Although babies really cannot trick or treat with the big kids, parents like to dress them up and walk along the candy trail anyway. Since babies grow so fast, it just does not make monetary sense to pay a lot of money for a store-bought costume that your little one will not even wear for kicks two months from now. Here is how you can dress up an infant under a year old for less than the less expensive, commercially made costume. There are also some ideas for making a costume multi-seasonal such that your little one can wear it again and again.
Thrift Stores Are Your Best Friends
For a few nickels here and a few dimes over there, you can put together a costume that fits baby just fine. Pick up these items wherever you can find them at your local thrift shops:
- A long-sleeved infant shirt and green or orange sweat pants. Add green socks and a little green stocking cap and your baby is truly your little pumpkin! Use these same clothing pieces after Halloween to mix and match with other clothing pieces and your little one can wear these items for a few months, allowing you to really get your money's worth.
- If you have a little baby boy, purchase an infant's suit and he can be a little businessman, an undertaker, or a popular Halloween movie character. He can wear the suit again for Christmas pictures and holiday church services. (Girls can use an infant's khaki skirt, blouse and blazer for the same costume idea.)
- Buy denim overalls, a plain t-shirt, sensible brown shoes and play tools. Voila! Your little one is a construction worker and he or she can still wear the outfit the rest of the year (or until he or she outgrows it!).
- Buy matching sweats in all red, yellow or orange. Make sure the top half is a hoodie so you can attach little strings for antennae. You can tack on little round black circles to the back of the hoodie, and you have an instant ladybug. If you only use a couple of small stitches for the spots and antennae, then you can easily clip them off later and baby has a play outfit.
- Find an infant-sized jersey or sports fan shirt. Add sweatpants in the appropriate matching color and give your little one a chewy sports ball toy to match. There you have it--a little football, baseball, hockey or basketball player! Baby can still wear these items to show your family's team spirit for the next couple of months.
Most, if not all of these items are in thrift stores near you and sell for a couple of dollars per piece. Suits and sports memorabilia wear sell for a little more because of their more typical and popular uses, but it still costs less than a store-bought costume.
Getting Creative
Infant costumes are always simple in design and comfortable because they lay on their backs and sides most of the time. Keeping that in mind, you can create other simple costumes with things you spot in a thrift shop. You might be surprised at what you can find and what will give you some great ideas. If you are stuck for suggestions, you can always ask a store employee, from places such as Easley's Fun Shop, or take a creative friend along for the hunt.
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