Adorable And Unique Ideas For Your Baby's Very First Halloween Costume
When you're a baby, your "first" everything is magical. Easter, Christmas, turning one year old — all has the glow of the new, and the miraculous, about it. And Halloween is no exception.
As far as baby's first Halloween costume goes, many endearing ideas abound. You can find baby bees and baby devils; baby angels and baby witches; baby bears and baby kitties. But what if you're looking for a costume that's just a teensy bit less mainstream, and that stands out just a bit from the crowd? It doesn't have to be complicated or fastidious — just adorable!
The below ideas range from the merely clever to the somewhat eccentric, but initiating baby into one of the most beloved (and kid-friendly) holidays of all time is always a pleasure. Your baby may be too young for trick-or-treating, but he or she will definitely be the cutest (and most memorable) eye candy on the block — if you can enlist their cooperation to pull these concepts off.
A newly-hatched chicken
Which came first — the chicken or the egg? It's an age-old philosophical question, and one that's not likely ever to be answered to anyone's satisfaction. But one thing's for sure: your own little baby did just hatch, so to speak. That's why the idea of of your little one dressed up as a chick is so fitting (and so cute).
If you like, you can even use the egg, itself, as part of the costume — there are many such options out there. Or you can don a chicken outfit yourself, and simply find a large basket in which to tote your egg-costumed little one.
Either way, the symbolism will be clear, and so will the cuteness. It may sound more Easter than Halloween, but look at it this way: it'll at least put a completely new spin on the saying, "trick or tweet treat."
A lobster baby
The idea of your baby being a lobster in a trap might sound a little morbid on the surface, but hey — Halloween is a little bit morbid! In the best (and most festive) of ways, that is. Granted, the lobster trap pictured here is just for show. But who's to say that you can't bring along a portable baby-safe crib that could potentially double as the same thing?
Or, if you want, you can be a little more macabre and put your baby in a lobster pot (that's right, an actual lobster cooking pot), as shown on the Today Show here. Either way, the effect will be darling.
And if you're still feeling like the idea of dressing your baby as something that's usually stove-bound is a little much, just relax and think of the ever-charming Sebastian the Crab from Disney's The Little Mermaid — who managed to outsmart Chef Louie, and avoid becoming dinner.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
A "family tree" may very well be the perfect Halloween costume for the entire kin. And when you throw in the old adage that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," the whole idea becomes even more fitting.
Just think: the whole family could order tree costumes, and essentially go as "branches" of each other. Hey, you could even include grandma and grandpa, if they felt up to walking around trick-or-treating or going to a Halloween party.
Or, if you prefer, you could just dress baby as an apple, and everyone else could go as the tree — which baby fell from. And if you happen to find yourself at one of those old-fashioned Halloween parties where bobbing for apples is all part of the fun, look at it this way: you'll already be one step ahead of the game.
Baby baker
"Pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake, baker's man" is a Mother Goose nursery rhyme and baby game that every generation knows and loves. So why not make your little one into the subject of the classic tale? All you'll need is a little white apron and a pint-sized chef's hat. Or you can get more elaborate and go with a more formal costume, if you prefer.
Give baby a kitchen utensil to play with (which babies usually love playing with, anyway — who among us hasn't crawled into the kitchen cabinet to explore, as a child?) put a spot of flour (or white Halloween makeup) on baby's nose, and you're ready to go.
Of course, baby might rub said "flour" off by the end of the night, being a baby and all. But that's okay. Just pat baby, and roll baby, and mark baby with an H for Halloween, and your little "bun in the oven" (or, bun that recently came out of the oven, rather) will be as cute as pie.
Baby scarecrow
While it's highly unlikely that this darling get-up is going to scare anyone away (on the contrary, it'll probably make people gravitate toward your little one to ohh and aww) it's still a wonderful idea. Plus, if baby has siblings, they can come as Wizard of Oz characters.
The outfit in this picture appears to be hand-knitted, but the internet abounds with baby scarecrow ensembles, so an equally cute substitute isn't going to be hard to find. If you can find a fake crow to glue on to the hat, so much the better. Giving baby a soft stuffed-animal crow to hold might be a better idea, though.
Whatever wee scarecrow look you decide to go with, this outfit will be a definite hit. Even if you're at a Halloween party full of scary scarecrows, your fellow party guests will be sure to "flock" to your baby in delight.
Baby fox
From Fantastic Mr. Fox to Disney's The Fox and the Hound, foxes have long been a staple of children's movies and literature. Besides, as everyone knows, they're adorable — and so is your baby. So why not dress your little vixen (or baby boy fox) up for the occasion?
Though the costume pictured here, too, appears to be hand-knitted, baby fox costumes are plentiful. What's more, they're snug and cuddly — all the better to accommodate the crisp autumn weather. You know that old saying, "like a fox in a hen house?" Well, if you turn the implications of that around, and just think of yourself as mother hen and of your little one as your companion, you'll be all set to go. (Especially if you can wear a hen costume yourself? Or not). It's easy, it's fun, and it's an idea that's pretty hard to "outfox," when it comes down to the cuteness-factor.
Baby elephant
Aww — who doesn't love Dumbo? Or really any baby elephant, real or fictional? This costume is unique because, though you might see many baby animals at your Halloween soiree, baby elephants seem to be comparatively rare. Nevertheless, costumes are certainly not hard to find, and with those ears and that adorable trunk, this is a get-up that's bound to be adored by everyone.
It'll be warm and toasty, too. Your little one may only be able to crawl (or even just coo) rather than fly, like Dumbo, but this outfit will certainly go over with "flying" colors at your Halloween party. And who knows? If you'll be carrying baby and going trick-or-treating with baby's older siblings, having an extra trunk (so to speak) to grab that extra piece of candy can't hurt. At the very least, it might inspire the delighted person at the door to offer the other kids a little something extra.
Baby bunny
Hippity hop-hop, hippity hop-hop — what's on its way, again? We thought that was supposed to be Easter, but it works just as well for Halloween. There are few things cuter than a baby bunny. And the world contains so many rabbit-related children's classics — from Peter Rabbit to Alice in Wonderland's White Rabbit to The Velveteen Rabbit. That's why you really can't go wrong with this one.
Baby rabbit costumes on the internet tend to multiply, well, like bunnies, around this time of year. So finding one won't be difficult. You can even give baby an Easter basket to use in lieu of a candy-collecting pumpkin, if you want to get really clever and mix-and-match your holidays. Even though baby obviously isn't going to be eating any candy for a few years yet, it's the concept that counts. Eggs, candy — they're all the same when you're talking about a costume that's this appealing.
Baby as (or even in) a pumpkin
Okay, just to be clear, we're not suggesting that you put your baby into a freshly-carved pumpkin, as seen in this picture. But you get the general idea. And baby pumpkin costumes are definitely as widely available as pumpkins in an actual pumpkin patch.
Rather, you can put baby in a swaddle-like outfit that's designed to make it look like he/she is in a Jack-O-Lantern, as seen in this picture. Or you can opt for a costume designed to go over top of your baby carrier that looks like a pumpkin.
Whatever method you opt for, nobody's going to be able to say that they weren't visited by the Great Pumpkin on Halloween night when they see this winsome little orange wonder rising out of the proverbial "pumpkin patch" of party-goers. Or, better yet, out of the mist of whatever fog machine happens to be going.
Baby Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a story about children who want to be forever-children. That's why it's the perfect Halloween costume for a child. When your little one does grow up and finally get out of the nursery, they can look back on pictures of this outfit with fondness. Peter Pan costumes are out there for the wishing. And if you can sprinkle a bit of "pixie dust" on the whole ensemble, so much the merrier.
It goes without saying that this, too, is a great idea for a family costume. A sibling dressed as Wendy, dad as Captain Hook, mom as Tinkerbell — it's ideal. Hey, you can even bring the family dog to play Nana, if your host feels up to welcoming a furry friend.
Even solo, though, this costume is bound to be a crowd-pleaser. And its enchanting cuteness is bound to get its "hooks" into everyone, even if said person is dressed as a swashbuckling pirate.