I don’t know about you, but once I became a parent, I suddenly understood my own parents so much more. It wasn’t until my oldest was three and I went to buy him a Halloween costume for the first time that my brain said “You want me to pay what? For something that he will wear once?” And this was before he was old enough to have a preference for characters or costumes.
Seriously, for something that they only wear once, I’m not paying $25+.
Now, you happen to parent a child who will wear a Halloween costume over and over, this might be your time of year. If your kid isn’t like that, I have some tips.
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Look in Your Own Home
This could mean a few things: first off, check your own dress up collection. Do you have any accessories that your child could wear? We had a last minute Halloween party several years ago and we happen to have a child’s tool kit and a hard hat. Awesome, you are going as a construction worker.
Another idea is what is in your own closets. One year, my son wanted to be the Grinch and we got lucky and he had a bright red shirt and we also had a Santa hat from the previous Christmas. I found a pair of green sweatpants at Target and some kid-safe green make-up and my eyeliner and he was the Grinch.
Don’t Shop the Costumes
While I balk at paying $25 for a costume, that price is fair for a good sweatshirt. The year that Captain America: The Winter Soldier came out, my son wanted to be Captain America. I didn’t buy the full kit, but I did buy the Captain America Sweatshirt from the Disney store and for his birthday, one of his grandparents got him the mask and shield. Not only did he get to be Captain America for Halloween, but he got to wear his Captain America sweatshirt for the rest of the fall season, the next fall season, and I got to pass it down to his brother a few years later. In other words, it doesn’t have to come from the costume section to be a costume. Find something that your or your children can wear after the holiday.
Somewhere else that I have gotten lucky is the dollar store/dollar section. One year, one child wanted to be a Velociraptor and the other wanted to be a knight. The Target Dollar Spot had sets for $3- a dinosaur set with a mask and tail, and a knight set with a shield and cape. This was a great place to start.
Get Crafty With Halloween Costumes
I know that this is not everyone’s forte, but there are some shortcuts that you can take. That knight costume from before? I took a gray pillowcase, cut out holes for arms and a head and used a Sharpie to draw a dragon symbol on the front. I also used Fray-check along the holes to stop the fabric from ripping.
I’ve also used no sew fleece to make dragon wings. I used this tutorial to make the wings and then I used felt, a solid color baseball hat, and craft glue to make the head.
Recently, I’ve also started crocheting. For Halloween 2020, my four year old decided at the last minute that he wanted to be an owl. In two weeks, I managed to crochet two shell stitch ponchos and matching owl hats and both the four-year-old and the one-year old went as owls for Covid-safe trunk and treat. Hey, work to your strengths.
And… Secondhand Costumes
This tends to be one of my go-to suggestions. Look for secondhand clothing/costumes. Check Savers, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace. If you buy from a person off Craigslist or Facebook, please be safe- meet in a public place, tell someone you are going or bring someone else with you, or meet at your local police station.
One year, I found a Harry Potter robe at Savers for $3. Those retail for at least $20- for just the robe. I popped the lenses out of an old pair of kid-size sunglasses and drew a lightening bolt on my kid’s forehead with eyeliner. Instant Harry Potter!
Final Thoughts
If your kids tend to like the same thing year after year, buy the costume in a bigger size- when Halloween costumes go on sale after Halloween. Has your kid dressed up as a Disney Princess every year?Have they been into a certain character/theme- Star Wars, Minecraft, monsters- for years? Buy next year’s costume off the clearance rack this year. Costumes are 30-75% off the moment that Halloween is over.
Also, if you are one of those people who is blessed to have good condition costumes, please consider donating to your local groups. For years, our library collected gently used costumes to hand out to less fortunate families and I gave away all our baby/toddler costumes that didn’t fit.
Keep in mind, doing these things for costumes- getting creative and outside the costume aisle- is also something that makes me happy. I like the challenge of “What can I do to create a costume?” If you read this article and are sweating at the mere idea of having to create anything, it’s okay. You don’t have to; go buy a costume from the Halloween store.
Enjoy the tricks and treats!
