Walk this way: tips for trick and treating feet this Halloween
If you’re planning to head out on Friday trick or treating, we’ve got some top tips for a safe and enjoyable evening without unplanned trips, slips or soggy feet!
At the time of writing, Friday 31 October in Ingersoll ON is forecast to be dry with only a 10% chance of rain, mild (9degrees), and with a moderate breeze. (It will be cloudy, but at least the werewolves won’t be exposed to bright moonlight.)
We anticipate lots of ghoulish kids and well-prepared parents will be out enjoying a night of friendly frights and tasty treats, with no worries about school or work the next day.
Your essential Halloween item
In our view, THE Halloween accessory is … a small backpack. We agree that it’s not very spooky, but it is incredibly useful. We’ve noted what to add to your backpack to make trick or treating safer, easier and kinder to your feet.
Stepping out in style
These days, Halloween costumes vary from traditional scary ghosts and ghouls to princesses and superheroes. What they all usually have in common is completely inappropriate footwear for walking around your neighbourhood in the dark for a hour or more.
So, if your kids love wearing their favourite dressing up outfit for Halloween (regardless of whether it’s spooky or not), we suggest you change their costume footwear to practical trainers or boots. The shoes they normally wear with their super sparkly skirts or super heroic suit to a party or to friends are not suitable for walking in for any length of time.
High heeled princess sparkly shoes, for example, don’t often fit young feet very well. They may cause blisters, or cause pain in the foot arches. They will also lose their shine and get dirty very quickly outside, which often upsets princesses. Equally, superhero “boots” (shoe covers) can soak up water from grass and sidewalks, and soon make even Iron Man’s feet very chilly and damp.
Backpack tip: Pack normal shoes and boots in your backpack to swap out of feet get wet, cold or costume footwear starts to rub. Add a clean, dry pair of socks for everyone too.
If your kids complain of pain in their feet or ankles after trick or treating, just make an appointment at any of our three foot clinics here in southwestern Ontario.
Do you look at Frankenstein’s feet?
Often, Halloween costumes provide overshoes, such as big plastic hairy feet for a yeti, or plastic skeleton feet. Make sure these are securely fastened around normal footwear, so they don’t come loose and become a tripping hazard.
To be honest, when you arrive on a doorstep to trick or treat, most people don’t look at the feet anyway. They can also get remarkably muddy and wet outside, not good if you have to take them back to the costume hire shop in the morning. So these overshoes are probably best left at home.
Last Halloween, one of our team was visited by a trainer-wearing T-Rex, which waddled its way around the neighbourhood and won many hearts (as well as candy!). It took several days to find out who was the young man behind the teeth!
Backpack tip: Pop a plastic bag in the backpack to take any wet or muddy costume footwear home.
Tricks not trips
Many Halloween costumes include long, floaty items, such as vampire cloaks, witches’ long skirts, ghost sheets, all just waiting to be tripped over or stood on.
The trick here is to pop your little monsters into their costumes this week, before Halloween, and take up any costumes that are too long. This will stop any other kid (or adult) accidentally standing on the costume, and throwing the wearer off balance. It also prevents the costume hems getting wet and dirty.
Backpack tip: Take some safety pins to pin up any costumes that come loose or get damaged. A roll of duck tape can come in handy too!
Ditch the pitchfork
Halloween costumes also come with various hand-held accessories, from a devil’s pitchfork to scary skulls. It’s best to limit the number of things the kids carry to just a bucket for candy, leaving one hand free to pick up any costumes and cloaks as they go up front porch steps, and maintain balance if the road is a bit slippy.
Backpack tip: If the candy collection exceeds the bucket capacity, pop the candy into a bag in the backpack, and start collecting a second load!
Watch the weather forecast
Keep an eye on the weather, and adjust costuming and footwear accordingly. The important thing is that footwear is comfortable and keeps feet dry and warm. Costumes can also be made of thin materials, so layer up underneath. Again, nobody will ask a wicked witch is she’s wearing thermals…
Backpack tip: Include warm hats and gloves for chilly fingers.
Even vampires wear socks
Okay, we haven’t actually checked this with Count Dracula, but smart black shoes are definitely more comfortable to wear in a clean, dry pair of socks. Cotton or bamboo based socks effectively wick moisture away from your feet, keeping them drier and more comfortable. Just remember when you get home to take off your shoes and socks, take time to dry your feet, check for any blisters, and put on a clean pair of socks.
You might like to wear supportive footwear and socks, as you could be walking a lot further than you normally might! Watch the conditions, and adjust your footwear if the weather forecast suddenly changes from dry to wet, icy, or snowy conditions.
Sweet hydration
If your little ones like to eat a lot of treats as they go around the neighbourhood, remember that they may also get very thirsty. Take some plain water with you, as if they get too hydrated, this can affect their balance.
Backpack tip: Carry a couple of bottles of drinking water just in case.
Sore feet? Stop
If your feet start to get sore, or you sustain a minor injury by tripping over something, don’t carry on walking and make it worse. It’s far better to end the trick and treating early, head home, and treat your feet to a rest. Walking further on a sprained ankle, for example, will only make it considerably worse. Equally, walking on already blistered feet, will be painful and result in even more blisters.
Backpack tip: Take some band aids with you to cover blisters and cushion the skin.
If you have problems with your feet or ankles after trick or treating, just make an appointment at any of our three foot clinics here in southwestern Ontario.
Always take a flashlight
You may have walked your neighbourhood streets many time during the daylight, but at night, it’s far more tricky to see any potential, tripping hazards. These may be hidden in piles of leaves, or underneath the surface of standing puddles. Take a flashlight with you, so you can see where you’re walking. It can also double up as a really spooky lighting effect if you stick it under your chin!
Backpack tip: You guessed it, put a flashlight or two in the backpack, and remember to check the batteries before you leave.
Professional help for little feet
AtHunt Footcare, we understand the children’s feet need special care and attention. Our expert team help families and children with a whole variety of foot problems including sore heels, blisters, and sore arches.
For more details, or help with a foot problem your child may have, just contact us and make an appointment for one of our 3 foot clinics.
We wish you a very Happy Halloween from all at Hunt Footcare
Foot pain FAQs
Halloween is on Friday 31st October 2025.
All Hallows’ Eve is the day before All Hallows’ Day, or All Saints’ Day. All Hallows Eve is so named from the Old English word ‘hallowed’ meaning holy or sanctified. From this we get the name Hallowe’en / Halloween.
There are various recipes for edible fake blood, which normally include a fruit juice, colouring and something to make the liquid more viscous (slow flowing). This one uses cherry juice:
For non-edible fake blood for skin and costumes made from household ingredients, check out this Good Housekeeping article:
Happy Halloween! 🎃 From all at Hunt Footcare
About the author
J.Craig Hunt D.Ch. is founder of Hunt Footcare, one of Southwestern Ontario’s longest providers of professional footcare and foot surgery consultation services. He is Past President of both the College of Chiropodists of Ontario and the Ontario Society of Chiropodists. Read more about Craig here:
