Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

Halloween Costumes: To Make, or Not to Make, That is the Question

· by · 11 Comments

This post brought to you by MrCostumes. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always. 

Can we talk about kids’ Halloween costumes for a minute? By this point, you’ve either got yours all ready to go, or you are scrambling to put something together. And some of you are burning the midnight oil to make the perfect creation.

Sound Off

So I want to hear from you: have you ever made a cute kid’s costume? And if not, is that something you would be willing to consider doing in the future? I don’t want this to turn into any sort of judgement over whether or not OTHER people should or shouldn’t make their kids’ costumes. Lord knows we all deal with enough judgement or perceived judgement from others every day of the year (sort of goes with the title of “parent”, unfortunately).

not homemade costume owl

So I’m happy to share my own thoughts with you since I’m asking for yours. I have ZERO sewing skills, and on a scale of 1-10 for how interested I am in learning how to sew, I’d give it a 3. Which means IF I ever learn to sew, it probably won’t happen until my kids are too old for Halloween costumes!

not homemade Cinderella costume

Now, when you combine the fact that I don’t have BASIC sewing skills with the reality that to make a rockin’ Halloween costume, you likely need ADVANCED sewing skills, well, then the odds of me ever making a Halloween costume for my children went from highly unlikely all the way down to “better odds of winning the lottery than of sewing up something fabulous.” Which reminds me…I should play the lottery!

For me, it just doesn’t make sense to sew a costume for my kids because the learning curb is so steep. It does, however, mean that the options for Halloween costumes for my kids aren’t limitless. They get to choose from what is available for purchase online. But with the popularity of Etsy, and the AMAZING skills you can find there, I could even order a handmade costume in most any design my kids desired, if the budget allowed for it (which it pretty much doesn’t, but I digress).

Acts of Service and Love

And I’ll tell you truthfully, I used to think that parents who poured dozens of hours into making costumes for their kids were kind of ridiculous. Because it didn’t make sense for me, I assumed it couldn’t make sense for anyone. But I’ve matured quite a bit when it comes to that view, thankfully. What I have come to realize, is that for some people, that creative process is therapeutic and relaxing (sounds crazy, I know, but it honestly is true!). And it is a true joy to get to do something like this for their little ones. An act of service and love, if you will.

And don’t we all have those? I certainly have spent an unnecessary amount of time turning meatloaf into a mummy in order to see that sparkle in my daughters’ eyes. And I choose to cloth diaper, which for me is an act of love for my kids, the environment and for my budget. But for some, that’s just straight-up crazy! I get it, I really do.  I don’t think it is the right choice for every family just because it is the right choice for mine.

 Your Turn

So you tell me: where do you fall on the question of whether or not to do DIY Halloween costumes? I’d love to hear how you have come to the decision you have made. Also, feel free to share any other areas where you make choices for your kids that are an act of love and service, even though other people may not fully understand the choice. We all have them, so dish!