Two years ago, I bought both kids Halloween costumes the day before the holiday. Luckily, I was able to find a pink princess dress for W that was marked down considerably. It was not so easy finding one for C, as the only think left was a ninja costume. I barely got him into the shirt and pants; he refused to wear the hood that came in the package. Last year, I wound up making him a knight’s tunic out of some scrap fabric. He just wore that with a regular shirt and jeans. He’s more comfortable in normal clothes than a costume. Getting ready for Halloween with a sensory child can be difficult; I really have to think about what kind of costume he wears. Here is what I found to be acceptable to him. It may help your child as well.
Oversized Clothing
Make something new out of your old clothing. Sometimes an old shirt of Dad’s can make a wonderful doctor’s coat or a blouse of Mom’s can be a glamorous evening gown. Adult clothing won’t be as confining as a regular costume; your child may feel more relaxed in something familiar, as well.
Alter Regular Clothing
A few years ago, I made a Jack in the Beanstalk costume for C by tacking leaves to a shirt and a pair of pants he had in his closet. It was simple and something he was able to wear without being irritated. I remember simple costumes like this when I was young. My mom would dress me in a shirt and a skirt, add some earrings, and call me a gypsy.
Tunic Style Costumes
When I was in the sixth grade, my mom made me a bandaid costume. She painted two large pieces of cardboard like a bandage box and attached them together on one side. Underneath, I wore a tan shirt and tan pants. I thought that C’s costume this year could be a similar concept. Of course, he would never wear a cardboard sandwich costume, so I looked around for a pre-made costume. Costume Discounters had a James costume for kids that looked like it would be perfect for him.
I do say that this costume is simple, yet adorable. It comes with two pieces: a double-sided engine tunic and a hat. The hat was a bit small, but C is six and at the tail end of sizing for costuming. The tunic part fit him perfectly though. He tried on the costume right away and started chugging down the hall at full steam. (A normal occurrence for him, but he finally looked the part!) Costume Discounters adds costumes to their site often. Follow @CostumeDiscount to hear about the new ones for 2012.
I’m so happy to be able to buy a costume that C is happy in. I will definitely look for costumes in this design in the future. I so hope he wants to dress up for a few more years!
Disclosure: I received a costume gratis in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and not influenced by compensation, monetary or otherwise.