. Babies may also be more easily frightened by scary costumes or decorations at night, which is why it is better to go before dark.

Take Pictures!
No matter what you have planned for baby’s first Halloween, take plenty of pictures. Visit a local pumpkin patch and take photographs of your child dressed in his or her Halloween costume. If you would prefer to stay close to home, decorate a seasonal scene in your house or yard for a convenient Halloween photo opportunity.

Halloween Safety

Choosing a Costume – Whether you buy or make baby’s first Halloween costume, keep in mind that you want your child to be safe and comfortable. The costume you choose for your baby should fit well, not too large or small. It is also a good idea to choose a costume or material that is flame retardant. Also, beware of loose strings that baby can choke on.

Halloween Masks – Halloween masks should be reserved for older children. Wearing a Halloween mask can be frightening and uncomfortable for babies, and should be avoided. Masks that fully cover the child’s face can also cause difficulty breathing.

Face Paint – Refrain from applying make-up or face paint on babies. Babies have sensitive skin and may develop a rash or experience a bad reaction if face paint is applied. If you decide to use face paint on your child, choose a non-toxic face paint and use caution when applying the paint around your child’s eyes and mouth.

Stroller Safety – If you decide to take your child trick-or-treating, make sure that he or she is securely fastened when riding in a stroller. Sidewalks and streets can be crowded on Halloween night with trick-or-treaters and adults. Don’t leave your child unattended in a stroller and beware of the traffic as you cross the street.

These tips will ensure that you and your baby have a safe and enjoyable first Halloween. No matter what you decide to do with your child during Halloween, make sure you take plenty of pictures as a keepsake. Also, be sure to check back soon for an opportunity to show off your child’s Halloween costume in our Halloween Costume Photo Contest!

Babies!  It seems as though they’re everywhere and that a different friend or relative calls you every week to announce her pregnancy.  Maybe you’re shopping on Twilite Moon for someone’s registry or looking for something for one of your own children.  Regardless of how you found this blog, if you’re “trying” and it hasn’t happened yet, you’re not alone.  Getting pregnant sometimes isn’t as easy as they warned you about in 8th grade health class. 

The majority of people trying to conceive will do so in the first six months of trying, but up to 1 in 6 couples will have difficulty conceiving (meaning not achieving a pregnancy in one year of unprotected intercourse).  And while about 85% of couples will conceive within one year, the likelihood of getting pregnant in an individual month is only about 20-30%. 

Most women under 35, who don’t have an existing medical condition which would impede conception, are generally advised to try getting pregnant “the old fashioned way” for about a year before seeing a doctor.  But if you’re over 35 years old, you might consider seeing a doctor after about 6 months of trying (as fertility, unfortunately, declines with age).  Other reasons to see a doctor earlier include if you or your partner has a history of a medical problem that could have affected fertility (cancer, previous surgery, genetic disorder, etc.), if you’re not having regular periods (meaning that you’re likely not ovulating), or if you’ve had two or more miscarriages. 

Most general Ob/Gyns will be able to answer your questions about the optimal time during your menstrual cycle to get pregnant.  They can also answer questions about and perform a basic fertility evaluation.  This usually consists of some basic testing, including an x-ray test to see if your Fallopian tubes are open, some hormonal testing for your ovaries, and checking your partner’s sperm count. 

If you do end up needing fertility treatments, your Ob/Gyn will usually send you to see a specialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (‘REI’).  These are doctors who have spent an additional three years in training (after becoming an Ob/Gyn) and who specialize in the management of fertility and reproductive disorders. In addition to heterosexual couples with infertility, same-sex couples or single women will often seek to become parents through the help of an REI physician as well. 

Depending on what the initial testing shows, your doctor will be able to talk with you about why you haven’t conceived yet and recommend possible treatment options.  Sometimes the initial testing doesn’t show that anything is wrong, in which case you may be diagnosed with “unexplained infertility.”  Although it’s unsatisfying to not know the cause, there are plenty of treatment options for couples with this diagnosis as well. 

Millions of women have achieved pregnancies and families through the help of specialists and the use of fertility medications, inseminations, assisted reproductive technologies (such as in vitro fertilization) or adoption.  If you need to embark on this process, just remember that there is a lot of support available (check out www.resolve.org).    Regardless of the path you take, once you have your family, the journey of how you got there won’t be so important. 

By Christine Skiadas, M.D.

The content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

twilite Moon is giving away over $1500 worth of prizes this month!  enter now for a chance to win “twilite moon’s amazing fall giveaway” and you will automatically become a member of twilite moon’s vip club where you’ll receive email newsletters and exclusive special offers. 

one grand prize winner will receive:

bugaboo bee stroller

svan high chair

dante beatrix diaper bag

skip hop pronto mini changer

prince lionheart bebePOD

prince lionheart silicone bottles

mama mio boob tube

prince lionheart back to sleep bear

little twig baby powder

• three runner-up winners will receive:
• a storksak diaper bag

enter now to win!

Pumpkins, leaves, haystacks, sweaters, corduroys…fall fashion is here!  If you’re looking to update your closet this season look no further.  For fall fashion for the enire family visit our store twilitemoon.com

What did pregnant women do before the internet?  Though sometimes I think there is TOO much information on the web, and that sometimes, a neurotic pregnant girl can drive herself mad researching anything from cribs, to car seats and cramps, when maybe instead she should be taking a walk or reading a book…Most of the time, I think the information highway is a gift from the heavens.

Several weeks ago, I started having a horrible side ache in my right side.  My husband and I were at our dear friends’ house for dinner and it was a Saturday night.  The last thing I wanted to do was moan and groan to our friends about my sharp, debilitating pains, so I just tried to tough it out, knowing we’d be heading home soon.

Once we finished dinner, I gave the “look” to my husband and he knew it was time to say adieu.  Immediately in the car, I said “Will you do a Google search for ‘sharp pains in your right side during pregnancy?’”

Of course, being the concerned hubby he is, he said “Well, shouldn’t we just call your doctor, babe?”

“No, no,” I protested.  “I just want to see if this feeling is common during pregnancy before I bug my doctor on a Saturday night.”

Rolling his eyes at me, he acquiesced with my request, and sure enough, within a minute, he was reading to me about “round ligament pain” and describing the symptoms and the explanations, and I immediately felt at ease.  What he read was exactly what I was feeling.  Even though I was still having the pain, which felt like quick jabs to the appendix, I felt so much better knowing this is a common thing during pregnancy as your round ligaments expand to make room for the baby.

There are so many new, strange, and often uncomfortable things happening to my body during pregnancy, so it helps to know that sometimes, a quick glance on the web can help you determine when to just relax and ride it out, and when there might be something more serious occurring that would necessitate a call to the doctor.

So though I much prefer browsing my favorite online boutiques (like Twilite Moon!) when surfing the web, it’s nice to know that sometimes it can put my husband and I at ease on a Saturday night…and I am sure we’re only a few months away from Google searching the term “how to soothe a crying baby…”

When the time came for Kristle to put her nursery together she completely tossed out the word “theme” with her baby’s room as she wanted to incorporate a couple of heirloom pieces and this solid wood piece of furniture.  Kristle loved this wood screen the minute she saw it.   She salvaged it from a local welder and painted the animals.  We think it looks great against the orange taffeta and makes her room bright and beautiful.  This room proves you can find inspiration and beauty anywhere! 

Thank you for sharing Kristle!

Who says the romance in a marriage dies once a baby is on-the-way?  Sure, the mom-to-be is often too tired to even stay awake to watch TV at night, let alone leave the house for a hot night on the town, but there is always time for that unexpected date.  And while nights with my husband while expecting a baby might not feel like some of the nighttime adventures from our past, e.g. grabbing dinner at a hip restaurant before meeting some friends for drinks, catching a movie, or even taking a salsa dance lesson, I have found that it’s the unexpected adventures that help keep the spark alive in the marriage.  Anyone can go to a fancy restaurant for dinner or buy theatre tickets, but it takes a little creativity and an open mind to make any activity a fun-filled date.

My husband has been super supportive on the nights when I just don’t feel like cooking.  Sometimes when I get home from work around 7:30, the baby and I are so ravenous, I feel as if we could eat a whole Thanksgiving dinner for a family of 4 and still not be satisfied.  Even though I love to cook, since being pregnant, sometimes I don’t have the patience to prepare a meal after work — all I care about is eating and eating quickly. 

One particular weeknight a few weeks ago, I didn’t know what I was hungry for, but I just knew I was starved.  We drove to the closest commercial street which happens to be peppered with fast food restaurants and local dive spots alike, but still I could not decide what sounded appetizing.

Then we drove past one strip mall with various stores and restaurants, including a Pizza Hut.  Now this wasn’t one of those Pizza Huts with a drive thru that’s combined with Taco Bell.  This was a Pizza Hut that existed purely on its own, and the storefront’s main focus was pizza delivery.  We spontaneously decided, “Let’s just get pizza here.  It should be quick.” 

We parked the car in the parking lot and both got out of the car.  In my haste to leave the house in search of food, I neglected to take note of my husband’s outfit: a dress shirt, ripped blue jeans, and house-slippers.  Yes, house-slippers!  Now, that’s what I call hot date attire.  I couldn’t believe it — here we were in the middle of this crowded strip mall, me with a big pregnant belly and my husband is wearing “old man house-shoes,” as we like to call them.  Clearly the days where we both exerted effort deciding what to wear on a date were behind us.  And yes, once we leave the house to get food, it’s considered a “date.”

We ordered our meal and were told it’d be at least 15 minutes until the food was ready, so what were we to do?  We decided to wait outside in the car like two teenagers sans chaperones sitting in a parked vehicle.  Only instead of us being turned on by one another or a smooth love song on the radio, we couldn’t wait to relax in the car together and play our recent obsession — pocket Scrabble on our iPhone! 

There we sat, under the glow of the overhead parking lot lantern, stomachs growling, passing our Scrabble game back and forth, each trying to outscore the other, laughing at ourselves as other cars came in and out of the parking lot to go to the liquor store or the drug store.

All in all, it was probably 20 minutes before our food was ready, although it felt like mere minutes because we were having so much fun.  We laughed at what our night had become, but also enjoyed the quiet of it being just the two of us in the car, knowing that it didn’t really matter where we were or what we were doing, just that we were doing it together made it feel like a date.

Finally, my husband had a hunch our order was ready, so his trusty house-shoes took him back to the Pizza Hut counter to collect our cuisine.  Instead of eating there in the ambient parking lot, we took our vittles back home and relaxed on the couch, eating pizza, playing Scrabble, and catching up on our DVRed television…and what started off feeling like just a normal weeknight turned into a fun and memorable “date” of sorts…what more could a pregnant girl want?  Oh, and next time we go out, he promises to wear normal shoes.

For a quick way to spice up your nursery, put some old record covers on the wall.  Many of you must have some favorites laying around.  Just be sure to use a safe adhesive for easy removal and to protect your old memories.  For more inspiration, check out this blog site dedicated LP Album Cover Lovers, http://lpcoverlover.com.

Babymoon (noun):  Romantic vacation while pregnant to celebrate with your partner before the baby arrives. 

Now, I need to add the caveat that my above listed definition is in sharp contrast with the definition that my husband and his friends employ—loosely translated: Trip away with the boys on the week-end that she has her baby shower… (and they think that “babymoon” sounds better than “man-shower.”)

Regardless of what definition is functional in your household, a romantic get-away before the baby comes seems like a good idea.  After all, although you will have trips alone after you have the baby, you and your partner will never again return to the state of just the two of you. 

Although the babymoon could simply be a relaxing week-end at home or nearby, if you’re planning on traveling far away during pregnancy there are some things that you should consider before planning your trip. 

Get a copy of your key medical records before you travel (particularly if you’re traveling out of the country, but it can’t hurt to have some of the basics with you even if you’re staying close).  Many OB practices give patients a “summary card” that lists some of these key pieces of information, and you may want to ask your doctor if they have one that you can take.   The main things that you might want to have readily available are:  your exact due date (and what your doctor based that due-date on (i.e. your last period, an intra-uterine insemination, embryo transfer, early ultrasound, etc.)  If you did have any early ultrasound reports, you could consider taking a copy of the report as well as information about your blood type.  If you have an Rh-negative blood type and develop any bleeding, you may need a shot of Rh-D immune globulin. 

If you’re planning a trip, the second trimester is probably the best time.  For most people this is the time when any morning sickness that they have had is resolved (or close to it), and plane travel may not be quite as uncomfortable as during later stages of pregnancy.  Most airlines stop allowing you to fly up until around 35 weeks.  For any long travel (by air or by car), make sure to get up and walk around every few hours to prevent blood clots from forming in your legs.  Sitting in one position can also lead to leg swelling and you could consider wearing support stockings to decrease swelling. 

Other things to consider are the usual food and dietary restrictions during pregnancy—and how that might interface with your planned vacation (i.e. trip to the wine country is probably not the best idea for a babymoon—unless you relish the role of designated driver…) Make sure that dairy products are pasteurized and if the local water is questionable, drink bottled.  In general, especially in summer, not drinking enough water can lead to some degree of dehydration, which can make your uterus more irritable and likely to contract—so stay well hydrated. 

Most importantly, you should speak with your doctor about the details of your medical history, as well as the trip that you plan to take, to make sure that there are no other concerns specific to your pregnancy.  A little planning ahead of time will make this a safe, restful and relaxing vacation before the baby arrives. 

By Christine Skiadas, M.D.

The content is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

Our winner this month is Robin with her creative and imaginative goodie.  While putting together her son’s nursery she worked with an airplane kit and created the right decorative addition for her son’s room.  We think her goodie is beautiful in its simplicity and something that any mom could put together.  Here’s what Robin had to say about her goodie…

“As soon as I found out that I was having a boy I started thinking about what I could do in the nursery.  My husband had picked up an airplane kit at a garage sale a few years ago and I decided to put it together myself and use it in our little boy’s room.  I didn’t worry about making the plane perfect as this was to be used to for decoration and not to actually fly.  As I was building the plane, I decided that I wanted to leave the skin off of it and I love the result.  I hung the plane on the wall and as my son has been getting older he has begun to stare at this skeletal plane as I change his diaper.  Not too bad for a $5 investment and a few hours of gluing.”

Thanks for sharing Robin!  We hope you enjoy your $50 gift certificate.

If you have a goodie you would like share, sent it to us at goodies@twilitemoon.com