Looking for Halloween baby costume ideas for your baby or toddler? There are soooo many cute outfits out there, but many of them will not make your little one very happy…
Learn from my mistakes when choosing a Halloween costume for your child!
When choosing a baby costume for your infant or toddler, you need to consider not only the cutie factor but also several practical issues that can make or break your party. At least if you want a happy baby (and parents).
In this article, we share tips on what to think about when you choose a costume for your child, regardless of if you are going to make it or buy it.
I have personal experience of NOT following these tips…
I have personal experience of NOT following these tips. When my daughter was nine months old, we dressed her up as a puppy for Halloween. She was gorgeous – for one minute. Then she got furious about the fur and the tail and refused the costume for the rest of the day. Her friend was dressed up as a pumpkin, using just some orange clothes. A much better option for a baby!
For anyone interested in making your costumes as well as other Halloween kids’ crafts, you can find inspiration and instructions in the book Halloween Things to Make and Do: A Halloween Book for Kids. (Link to Amazon).
And for buying a costume for your baby, Amazon works really well. Another fun place is HalloweenCostumes.com, which – obviously – specializes in Halloween costumes. They have a huge offering!
Toddler and Baby Costume Ideas and Tips
1. How to think about hats
If the costume includes some sort of hat, make sure it is detachable. Many babies really hate wearing hats. For newborn babies, a hat can even trigger the suckling reflex again and again and again…
2. Comfortable to sleep in
If your infant is young or the party is long, buy a baby costume that is comfortable and safe to sleep in. Remember that any type of hat should be taken off before putting your baby to sleep if there is any risk at all that it could cover your baby’s face if they turn around while asleep.
3. Comfortable to move around in
Older babies and toddlers need a costume that they feel free to sit, crawl, climb, or walk around in – whatever they like doing.
4. Machine Washable (or cheap!)
It’s great if the costume is machine washable, although for more advanced infant costumes, that can be hard to find. If not machine washable, then cheap is probably the way to go… especially for toddlers who feed themselves!
5. Good for Diaper Change or Potty
Check if you can change diapers without taking the whole infant costume off.
The same goes for toddlers who use the potty or toilet. If the costume takes more than a couple of minutes to take off, we all know the risk of accidents…
6. Fit for the weather/temperature
Think through if you are likely to use the costume in a warm or cool place and buy an appropriate costume.
7. Alternative clothing that fits the party
If you’re not sure if your baby is going to accept the costume i) try it at home for a while first and ii) bring alternative clothing that you think suits the party.
8. Let your child choose
Let your toddler choose his or her own costume if they want to. My daughter really wanted to be dressed like her older brother and was a superhero as a toddler. My youngest son wanted to be like his older sister and was so happy being dressed as a princess.
(Actually, he was dressed as a princess quite often when going to daycare until he was around 2.5 years old and somehow figured out that boys don’t tend to wear dresses. He was so cute!)
9. Keep it simple
If you think a costume is really to overdo things, consider a cute bodysuit, bib, or pacifier with a theme at least.
10. A costume for easy feeding and breastfeeding
And for YOU, mom – remember to choose a costume that won’t scare your baby and preferably one that is reasonably easy to breastfeed in if you do.
11. Fun with matching costumes
Want to match with your baby? Try the Incredibles, Popeye with family (if Dad wants to join in), and maybe some characters from Winnie the Pooh or Flintstones. Or just dress up as a queen and little prince or princess. Or, if you want to be a little bit scary, why not a mom devil and a baby devil (but cute ones)?
There are some really creative, cute, and fun ones to either buy or, of course, MAKE if you are the creative type. You can also check out some of my current baby costume favorites here.
And here, I have gathered Halloween and Thanksgiving baby food recipes. :-)
If you have baby costume ideas to share or- even better – pictures, please please share them below!
Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
Great tips for choosing the right baby Halloween costume.
My son picked out our family’s costumes months ago before my daughter was born. Luckily what he picked for her comes in a onesie!
Sounds good! :-)