Trick or Treat Time for 4.5 Year Old?

My kids are 8, 6, and 4. We'll go out about 6...maybe a little later. My 4 year old gets home around 510 and I want to get them fed before we go out trick or treating, so we can come home, sort out candy, take showers, and go to bed!

When the sun is almost down, after dinner, I'd say 6:30 or so. I've never lived in a place that mandated certain TOT times. Thank goodness.

When the kids were little we'd have an early dinner and go right after dinner. Carry flashlights. The kids love being out in the dark - makes it a little more festive. ;o)

But in our area lots of school aged kids go right from school. They have a parade around the school grounds, lots of parents leave work early and then trick or treat while they walk home. Most houses will leave a bowl on the front steps with candy that says "Take One".

IN the NY metro area I've never heard of a town/city setting standard times for trick or treating. How odd!

I heard one of the radio DJs this morning say that a lot of people will be going between 5 and 9 tonight. I think since it's a school night, we will be going early, probably 5:30ish.

I've never heard of a city setting TOT times before. Hmmm, learn something new every day.

Like a few others said, and another post touched on...I had never ever heard of an area or city setting times for trick or treating. Ever. Until I went on this site a few years ago! No way could they or would they ever do a day other than Halloween around here...like I said, lived here all my life and never even heard of the idea before.

I work until 5:30 doing home daycare, so if anyone shows up before 6pm, I will not be ready. But generally I think the acceptable times here are 6-8pm....if you keep your porch light on longer, some teens may show up. Cool here tonight (upeer 40's) but thats a nice year, so I suspect the majority of our traffic will be 6:30-7:30. Everyone else needs to get home and get kids fed and changed as well!

We almost ALWAYS make a pot a chili (did yesterday) and have that...this year its leftovers from yesterday! Quick and easy and then we can be ready for the doorbell!

My son is 5.
My daughter is 9.
We are going out as soon as it is dark.
Which is like you, about 6:30 here.

Look what time your city has set, I think just about every city sets a time for trick r treating. In my parent's area it happened already on Sat from 5:30-7:30pm. You can not just go whenever you want you have to go when your city has set the time/date... I would go when there is most light during the time set by your city with a child under 6.

I'm not from Dallas, but I always assumed as SOON as it starts getting dark outside to do it. I, for one, am NEVER ready for the early trick-or-treaters before sunset. I think its weird for it to still be daylight and do it. Additionally, a lot of people may not be home from work. But, as for the age... I say the earlier the better- as long as it has started getting dark.

I am not in Dallas but sunset is around the same time here and we are going at 6. I figure 2 hours should/will be enough (if we go that long). Plus we'll have our 2 year old son (bringing a stroller for him) so it'll be really up in the air as to how long they'll hold out. But we are going with friends who have kids a slightly older so I have a feeling they will hang on till the last house then DROP the second we get into the car!

Have fun!

Trunk or Treat is 6-8. You have to wait late enough for people to be home from work, but be able to get it done before it gets totally dark.

It all depends WHEN the TOT time was set by your city/town.

We've always had days and times pre-set by where we lived. Most don't TOT on Halloween. Most do it on the Saturday or Sunday before Halloween. It's just safer to do it earlier and when it's WARMER. Yesterday we went for 35 minutes and we had enough of the wind and cold.

LOL Katie B. we are in freaksville Wisconsin. No one else sets time for TOT except us.

Yes the Milwaukee area has set TOT times for each little city. Some are Saturday evening, some during the day on Sunday (us), some Sunday evening etc. Does not matter what day Halloween is actually on, this is how it plays out here. If Halloween falls on Wednesday we do it that weekend not on Wednesday - wacky.

I would check to see if your area has designated TOT times. Our village TOT is only from 4 - 7, so if we went out at 6:30 we'd only have 30 min out.