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When DIY Halloween Costumes Are Actually More Fun Than Store-Bought
This is the goal: to have the adorable costumes that have other parents asking “Where did you get that?”, but secretly they cost less than a pizza!
I’ve spent tons of money on costumes, but they are never as fun, as cute or get as many compliments as my DIY Halloween costumes that cost $10 or less! You can easily DIY Halloween costumes for any member of your family without any sewing or crafting skills! All you need is a spark of desire, creativity, and a space to make a little bit of a mess! These DIY costumes are not only a fraction of the cost of a store bought costume. They are also comfy and safer for kids with sensitive skin!
When you’re living on less than $3000/month as a family you learn to get creative and resourceful! You’ll find 15 easy diy Halloween costume ideas you and your kids will love wearing and making! These will use things you already have, require just one quick dollar store trip, or provide a fun thrifting adventure!
- Why Kids Actually Prefer DIY Halloween Costumes (And You Will Too!)
- My Halloween Game-Changer: From Store Stress to DIY Success
- 15 Adorable DIY Halloween Costumes That Kids Go Crazy For
- The Thrift Store Secret to Amazing DIY Halloween Costumes
- Special Considerations for DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids
- How DIY Halloween Costumes Connect to Family Wellness
- Your Easy DIY Halloween Costumes Action Plan
Why Kids Actually Prefer DIY Halloween Costumes (And You Will Too!)
Your kids are going to love spending a couple days designing their costumes coming up with ideas and then making it with you! You’re not just creating a costume but memories too!
DIY Halloween costumes are not limited to what is at the store in your price range, it allows them to be creative and choose something that reflects their personality! Where we live, Halloween might be below freezing so DIY Halloween costumes allow us to help the kids be comfortable in the weather without covering up their awesome costume!
Another thing you and your kids will love about DIY Halloween costumes is that you avoid all the nasty allergens that Halloween costumes can hide. Things like latex, nickle, toxins and other eczema flaring materials are all completely avoided keeping your mind at easy and your kid comfortable! With allergies avoided and costumes on display you’ll have the cutest Halloween photos to keep these memories forever!
My Halloween Game-Changer: From Store Stress to DIY Success
Even as a teenager I’ve always been one to opt for a DIY Halloween costume but this being my baby’s first Halloween I started on a hunt for the perfect costume. I found some cute ones, then I saw the price tag! I can’t believe people are spending that much on a costume you wear one night out of the year! So I am opting for the DIY route and I have already started creating and thrifting the perfect family costume for less than $15 TOTAL!
The same skills we use to problem solve everything else as a mom can be applied to the perfect DIY Halloween costumes! This makes Halloween less stressful and more fun for me and my family rather than focusing on the financial burden it is to “keep up with the joneses.”
DIY Halloween costumes might seem harder but they ARE NOT! They are easier and much more fun to create. That’s exactly why I am sharing these 15 DIY Halloween costumes that have made Halloween something to look forward to!
15 Adorable DIY Halloween Costumes That Kids Go Crazy For
Super Cute DIY Halloween Costumes for Babies & Toddlers
Designed for maximum cuteness and comfort
- Little Pumpkin (With Personality!) (Cost: $15) – Orange shirt + green beanie = Cutie Pie 😉
This pumpkin costume can be for any age, but is perfect for a baby! You can easily find a pumpkin onesie for cheap or just an orange shirt with some fabric paint or a sharpie to draw on a pumpkin face! You can also add felt leaves to the top of the hat for a pumpkin vine/leaf effect!
Beanie- https://amzn.to/4mmXO2G
Pumpkin sweatshirt- https://amzn.to/4mhHpNb
- Cozy Teddy Bear (Cost: $6) – Brown clothes + felt ears = cuddles all night
This costume requires such little effort! Any brown clothes work, fuzzy or bulky ones are even better! The brown ears can be attached to a hat, hood or headband with safety pins or glue! You can even add some face paint to seal the deal!
Face paint: https://amzn.to/46IweZa
- Baby Taco (Cost: $3) – Felt “toppings” on yellow/brown outfit = guaranteed giggles
A yellow and brown outfit with some felt glued on is all you really need! You can make the toppings look like hamburger, lettuce, tomato and even sour cream! So cute you could eat it!
- Strawberry Sweetie (Cost: $5) – Red outfit + green leafy hat = berry adorable
This is perfect for little girls who have lots of red or pink in their closet! Any red or pink shirt will do but you could also use fabric paint to create dots on the shirt like strawberry seeds! You could use a beanie or a headband to attach felt leaves to and make the cutest strawberry on the block!
Fabric markers: https://amzn.to/3Irt0Qw
Fabric paint: https://amzn.to/4pHllhU
- Little Cloud (Cost: $4) – White puffy materials = floats like a dream
This can go one of two ways, sheep or cloud. Both need white clothing and something puffy. You could use cotton balls, tulle, matting, puff balls, whatever you can think of will work! You could add a cardboard rain or sun to add to the cloud/weather theme.
- Chicken (Cost: $10) – white clothes + feather features = fluffy and cute
A white shirt is easy enough to thrift or buy for cheap! Just attach some white feathers to the arms and body! You can have orange pants/leggings and make a beak and wattle!
Fun DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids That They’ll Actually Wear
Balancing cute with comfortable and fun
- Minecraft Characters (Cost: $8) – All the power, none of the tripping hazards
This is a trending thing this year and it is perfect for a cardboard craft since everything is square! Cover the boxes in paper, felt, paint, whatever you want to make the best Minecraft costume in the neighborhood!
- Mad Scientist (Cost: $9) – Lab coat + crazy hair = encourages curiosity
A lab coat can be thrifted, made, borrowed or bought to make this mad scientist look!
- Tourist/Explorer (Cost: $5) – Hawaiian shirt + camera = hilarious and comfy
This is the perfect use of dad’s Hawaiian shirt he should never wear and that old camera you have stored away haha, otherwise head to the thrift store and get some props!
- Favorite Animal (Cost: $6) – Face paint + felt ears + fabric paint = easy and customizable
There are endless possibilities here. Animal prints are a popular fashion statement so you probably have something in your closet and if not, head for some feathers or fabric paint! Add a tail, some claws, you can do anything with some string and felt! Facepaint will really sell the look on this one!
- Robot (Cardboard Genius) (Cost: $7) – Moving parts they can actually operate
This is an age old go to for a cardboard craft! You can be any color and any type of robot you’d like! You could even go for the popular movie Wild Robot as inspiration and put some stuffed animals to use as props!
- Scarecrow (Cost: $10) – Burlap sack + flannel shirt + face paint = fun without itchy
This one could be as simple or complex as you’d like! Stuff or glue some straw to some well planned places and you have yourself an award winning scarecrow!
Coordinating Halloween Family Costumes (That Don’t Make Dad Groan)
Simple coordination that everyone enjoys
- Pizza Family (Cost: $15 total) – Everyone’s a different “topping”
You could use cardboard, felt or fabric to make these pizza toppings! I am thinking cheese, pepperoni, a tomato and so forth to have this theme be really coherent!
- Croc Family (Cost: $12 total) – cardboard + paint + felt = fun and trendy costumes for the whole family
Cut a face hole and a croc shape out of some cardboard and you’re a trendy shoe! This will be really popular with kids and teens alike! You can be any color and use felt to be the jibbets on the crocs!
- Color Theme Family (Cost: $8 total) – Same color, different styles = easy coordination
You could match, be things that are all the same color or a box of crayons! Old and thrifted clothes will come in handy for this super simple and comfy theme!
- Thrifted Characters – Look up some of your favorite movie characters and try thrifting their outfits! My family did a Star Wars theme and was able to spend under $20, to look great!
This diy Halloween costume idea is vague but it is meant to hone in on your kids interests! Bluey has a specific outfit and so does yoda. There are endless possiblites with a thrift store and some fabric paint for this one!
Smart Shopping for DIY Halloween Costume Success
For greatest success for any diy Halloween costume, you need some planning and forethought. Just like anything you do on a budget it requires research and visiting multiple stores! Diy and easy is not the same as fast and last minute! Planning ahead and having a vision is what is going to keep your costs low and give you time to craft amazing cheap Halloween costumes and masks!
Check out the dollar store and clearance items as seasons change for anything you might be able to use! I can usually start thrifting in august or early September and have no issues finding everything I need for the perfect family costumes! Be sure as you are crafting these master pieces you keep in mind comfort and price! Choose materials that will work for sensitive skin and skip the plastics when they are just props!
The Thrift Store Secret to Amazing DIY Halloween Costumes
Because of Halloween I have found that I can make just about anything, and I mean anything out of cardboard and felt! But my secret to my best costumes is thrifting! You can find crazy cheap things that are the perfect piece! Some overalls may cost $50 as a costume and $5 at goodwill!
If you’re going to thrift you really do have to start a little earlier, but it is so worth it! Some of my best thrift finds have been a princess leia dress, a baby yoda robe, overalls for a minion, a yellow shirt for big bird, a plain t shirt to be an m&m! Thrifting works!
You might find a fancy dress for a princess, a used Halloween costume, the perfect prop, a vest for a nerd, or a coat for a scientist!
Thrifted items can be oversized for a comfortable fit and to be reused next year! The pieces you’ll find are 9/10 times going to be better quality and cost $2 instead of $20! You can wash the pieces to ensure they aren’t going to irritate your kids skin! I like to stash my Halloween finds in a singular bin throughout the year to keep my finds in the same place and when the bin gets too full its time to donate or reassess!
Making DIY Halloween Costumes Work with Real Life
Making diy Halloween costumes can be done during nap time and while they are awake! With each costume you can find age appropriate tasks for them to be involved. Kids under 1 can play with feathers or other materials as you work to help them get use to the feeling of their costume. Toddlers can help glue, stick, and paint different parts of their costume to help them get excited about wearing it! Older kids can help cut, design, and even do some of it themselves. They will be anticipating Halloween to finally wear the amazing costume they helped create!
For easiest clean up in between crafting sessions, I keep all my supplies and unfinished products in a bin for a quick clean up!
These costumes might have some hiccups the first time around so be flexible and creative to make the impossible possible! Your reality might look a little different than Pinterest perfect! All that matters is that you and your kids had fun and they love their costume!
Special Considerations for DIY Halloween Costumes for Kids
Here’s the thing about DIY Halloween costumes that nobody talks about – they need to actually WORK for real kids, not just look cute in photos!
Comfort beats cuteness every single time. If your kids can’t move, play, or use the bathroom easily, that adorable costume becomes a nightmare real fast for you and them. I always do a test try on before the big night!
Since managing our family’s food allergies and my baby’s bad eczema, I’ve also been more aware with materials we wear too. Some synthetic fabrics and craft supplies can trigger skin reactions, so keep that in mind a do a test if needed. And here’s a mom hack: make sure there’s easy access for bathroom breaks and diaper changes. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later when you’re not wrestling with crazy costume pieces in a public restroom!
How DIY Halloween Costumes Connect to Family Wellness
I am a big proponent of making sure everything we do is intentional and meaningful for my family! DIY Halloween costumes are more than something you do because of a holiday. It’s a time to invest in your families health and well being. Here is how DIY Halloween costumes relate to your family’s wellness.
The 8 Pillars of Wellness Applied to Halloween Fun
- Emotional Wellness: Reducing holiday stress through manageable preparation and gives kids a sense of identity as they find their likes and dislikes
- Social Wellness: Family bonding through creative collaboration, plus costumes can be way for your kids to feel like they fit in and are conversation starters with peers
- Intellectual Wellness: Problem-solving and creativity over consumption and trends for you and your kids
- Physical Wellness: Comfortable costumes that let kids move naturally
- Environmental Wellness: Reusing materials and reducing costume waste
- Financial Wellness: Creating magical memories without budget stress
- Spiritual Wellness: Focusing on family joy over external pressure
Like every other holiday it has been turned into a retail event not a family tradition. Halloween doesn’t have to be about candy and money, it can be about connection and memories.
Practical Benefits:
- Teaching creativity: Showing kids that amazing doesn’t require expensive
- Building confidence: Success with DIY projects builds life skills
- Family traditions: Creating sustainable Halloween approaches
- Memory making: The process becomes as fun as the result
Building Your DIY Halloween Costume Confidence
Put the doubts and worries out of your mind and have some fun! Elaborate isn’t always better, but if you want elaborate, I think DIY is the best way to go! The more you try you hand at DIY the more confident you’ll get and the more ideas you’ll have! This is a great opportunity to teach kids the value of creativity and completion rather than perfection! The real goal isn’t perfect costumes but instead it is happy kids and family fun!
Your Easy DIY Halloween Costumes Action Plan
Okay mama, let’s make this DIY Halloween costume thing totally doable! I promise it doesn’t have to be daunting, so let’s break it down.
One to two months out: Gather the kids and brainstorm together – let them get excited about their ideas while you secretly steer toward simple options!
Four weeks out: Start thrifting and gathering supplies to execute your awesome plan!
Three weeks out: Hit up the dollar store and raid your closet for supplies. This is actually the fun part – you’ll be amazed what you already have. And start creating, gluing and assembling!
Day before: Final assembly time! Keep it simple and have a backup plan ready (because kids change their minds at the last second).
Halloween day: Remember, done is better than perfect. If something breaks or doesn’t work, laugh it off and improvise!
Post-Halloween: Toss everything in a labeled bin for next year. Future you will be SO grateful.
The best part? Your kids will remember the fun you had making it together way more than whether every detail was Pinterest-perfect. You’ve got this!
Halloween Magic Doesn’t Require a Big Budget
The memories of creating and building costumes will last so much longer than one night, they will last for years! That’s a lifetime of memories for less than the cost of eating out! You CAN create the best costumes on the block for your family! Trust the creative process and remember you’re allowed to keep your choices simple! This is going to be the most magical Halloween yet in your DIY costumes! Which easy DIY Halloween costume will you try this year?
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