Aug 01 2009
Five Great Children’s Halloween Costume Ideas
Finding the perfect Halloween costume for your child can be as easy as watching their favorite television show or the hottest summer movie with them. Of course, there are some perennial favorites that will always top every list, year after year as well. Some kids are going to go for the trends, some will go for whatever is scariest, cutest or funniest and then there are the accessory hounds who will choose their costume by which will have the most additional gear to buy to be complete. Five great children’s Halloween costume ideas and tips for making them budget friendly:
1. Transformers, GI Joe and X-Men. Super hero (and villain) costumes will always rule Halloween and will vary depending on what movie or television show is popular at the time. Look for lots of Optiumus Primes, Wolverines and others to be lurking in the neighborhood.
Budget tip: Look for Transformer sleep wear that could double as the basis of a costume and add in some accessories and maybe a mask. For GI Joe, look at army surplus stores for uniforms in child sizes that can be worn after Halloween as well.
2. Hannah Montana/ Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers and High School Musical. This group of costumes all have one thing in common: they are all branded and therefore more expensive. Lots of accessories, plus the popularity make these the tops for many wish lists, but they can be had for a lot less than the prepackaged costumes and kits would have you paying. Copy the look for a lot less and then include the wig for Hannah for instance or a play microphone.
Budget tip: Let your little girl start with a skirt she already owns, include some funky tights, a Hannah tee shirt and the wig and she is good to go.
3. Fairy Princess Costume. This costume will probably never go out of style and if you are a savvy shopper you can grab the fairy dress up kit at any time of the year if it happens to go on sale. If not, remember with fairies it is all about the wings and the wand and with princesses it is all about the tiara. For fairy princesses, it is all about all three of them. If your child has a ruffly nightgown or a fancy dress in their costume, that can be the basis for the costume.
Budget tip: Use what you have or can cheaply buy for the start and then add great wings. The better the wings are, the less the child will worry about the rest of the outfit. (Wings that move or light up are the best!)
4. Witches, ghosts, mummies and vampires. Nothing says Halloween like these costumes, and they can also make your wallet say thank you too- because none can be so cheaply created. Again, accessories and special makeup tips can make these choices even better so you can spend more on the face and still come out ahead in the long run.
Budget tip: For a witch, don’t worry about the cutesy witch costumes- all you really need is a the hat and maybe a cape to be set. Make sure that you have plenty of green face paint and your little one is ready to cast a spell. A simple white sheet is all you need for your little ghostie – cut the eye holes big enough to see out of for safety and then add white face paint for the scary effect. ( For really scary, use glow in the dark face makeup.) After Halloween, use the cut up sheet for a dog bed, a throw over the chair, a paint drop cloth, etc. For a vampire, slick your child’s hair back with gel, toss in some baby powder to make it look dusty and gray and string some fake cobweb across the top for a really gruesome effect. Make sure the vampire’s face is adequately made up and again, here is a great place to use the glow in the dark makeup. Vampire teeth can be really painful if they are not the right size, so make sure that they are child-rated for comfort. (Most of the time Dracula will come home with his choppers in his candy bag anyway.) Add fake blood if your kid is a fan of the “real” touches.
5 Animals. Especially for the smaller crowd, animals will always be a favorite and can really help with the budget as well. While the adorable costumes for baby are precious, they are horribly expensive and can only be worn the one time. For a baby, use a onesie or sleeper pajamas and add a little bonnet or hat. Do not put makeup on a baby- their sensitive skin cannot take it. For a toddler, use sweat pants/shirts as the start for your costumer choice, or leotards and tights. Add the right makeup, some creative additions and you could have any animal you can dream up.
