Remember how when you sorta grew out of Halloween, there were still times when you were able to throw together a costume with items you had on hand, because at the last minute someone would convince you to dress up? This can work for a baby or toddler costume, too.
The one above was inspired by a visit to the Zynga office when they launched a Facebook game called ChefVille!
Here are a few more ideas:
- Waldo – Red and white striped shirt or onesie. Beanie. Glasses optional.
- Tourist – Hawaiian shirt, shorts, socks with sandals. Print a picture of a camera from the Web, paste it onto some cardboard, and make it a necklace for baby to wear.
- 50s guy – black fake leather jacket (buy used at baby resale store or ebay), white onesie, jeans. Slick back hair for maximum effect. If hair is available.
- Fried Egg – white one piece outfit or separates. Cut yellow circle from felt and sew or safety pin onto belly.
- Ballet dancer – Pink onesie, pink tights, pink Robeez. Done.
- Farmer – Plaid button down shirt, denim overalls, sunhat. Carry a stuffed animal that belongs on a farm, such as a pig.
- Bumble Bee – Black onesie, black sweats, yellow electrical tape. Pipe cleaner headband for anntenae. (Contributed by veteran mom Jen R.)
- Aerobics instructor – onesie over leggings with baby legs if you’ve got ‘em. Make a quick sweatband by cutting the edge off an outgrown newborn cap.
- Baby Einstein – Write E=MC2 on a onesie and be done with it. Concept and photo courtesy of ParentHacks.com.
What else could you do for a last-minute DIY baby Halloween costume idea?
A witch would be easy – black onesie and black pants with a witch’s hat. Carry a stuffed black cat and/or little broom. (Green wig optional if you’re feeling ambitious.)
Sailor – white shirt, navy pants, sailor hat, draw a little anchor tattoo on baby’s arm with marker or eyeliner.
Doctor – I know you can get baby scrubs places, otherwise a green onesie or t-shirt with green pants and a toy stethoscope. Maybe one of those toy doctor bags you can usually get any time of year.
Artist – White onesie and pants 9or even jeans) splatter them with fabric paint and let baby carry a paint brush. (A beret would be great, too, if you can find one.)
Lion tamer – all khaki outfit, stuffed lion (or tiger, or bear, etc.) I was going to say Steve Irwin, where you could wear all khaki and carry a stuffed alligator, but that may be in bad taste, all things considered. Heck, actually if the baby is big enough, you could be a zoo keeper in all khaki and pull a wagon of stuffed animals.
Mini Me – We are putting our little one in a matching outfit as mama, jeans and the same colored shirt / onesie. We might even get a stuffed animal for mama and a matching beanie baby for the baby.
Wizard - Last year we put Holden in his sleep sack with a wizard hat we had lying around. Maybe not everyone has a wizard hat though…
oh my!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you for these ideas. i NEVER thought to do any of these.
my son will be a construction worker.
hard hat
reflector vest
white tshirt
jeans
boots
thank you the my local thrift shop
These are GREAT Idea’s. My 6yo will be a foodpall player. He has a football jersey and I will stuff stuff up in the shoulders to make it look like FootBall pads and then add some of my Black eyeliner under his eyes and he will wear a pair of pants and carry his Football.
Easy peasy!
[...] Keep it simple and low-key [...]
A Dice. Use a Cardboard box (white or brown is kind of irrelevant, but if you can make it white it works a little nicer) Cut holes in the box for arms and legs, and head, of course. Cut out circles from black construction paper or color the dots onto the box. It can be a fun project and a great costume!
[...] For those who are not in so much of a newborn haze, read our Halloween suggestions from last year: – Activity #447: Keep Halloween costume for baby low-key – Activity #448: Use baby as a prop in your Halloween costume [...]
LOVE the fried egg suggestion — hilarious!
We got a “gift” of a dragon costume for the Little Man. Guess we’re going with that….
every single one of these is genius.
and don’t involve a toddler dressing up like a tart … LOVE IT!
My favorite costume of all time was when I had a (hawt) guy friend who wore a box with wrapping paper on it with a tag that said To: women From: God.
(and he was RIGHT!)
I think I might do a billion dollar baby–put him in a sleep sack (white or really whatever is handy), and on the front of it, use felt or construction paper to make a black $ sign. Maybe pin a couple of dollar bills around his neck or if feeling energetic, use matching solid color to make a collar and attach the dollar bills to that.
A different kind of baby einstein
[...] Our picks from Rookie Moms: [...]
A Flower Garden:
Brown clothes, break apart 1 cheap flower lei (party supply or dollar stores always have these) and either safety pin or fabric glue on flowers all over clothes. Bonus for making a headpiece out of a headband (glue on flowers), maybe also add green pipe cleaners with flowers AND little bees on them.
how about a cow costume: white onesie + black electrical tape cut into “little cow spots” + old bottle nipples sewn in front
Baby toga
http://trianglemamas.typepad.com/specraftular/2010/10/halloween-costumes-super-why-and-baby-toga.html
Here’s a twist on the classic fried egg: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockingranola/2930009354/sizes/o/in/set-72157601469707575/ (blanket as costume!)
My almost-one-year-old son was Winnie the Pooh. I had yellow pants and a long-sleeved yellow onesie with a red short-sleeved tee to go over it. I took his orange and yellow sippy cup and put a “hunny” label on it. He happened to have a Pooh hat that came with an old sleep sack – it was a bit small, but did the trick. He looked adorable! It was obvious what he was, and it hardly cost me anything!
(Sorry this post is not so timely – I only just discovered your site!)
I like the doctor idea, but I feel like the stethescope that goes around the neck is a really bad idea for litle kids. MAek sure it’s the one that has a very short cord.
My cousins all dressed their kids up as candy, or icecream cones that she made her self. The littlest was a tootsie roll. You can get the fabric at most fabric stores and just make a little blanket and wrap the baby up. Then add a white cap. I will add the picture to the page on facebook.
Pat:)
Ahhaha that little Einstein is ADORBZ! How cute!
I love these ideas especially when you are working on such a tight budget. Baby costumes aren’t always cheap. My nephew was a dragon this year and though it was really cute, the pricing was steep. I think next year I may take a leaf out of your book!