We're gonna take a real departure from our regularly scheduled programming here today, but I hope this post can bring you some joy like it brings to me!
I LOVE Halloween. While I'm someone who can't watch a scary movie without having nightmares for months (OK, years!) after, I also can't resist the fun of a great Halloween costume and a great party. I have always been the kid who plans my Halloween costume months ahead of time and honestly even had plans for my baby's costumes before I was ever even pregnant.
So when my son's first Halloween rolled around, I was struggling to decide. Too many amazing options! I started to excitedly throw around the idea of doing more than one costume (maybe a week!?) and my husband started lamenting the impact this would have on our budget. He asked how much I thought all this would cost and I avoided the question as tiny baby versions of Beetlejuice, Willy Wonka, Popeye, and Edward Scissorhands danced around in my head. But next to those costumed babies were price tags racking up and up and as much as I wanted a million great Halloween costumes, I also knew my wallet and our savings account would not be happy. "I bet I could do a full week of costumes for $50." I proclaimed loudly, surprising even myself. "If you can do that, I"ll cover the $50," my husband said. We shook on it and though the smile on my face said "I got this," my brain was yelling "how are we gonna pull this off?!"
It was a lot of planning, but the first annual week of costumes, dubbed "Con-o-ween," (my son's name is Conor) was a complete success and so much fun. I was even able to fit his portion of our family costume, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto, and Sweet Pea, into the budget.
SO: Looking for an inexpensive/easy Halloween costume for your baby or toddler? You've come to the right place! Keep reading for the full week of costumes from 2019 plus details on how much it all cost and tutorial links. You'll see that not many of these are super outdoor-friendly, but they are certainly adaptable for trick-or-treating or any outdoor activities.
Caveman - $2.71
While this one is definitely not outdoor friendly (depending on where you live), it was perfect for an indoor photoshoot and crawling around inside. And super cheap!
I made the fur diaper cover using a sheet of fur fabric from Michaels for $2.39. To make the cover, I just traced a diaper, added an extra inch all the way around, and secured with safety pins.
For the little hammer/mallet, I used 1 piece of brown felt ($.32) and traced around one of Conor's rattles, then just did a stitch around the whole thing. Super basic sewing but you could also probably cut big felt circles for each end and then secure with a rubber band.
Adapt for outside: Put a base layer of brown, tan, white, or skin-colored clothes on baby. For extra bonus points you can do a full fur toga instead of just a diaper cover.
Pineapple - $1.27
How sweet is this one?! I already had the yellow patterned bodysuit, so all I needed for this costume was the headdress.
I found an awesome tutorial online here using green felt (2 sheets for $.64), a toilet paper roll, and a glue gun.
Normally you would attach it to a headband, but I knew Conor wouldn't keep it on, so I opted for some green ribbon ($.63) to tie it on instead.
Adapt for outside: Pop some yellow or brown pants on that baby and call it a day.
Cherub - $16.99
This one was by far the most expensive but truly worth every penny. I know every mama thinks their baby is an angel so this is a great costume to really bring that idea to life.
I purchased the wings via Amazon for $16.99 here. They come in a nice box for safe keeping which is super helpful because while sturdy, the feathers are very fluffy and fragile.
The rest of the costume is literally a dish towel! Anything white would work for this: dish towel, pillowcase, face towel, etc. I just wrapped it around like a toga and then safety pinned it at his shoulder.
Adapt for outside: dress baby all in white or in skin-colored clothing like brown or tan.
Bat - $5.32
This bat costume is what he wore on Halloween day to greet trick-or-treaters. I do love a traditional costume!
The bat wings were the most expensive piece of this, purchased for $5 at Michaels.
I made the little bag headband using black felt ($.32) and black ribbon I already had. It's just two little ear shapes hot glued onto ribbon.
The black bodysuit I already had (purchased for $5.78 for the Popeye costume).
Adapt for outside: Add black pants/leggings and/or swap that bodysuit to long sleeves.
Never-Nude - $0
This may have been my favorite costume all week. For fans of the show Arrested Development, you'll recognize this costume as a "never-nude." If you know, you know. "There are dozens of us!"
This costume was super cheap because it's just a pair of cutoff jean shorts! Luckily I already had a pair of jean shorts to give a snip to since I knew he would outgrow them before the summer rolled around again.
The sign also helped to make the connection for those who know the show.
Adapt for outside: skin-colored bodysuit in brown or tan!
Baby Shark - $5
If the Baby Shark song is going to be stuck in your head all day, you may as well embrace it, right?
This baby shark costume was purchased for $5 through our neighborhood Facebook group. If you're looking for a costume on the cheap, this is a great place to look! They are often in great condition because kiddos are only wearing them once or twice.
We already had the two shark costumes that were gifted to us previously (back when Left Shark and Right Shark were the hot costume in 2015). Made for a nice full shark family photoshoot :)
Adapt for outside: Easy. Add pants!
Popeye the Sailor Man - $9.21
Ah ga ga ga ga! With such adorable rolls on those arms, I had to do a Popeye costume! This one worked well for us as a family; I was Olive Oyl, my husband was Popeye's nemesis, Bluto (bonus for a costume that would work with my husband's beard), and our sweet dog Alfie was Sweet Pea.
I already had the blue jogger pants and bought the black bodysuit for $5.78. It was easy to buy some yellow buttons ($2.79) and sew a few on the bodysuit. These came off easily later!
The hat was a bit of a struggle for me because I knew to stay under budget I would have to DIY it. I used one sheet of white felt ($.32), though I'd highly recommend two! I loosely followed the directions here and then added a rim (colored in black with marker!).
For the cape/bib piece, I used a sheet of red felt ($.32). I cut the cape shape, then sewed the little yellow button and made a small button hole.
So there you have it! A full week of Halloween costumes for just $40.48. Winning that $50 from my husband was a sweet, sweet victory. Looking forward to this year's Con-o-ween starting on October 25! Follow my stories on Instagram @joeyforroo to see a new costume every day leading up to Halloween.
What do you think of these costumes? Got a great DIY/inexpensive costume of your own? Tell me in the comments!