[Emily]

Halloween is about 6 weeks away – for those of you whose kids celebrate it, let’s talk about their costumes! Do you sew them or buy them? Do they re-use costumes or get a new one every year? Who picks? How do you deal with the cold weather? At what age did your kids start picking their own costume out? How much does what you did in your childhood impact what you do for your kids? What do you do with costumes after Halloween is over?

This year Eleanor is going to be a dinosaur – a costume she “picked” (with some nudging guidance from me). I’m sewing it from grey fleece with polka dots and coordinating scales down the back. My mom pointed out to me that this is likely the last year that I’ll be able to pick her costume out (as she’s not quite 3 yet), so I picked something cute and relatively easy (and also gender-neutral – no fairy princesses in our house!).

I remember my mom letting me pick, but making me wear a turtleneck or long underwear under most of the costumes because it’s cold in Seattle at the end of October! She’s also the sort who can’t sew anything halfway – it’s going to be PERFECT or simply not done at all. Because of this, she would make me finalize my costume decision no less than a month away, and then spend hours and hours sewing a beautiful costume, but would then be disappointed that I only wore it a few times.

So – what are your kids going to be this year?

[sayiamyou]

My daughter is 19M and I’m thinking I’ll dress her up as a bunny this year. Partly because she loves bunnies right now, and also in part because my sister gave her bunny ears as part of her Easter basket gift last year. Mostly, I think it’ll be a simple enough costume to make, but something that she can still get use from after Halloween. I saw the price of costumes in Carter’s one day and nearly hit the floor! Call me cheap (I prefer thrifty), but I really think I can do a great job for her without spending all that money on a one time item. Toss in the fact that to visit either set of grandparents (if we choose to travel) we have to drive 1+ hours and the bulky costumes just don’t make sense for her.

I admit that I’ll get a kick out of making something for her and I hope as she gets older she’ll enjoy letting me do this for her.

Oh, and yes, we always had to layer because of the cold weather – even when we chose our own costumes.

[janimal]

I purchased a little red riding hood outfit for my daughter this year. She’ll be two at Halloween. I was going to make her a costume, but since it really would just be worn once, I just can’t get motivated to sew one up, and the store bought costume will be nice in pictures. I figure the red cape can go in her dress up clothes trunk after the holiday.

But who knows, maybe I will get a wild hair the night before and whip something up?!?!?

[Rpankow]

My daughter is 3 and will allow me to “help” her pick costumes. I’ve thought about making her something myself, but I can’t make it for what they sell them for on sale at Old Navy. Even if I were to buy sweats and alter them it would end up being the same price if not more. By the time you buy fabric, the pattern, notions and your time, forget it in my book. Plus I don’t like having too much pressure on me for deadlines. I do remember my mom making me a Pink Panther costume out of pink flannel, I loved it. But, I just don’t have that kind of time. It’s hard to find enough time as is to get her clothes done. Also, boughten costumes sell really well at garage sales around here. I practically get back what I paid for them.

[Lyssistrata]

When I had my first child, I made costumes for him for the first few years. The second child, I waited until his second Halloween. With my last child, I have waited for this, her third Halloween. She wanted to be Tiana from “The Princess and the Frog” and I was VERY tempted to buy the deluxe Disney one but all three of my kids take turns making requests for me to sew things for them and Zoe (2) saw a pattern in the store…that was all she wrote! Far too much money was spent on ribbons, chiffon, organza and chartreuse satin, but she is thrilled. My boys (5 and 8) are both going as Doctor Who, sporting home-made slacks, button down shirts, blazers and trench coats. The only thing I didn’t make for them were the ties.

[littlebirdy]

I’ve just bought this . . .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cute-Easy-Costumes-Kids-Hardy/dp/1907030549/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1285174720&sr=8-5

There are lots of lovely ideas. Ooooh!

[ckcsbella]

I have bought costumes in the past and made them. The bought ones fell apart right after Hallowe’en. The one I made was a pink poodle. DD#1 wore it, and last year DD#2 was informed she was wearing it. Two weeks before Hallowe’en I heard this little voice from the backseat as I was stuck in traffic: “No poodle! Princess!” So we compromised on a princess poodle. I sewed a crown to the top of the poodle head and that was enough to make her happy.

This year the kids have been informed there is a $10 costume budget each. DD#1 wants to be a vampire, so she’s going to wear a white blouse, black pants, and I’m going to make her a cape. DD#2 wants to be a princess, so I’m hemming up a dress I made for DD#1 several years ago and decking it out in princess trimmings (probably dollar store flowers.)

I’m in Canada, and the last few years Hallowe’en has been mild. But when I was a kid, my mother’s rule was any costume had to be able to get a snowsuit under it!

[Sarvi]

I also couldn’t make a costume for less than the $7 or so you pay at Old Navy, but my daughter’s birthday is just a week before Halloween, so I figure I can go whole hog to make her something nice for her costume-theme birthday (and which hopefully she can continue to wear after Halloween).

When I was a kid, I dressed as a red devil every year until I was twelve, then as a fortune teller every year after that, until I decided I was too cool for costumes. It’s being old enough to not have to be cool anymore.