BOO! With Halloween nearing, we want to ensure your princess, prince, witch, ghost, superhero, or monster is ready for the night ahead! Here are some tips to help your child prepare for trick or treating.
- Staying hydrated the day before and day of. Arizona hot temperatures can still be lingering for Halloween, so it is important to stay hydrated with water. Sports drinks can contain high amounts of sugar, which makes water better to have before and during your trick or treating time. You can get creative and make your reusable water bottle as a part of your child’s costume.
- Pace yourself! At first, you and your child might be overzealous about hitting every house in your neighborhood (I know I did when I was younger), but be sure to have stops along the way to take breaks and give your child’s feet a break.
- In line with pacing yourself, be sure to have comfortable shoes. Take pictures before going out to trick or treating with the fun shoes, but to help your child walk longer and without pain, switch to a comfortable shoe if not already wearing one. Shoes with good arch support normally do the trick! This is essential when walking long distances around the neighborhood.
- Warm up before heading out! The Lazy Monster Workout is an app that you can use as a warm-up to help your child’s body get ready for all the walking.
- Don’t forget to stretch after you come home. Below are pictures of leg stretches to do after your exciting night out. Perform each stretch for around 30 seconds three times before switching sides.
Stretch 1: Act like you are pushing the wall away from you. The heel of your back leg should remain on the floor. You should feel the stretch in the calf of your back leg.
Stretch 2: This is for your hamstrings. Make a figure 4 with your legs and try to reach for your toes. You should feel the stretch, on the backside of your straight leg. Make sure the leg is straight. If you cannot reach for your toes without a straight leg, just reach as far as you can.
Stretch 3: With a belt, bring it around the arch of your foot. Bring your leg up and slightly across your body while keeping both hips close to the ground. This is for your IT band or connective tissues on the side of your leg.
We hope these tips will help your child conquer the fun of Halloween! If you notice your child having difficulty with walking for a prolonged period of time or experiencing pain after, feel free to contact TEAM4Kids to set up a physical therapy evaluation. Have a safe and happy Halloween!
Ashley Batistich, PT