Cool Mom Picks: Trick or treat!

Trick or treat!

Don't let Halloween sneak up on you! Check out this collection of our favorite treats, kid-friendly costumes, and not-too-spooky decorations, and you'll be well-prepared for the 31st.

Curated by Christina on September 1, 2012 6:00 AM

What to do with leftover Halloween candy - besides eat it.

Every Halloween, one of the biggest questions we get from readers is what to do with the leftover Halloween Candy.

10 delicious recipes that use leftover Halloween candy

Check out these ten super delicious, highly decadent treats that make genius use of leftover Halloween candy. You know, when you get bored of stealing it straight out of kiddo's bag. -Stacie

Sugar-free ways to keep kids busy on Halloween

Trick-or-treating is still hours away and my kids are already talking nonstop about all Halloween candy. So to help maintain a bit of my own sanity today, I've rounded up a few ways to keep my kids busy and entertained until the evening rolls around. Here's hoping these ideas help you too!

Ghost stories. Ooooooooo!

My tween is finally beyond the check-under-the-bed-for-monsters stage, and is now onto reading scary stories "for fun." So once she hangs up her Halloween trick-or-treat bag for the night, I know she'll enjoy digging into this smart and spooky guide.

Count us in: BabyLit scores with a spooky number book

Jennifer Adams and Allison Oliver hooked us with their beautiful BabyLit counting and color board books based on classic literature like Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre. They've done it again--this time, with a counting Count Dracula.

5 gluten-free, allergy-free Halloween sweets that take the trick out of the treat

Halloween candy can be scary for kids with food allergies (and their parents). So check out my favorite source for gluten- and allergy-free candy, as well as a few of my favorite allergy-friendly picks that any trick-or-treater will love.

The terrible tale of a trick-or-treater's worst nightmare: no candy!

Of all the scary things my kids might face on Halloween night, one thing looms most terrifying in their minds: the prospect of trick-or-treating at homes with no candy left to give.

5 geeky, spooky, and altogether kooky cookies for Halloween

Get out the flour and sugar. Crack the eggs (better use than egging the grouchy neighbors, trust us).

The spookiest DIY spiderwebs for Halloween

It's been nothing but Halloween crafts in our house for the past week, but with still another week to go, I'm stockpiling ideas to keep the kids busy. Next up on my list: these adorable spiderwebs that only require scissors and paper.

9 of the coolest, easiest no-carve DIY pumpkin decorating ideas that your kids can actually do

It took a while for me to get the appeal of no-carve pumpkin ideas. However every year, we grab some pumpkins in anticipation of carving them into fabulously silly or scary faces--then reality hits

Vampire shirts for halloween, hold the cheesy factor

Nope, it's not Dracula. It's not Edward, either. This little guy is waaaaay cuter (sorry, Team Edward).

Easy DIY baby Halloween costumes are nothing to be scared of

If you are juggling a needy infant or a get-into-everything toddler this October, the last thing you probably want to think about is spending hours creating a fancy Halloween costume for your little pumpkin.

7 sweet Halloween recipes: copycat candy bars

Looking for a sweet DIY Halloween project with a big payoff? These homemade candy bar recipes are the perfect way to celebrate Halloween with the kiddos.

6 all-natural candies for a healthier, yummier Halloween

Boo! Does talk of "natural" candy bars scare you? I promise to not encourage you to swap kiddo's peanut butter cups for carob covered apple rings (made from locally grown fruit--ha!).

Dapper DIY Halloween masks, yours for the printing

If I started today, I could probably create Halloween costumes by hand for my three, although it would cost me dearly in terms of time and sanity. But here's another thought: instead of sweating over fabric and glue, I could just hit "print" for some super-cute Halloween masks, throw the kids in colored sweatsuits, and call it a day.

7 of the cutest (and creepiest) Halloween cookies haunting the Internet

I'm not much of a cookie aficionado, but Halloween brings out the baker in me. (It also brings out the witch in me, but that's for another post.) In honor of my favorite cookie-making holiday, we've found the cutest, yummiest Halloween treats ever. So feast your zombie eyes on these. The kids are going to freak out!

A scarily cute costume for you pregnant ghouls

I was pregnant over two Halloweens and looking back, I'm sad I never got into the spirit. Probably because I was just happy to get my own clothes and shoes on over my belly, let alone deal with a costume.

Watch it wiggle, see it freak out your party guests

Browsing through our archives for cool Halloween ideas, I came across this old link to a post highlighting a recipe for super spooky eyeball Jell-O shots. Non-alcoholic for the kids, of course.

Candy bars without all the junk? Yes, it's Unreal.

I wish my kids would smack their lips over kale chips the same way they do the junk-filled candy they stare at in the supermarket checkout line. But while I can't say I've found a line of candy made of kale (ha), I have discovered a brand that takes some of our favorite candy bars and reformulates them, without all the not-so-good stuff.

What to do with that extra Halloween Candy

Like many of you, I'm waking up this morning, eying the huge pile of candy in my house and thinking, How can I get the darned stuff out of my house? We've got 5 great ways to help may your home a little less sugary over the coming week.

3 Halloween apps for kids we love

Boy have we spent time at Cool Mom Tech this past week, culling down the throngs of Halloween themed apps for kids.

Trick or Treating for UNICEF is sweet

Consider this your annual reminder from us about Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF. If it's never something you've done before, the premise is that your kids can ask for more on Halloween than just another sugary treat.

Trick or splurge!

Halloween myths we'd like to clear up:1. Halloween isn't fun after age 12.2. Adults can't dress up.3. Parents are stuck eating the kids' leftover candy.

Babywearing Halloween costumes: Sling or treat!

Yes, there may be a tiny person attached to you at all times. But this month, if you're creative or crafty, that could mean some amazing Halloween costume opportunities, just for mamas (or dads!) with slings.

The coolest Halloween printables - go forth and be crafty!

With the money I'm spending on Halloween costumes and bags of candy, I'm not about to drop a fortune on decor too. So, I'm so pleased to have found so many affordable (and free!) printables that don't require me to do much of anything or spend much of anything.

A no-sugar Halloween treat that is no trick

My kids are at the age where their Trick-or-Treat bags return home weighing almost as much as they do. At this rate they'll be up to their knees in mini-treats until 2012. So I'm often looking out for other things to hand out at Halloween parties, or when the doorbell rings.

The twin bone's connected to the cute bone

Let's face it: If Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter had twins, they would look just like this, and Johnny Depp would give them a set of onesies like this at their Beetlejuice-themed baby shower.

Kids costumes that look handmade (because they are)

This year, time constraints and other crazy life things make it not so possible to attempt making our own costumes, but I've found a pretty great substitute.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a dinosaur?

Halloween is just around the corner and the overpriced costume catalogs are rolling in. Personally I am hoping to acquire something affordable, easy to get on and off, reusable and without any pink or glitter. Easier said than done right?

Masquerade, pretty faces on parade

In spring, a young man's thoughts lightly turn to love. In fall, everyone's thoughts turn to a really kickass Halloween costume. Right?

Super hero costumes for kids who are their own super heroes

yay for another shop that makes handmade superhero costumes for kids, inspired by kids' imaginations and not the comic characters on TV. And? They're super affordable.

Dress-up clothes? Reader Q + A

My daughter is turning three soon, and I want to put together a dress up box for her. Any ideas for a great Etsy costume shop?

Girl superheroes with the power of cute

For one brief night in third grade, I was Wonder Woman. Though my polyester Halloween costume was pretty unremarkable, I loved those superhero wrist cuffs that had the power to deflect everything from bullets to spit balls.

A Halloween recipe that's scary to look at, not to make

If there was ever a time to play with food, it's Halloween. Spaghetti guts, Jello-brains...come on! Who doesn't love that!

Cool Halloween printables that don't look like bad clip art

You know what's scary? Realizing you've invited a bunch of little butterflies and superheroes to invade your home for a pre-trick-or-treating soiree, and not your house ready. Ahem

Safer choices for Halloween hair and makeup

For the first year ever, since becoming a parent, I actually have my kids' Halloween costumes ready to go with more than 2 hours to spare before the 31st. Well, almost. The last thing we have to track down is some black cat nailpolish, and some green face paint to perfect my five year-old evil witch.

6 cool, easy, last minute Halloween craft projects

I poked around some of our favorite blogs and websites for a ton of inspiring craft ideas to help me get into the spooky spirit this week.

6 all-natural, allergen-free, or fair trade Halloween treats that aren't scary at all

With some Halloween candies containing loads of hydrogenated oil, artificial colors and even high-fructose corn syrup, I appreciate why so many of us are taking a closer look at what we drop into those pillow cases come October 31st.

Frighteningly artful Halloween invitations

I've been thinking about having a small Halloween party for my three-year-old and her friends. Nothing elaborate. No baking required. And I'll send out the invitations on-line because who has the time to dig up everyone's actual address?

A minimalist Halloween

While my oldest would just as soon cover herself in a head to toe costume for Halloween, my other little one would is more in the "naked baby" camp. Amazing how kids are so different.

All-natural gummies that won't get your house TP'd on Halloween

My kids still recall with disdain the house that gave out unsweetened popcorn balls and apples one year for Halloween. I understand the desire to offer something less junky, but a safer bet against toilet paper in my trees might be some of the all-natural, Vitamin C-packed gummy candies we've found.

Paper & Cake's downloadable halloween party is a treat

One of my kids thinks that Mickey Mouse is a horror figure, so I've learned to keep our Halloween "unscawy." Instead of settling for whatever I can find in the big box stores, I get to look so put together by downloading CMP fave Paper&Cake's downloadable Trick or Treat Halloween Party decor which gives my gathering a pulled-together look without costing more than my Halloween candy budget.

Martha does Halloween. It's a ghoul thing

Around our house, Halloween is right up there with Hanukkah and birthdays so of course we're looking to see what the grande dame of decorating has in store for this spooky season.

Healthy treats that won't get your house egged on Halloween.

Now that I'm a nutrition-obsessed mom, I get where those raisin people were coming from that I made fun of when I was trick or treating as a kid. They didn't plan on being the lamest house on the block (although they were), but it sure is hard competing with all the sugar out there on Halloween.

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