Halloween costume ideas

Halloween has become so popular in the UK over the last 2 decades. We’ve had some great Halloween parties over the years, including a memorable one when I set up a computer under the stairs that made spooky noises and terrified my nephew! Getting the balance right between spooky and scary is hard. My boys were both pretty anxious when they were little, so wearing a really scary Halloween costume was out. No-one needs little ones having nightmares for weeks after right? So I’ve gathered together five DIY Halloween costume ideas that will spark your child’s imagination and give them the shivers but not the terrors.

I’m looking forward to seeing your child out and about trick or treating in Tonbridge. If you’re in Kent and you use one of these ideas, don’t forget to tag me on social media, I’d love to see.

The witch’s cat

A cat costume is the gift that keeps on giving. You may have seen it in already in my “World Book Day” post.
https://hushabye-photography.co.uk/world-book-day-costume-ideas/
This time round what you’re creating is a Witch’s Cat costume so black is the ideal colour

What you need

• headband
• black cardboard
• thick black tights
• stuffing (for toys) or newspaper
• needle and thread or safety pins

What to do

• Cut the black tights in half and stuff one of the legs with the stuffing – you can get toy stuffing from Hobbycraft here https://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/soft-toy-filling-200g/630191-1000 or you could use scrunched up newspaper
• Roll the end over and sew it closed.
• Either sew the tail to the back of a pair of black leggings or attach it with safety pins.
• Cut ears from the black paper and attach them to a child’s headband.
• With the addition of a black top and black shoes, your witch’s cat is ready to go on the prowl.

Spider

This is one of my favourite costumes and one that I’ve used myself on many occasions. I actually wore it to my running club’s Halloween run – I wish I could say I’d gone faster with 8 legs!

What you need

• two pairs of thick black tights
• black clothes
• soft toy stuffing or scrunched up newspaper
• needle and thread
• safety pins

What to do

• As with the cat above, you’ll be filling the tights with stuffing. This time though you don’t need to cut the tights up.
• Sew the ends up and attach the tights to either side of a black top.
• I also ran thread from the bottom leg to the top one and added a little string handle to hold so the legs wouldn’t flop down.
• Your little one’s arms and legs make the other 4 spider legs.

Mummy

This is probably the scariest costume in my list, but it’s so easy and fun!

What you need

• gauze bandages or a ripped up sheet
• white babygro or top and leggings
• safety pins or needle and thread

What to do

• attach the end of the material to the top or leggings and start winding it round your child (not too tight!)
• secure the end by tying it to another piece of material and keep winding
• either tuck in or sew/pin the end of the material when you’re done
• also wind round your little one’s head or a hat

Skeleton

This one is so much fun, especially if you’re trick or treating in the dark. The glo sticks will crack when you create the costume so you’ll need to do it close to the time you’re going to be using it.

What you need

• Glo-sticks
• black clothes (black hoodie would be good)
• needle and thread or strong clear tape

What to do

• use glo sticks to run down the front of the body, secure using duct tape or a couple of stitches top, bottom and middle.
• using one stick down each arm and leg and make a loop at the end for the hand/foot. Again, attach with tape or stitches
• If your little one’s wearing a hoodie, create a circle from a couple of sticks and tape or sew them to the top of the hood
• If no hoodie, use hairclips to keep the glo stick face in position

Jellyfish

What you need

• transparent ‘birdcage’ umbrella
• wired and curly gift wrap ribbon
• LED lights
• clear tape or hot glue gun
• duct tape
• white and black paper

What to do

• Open your umbrella!
• glue or tape lengths of the ribbon around the edge of the umbrella, curling and shaping as you go
• attach the LED battery packs to the top of the umbrella handle and spread the leds around the inside of the umbrella. Top tip: don’t put any at the front of the umbrella as that will make it hard to see out.
• cut eyes from the card and attach to the front of the umbrella
• wear colours that match the ribbons and umbrella

I really hope you have fun with these costumes. I’d love to see them