My daughter is almost one-and-a-half and this week we enjoyed her first real Halloween. She wore her Cinderella dress and we even had the dog dressed up as her four-legged pumpkin stagecoach. The night started innocently enough: pictures, meeting up with neighbors, checking out the other little kids’ costumes…. In fact, the hour or so of trick-or-treating in daylight was near perfect.

It was only when the sun went down, and the teenagers came out, that my thoughts turned from jubilation to hesitation as the ratio of little girls dressed as Tinker Bell or Snow White slowly gave way to teen girls dressed as Miami Heat dancers, Rihanna, and a costume I like to call “just-something-skimpy-and-tight-that-allows-me-to-show-my-newfound-cleavage-to-drooling-9th-grade-boys”.

Don’t get me wrong. When I was 14, this was exactly why I loved Halloween. Candy was great, but to my raging hormones, girls dressed in minimal clothing was even better. If I’m being honest, this was also the reason I loved Halloween in high school, college, through my twenties and right up until I had my daughter. These days, I’d prefer that all teenage girls go as sleeping bags; just a nice, big, bulky bag with one hole for their head and two for their feet. This way, I don’t have to think about the inevitable: that my cute, adorable daughter, who likes dresses and flowers, will one day leave the house on Halloween wearing a costume that has the express purpose of making some freshman dude in high school want to make out with her — or worse.

Am I jumping the gun about a dozen years? Absolutely. Is there anything I can do to stop it? Nope.

But it doesn’t mean that I have to like it. And it doesn’t mean that when a group of 16-year-old girls dressed in super tight tank tops and five-inch shorts (a “volleyball team”, evidently) knock on my door, call me “sir”, and tell me that that my daughter is “sooooo cuuuute”, while a group of their male classmates, wearing their football jerseys going as, you guessed it, football players, slink behind them, staring at their young bodies and thinking every dirty thought in the book, that my mind doesn’t flash forward a decade-and-a-half to what I’ll eventually be dealing with. The worst part? I know what’s going on in these guy’s minds because I was one of these guys. And now the tables are turned, and as this thought creeps into my my mind, I look down and realize that my daughter hasn’t noticed their costumes at all.

In fact, she hasn’t even noticed the girls. Instead, she’s putting a fully wrapped Three Musketeers bar in her mouth and smiling, which makes me smile, because even though the thought of my daughter wanting to dress as a Playmate for Halloween is a moment I’m not looking forward to, that moment is still a long way away…and for now, I’ll just enjoy her being, to borrow a phrase from the mini-Misty May, “sooooo cuuuute”.

Do you ever dread your baby’s teenage years?

Hollywood’s hottest parents are known for dressing their children in designer duds. But on Halloween, they switch it up a bit — and some of them go over the top. See how these celebrity kids dressed for Halloween!

Which celebrity kid’s costume is your favorite?

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Best Halloween Costumes for Baby

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Due to Hurricane Sandy, several states along the East Coast have rescheduled Halloween. While this will keep your kids safe, it could also make them a bit upset (no kid wants to miss out on free candy). But just because they can’t go out doesn’t mean they can’t celebrate! Throw on those costumes , call up the neighbors and follow these tips for throwing a happy home-a-ween.

Create Some Festive Art
Crafts are a great form of entertainment, and a great way to decorate the house (especially if you had to take the exterior ones down). Using items that you have at home, you and your kids can finger paint Halloween figures or (if they’re old enough) create construction paper Jack O’ Lanterns. If you’re able to drive to a local store, pick up the supplies to make these amazing mummy cards.

Trick-or-Treat Indoors
What’s Halloween without trick-or-treating?! Designate each grown-up to a room in the house, and have the kids go room-to-room to collect their treats.  This way the kids can safely get their candy and you can snap some pictures of them in their costumes (and send them to The Bump!).

Dance to Spooky Music
If you still have power (and we hope you do), then turn on some tunes! Using music resources like Pandora or Spotify, create a playlist of spooktacular songs. Include classics like “Monster Mash”, “Werewolves of London” and “Thriller,” but get a little creative and add songs from your favorite Halloween movies, like The Addam’s Family, Ghostbusters and Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Play Some Halloween Games
Some added activities will help kids down from their sugar high. A simple and super fun one is Mummy Wrap. Divide the kids into pairs and give each team a roll of toilet paper. Instruct one member of each team to wrap his partner like a mummy (avoiding the head and wrapping arms separately).  Once wrapped, the mummy must hop to the finish line. Award the winning team and then reverse the partners.

Share Some Scary(ish) Stories
When your child begs for their bedtime story, try telling a spooky one. Make up a tale about a witch who wants to be nice or a ghost who can’t seem to scare anyone. Not that creative? Sites like Scary For Kids have a lot of age-appropriate tales. Just make sure to skip over the ones with blood or gore.

How will you celebrate Halloween from home?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Cool Things to Do With Baby Indoors

Toddler Craft Ideas that Won’t Stress You Out

Easy and Fun Art Projects for Baby

Last year Lori, head of Creative Services at The Bump, dressed one of her sons as comedy icon, Charlie Chaplin.  Learn how to turn your little man into a classy and comical act.

What You Need:

• Kid’s size bowler hat
• Kid’s size black jacket and pants
• White button-down shirt
• Black shoes
• Faux daisy
• Bamboo walking cane
• Soft eyeliner pencil in black

How to Make It:

• Cut off the stem of the daisy and sew or glue it onto the lapel of the suit jacket.
• Bring the bamboo cane to a hardware store and have it cut to the appropriate height (or, if you have the tools at home, cut it yourself!)
• Dress up your son in the shirt, suit and hat.
• Draw a narrow mustache right under his nose with the black eyeliner.

Add Something Extra:

• Encourage your little man to waddle walk!

What’s your child going to be for Halloween this year?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Best Halloween Costumes for Baby

Best Bumpie Halloween Photos

Halloween Decorations for $15 (or Less)

Last year Lindsey, a Kentucky Bumpie, dressed her son as the Peanuts character Charlie Brown. Learn how to make this super easy costume (and teach your little man to say “good grief”)!

What You Need:

• Yellow shirt
• Black pants
• Black fabric paint
• Paint brush

How to Make It:

• Paint black zig-zags onto the yellow shirt. (Do this at least a day in advance so the paint dries overnight.)
• Dress your little guy in the pants and shirt.

Add Something Extra:

• Find a Snoopy stuffed animal and have your little guy carry it around.

Which cartoon character would you dress your child as?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Best Halloween Costumes for Baby

Best Bumpie Halloween Photos

Halloween Decorations for $15 (or Less)

Last year Michelle, a New York Bumpie, dressed her daughter as a flowering potted plant and, as you can see, it was adorable! Learn how to turn your girl into a flower (worthy of a photo shoot with Anne Geddes!).

What You Need:

How to Make It:

• Hot-glue the flowers to the headband. (Do it at least a day in advance to let the glue cool and set.)
• Dress your daughter in her tights, tutu, top and headband.

Add Something Extra:

• Glue or sew faux leaves onto the shirt, too.
• Have her carry a watering can (makes for a cute accessory and candy holder).

What’s your favorite homemade costume? Tell us below!

Plus, more from The Bump:

Best Halloween Costumes for Baby

Best Bumpie Halloween Photos

Halloween Decorations for $15 (or Less)

Last year Lori, head of Creative Services here at The Bump, dressed her son as Mad Men‘s Don Draper. This pop-culture costume isn’t only cute, but it’s easy to make too! Learn how to turn your son into a mini advertising exec. You know, without the drinking and womanizing.

What You Need:

• Kid’s size white button down shirt
• Kid’s suit pants (no jacket necessary)
• Black shoes
• Tie (clip-on optional)
• Hair gel and comb
• Barbie dolls
• Plastic bottle of iced tea
• Black gaffers tape
• Canadian Club whiskey label replica

How to Make It:

• Dress your child in the suit pants and shirt, leaving the top buttons of the shirt open.
• Clip the tie to one side of the open lapel to make it look disheveled. (If it’s not a clip-on tie, let it tie hang around baby’s neck untied.
• Slick baby’s hair into a side part using hair gel and a comb. The slicker, the better!
• For the faux-whiskey bottle, tape the Canadian Club whiskey label to the plastic bottle of iced tea. Cover the cap of the bottle and about an inch below with the black gaffers tape. This will not only prevent it from opening, but it will make it look like a sealed liquor bottle!
• Have baby “Don” carry the Barbies with him in hand or in stroller.

Add Something Extra:

• Make your own Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce business cards.