Kids love dressing up. Halloween is the perfect time for this as it brings together elements of imaginative play and dressing up, making it one of the most highly anticipated holidays of the year. 

That said, choosing the right costume for your little one is no easy task. Here are some of the important things to keep in mind when choosing a Halloween costume for kids. 

Who Should Choose The Costume?

For infants and toddlers, you’ll have full control over their costume choice. As your kids grow older, let them have more say over what to wear on Halloween. You can start by letting them shortlist some of the options they like and then make the final decision over the costume that they eventually get to wear. Then gradually relinquish control over time. 

The best way to choose a costume for a young child is to first shop around for ideas before settling on a single costume. Look online or at your local costume store. Think about appropriateness and logistics then weigh your options before offering your little one the final choice. 

For older kids, set ground rules for what is acceptable and what isn’t before you start shopping for costumes. Set a maximum budget and decide on a look that is appropriate for trick or treating and/or dancing. 

Think About Your Child’s Interests

Nothing makes kids happier than dressing up in a costume that they truly love. Ask your child what they’d like to go as. Their choice might confuse you or you might go in with certain assumptions, but talking to your child should clear everything right up. Who knows, you might even get a new insight into your child’s worldview. 

Make It Weather Appropriate

If you live in places where it gets freezing cold around Halloween, go for costumes that can fit over your child’s jacket or have them wear a coat or two over their costumes. If you live in places where it often rains on Halloween, go for costumes that can handle the rain or one that looks great with an umbrella. 

The Importance Of Safety

If you plan to take your kids trick-or-treating in the evening, make sure that your child won’t be dressed in a solid black outfit that will make it hard to point them out in a crowd of kids. If they’re wearing a dark costume, consider a white treat bag, or add reflective tape or a glow stick to their costume.

Where To Shop

• Online: When shopping online, you have a lot of options to choose from. Be sure to read all the reviews to find an option that is perfect for your needs. 
• Reusing: You can find Halloween costumes in consignment shops and secondhand sellers. Many of them are almost new, which means you’ll be getting a good quality item for a great price. 
• Stores: There are also Halloween specialty stores that offer more options than your local big store. The downside of this is that they have lots of Halloween decorations that can be scary to some kids. 

What’s Appropriate?

• Gory Costumes: Bloody and gory costumes are quite trendy on Halloween. But how dark is too dark? If your child wants a gory costume, sit them down and talk about their options. Conversations about death may come up, so keep that in mind. 
• Sexy Costumes: Tweens and teens are more likely to go for costumes that may be perceived as conventionally “sexy”. They likely just want to match what they see in the media or to look grown-up. Set appropriate limits and offer more suitable options.
• Weapons: Some parents are completely against weapons. Others are OK with fantasy weapons like wands and lightsabers. The most important thing to remember is that if your child’s costume does have weapons, the weapon should be completely harmless. 
• Heroes: Halloween can also be the perfect opportunity for your child to explore their heroes. Who do they admire and want to be like? They might want to be superheroes, princesses, firefighters, or even you! 

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are a lot of things to think about when choosing a Halloween costume for kids. Just be sure to have all those interesting discussions with your child to ensure that you’ll always get something that they actually want. With the tips outlined here, you’ll be well on your way to finding something suitable and fun!