Halloween
Nothing says “last-minute” quite like leaves stapled to a sweatshirt.
I am a planner by nature. The whole concept of throwing an entire Halloween costume together for my kids last minute is incredibly foreign to me. I am in absolute awe of parents who can not only do this, but do it well. And these costumes moms came up with on the day-of are shining examples of the kind of next-level creative skill set that I covet.
While I’ve always planned out my kids’ costumes well in advance of October 31, I do recall one Halloween as a teen when I was less than prepared and had to put something together on the day of. Apparently, my friends weren’t “too cool” to trick-or-treat after all and I wanted to join in on the fun. I grabbed some oh-so-fashionable camouflage cargo pants from my closet, borrowed one of my dad’s hunting jackets, and called myself G.I. Jane. It was hardly a “costume” but it worked.
Thankfully, most moms are much better equipped to create a last-minute costume than I was at 15. After all, not every spur-of-the-moment idea is born from a lack of planning. What else are you supposed to do when your toddler downright refuses to put on the Spiderman costume they picked out six weeks ago but make something new out of a bedsheet and some clothespins? These moms have mastered the day-of costume — or at least, they made it work.
1
A Lumberjack/Hipster
When mom Vanessa’s son was a baby, she threw together this incredibly adorable Halloween look for him, which she deemed a ”lumberjack/hipster.” Not only did she come in clutch with the draw-on facial hair and flannel top, but she even created a sippy cup slip cover of sorts to make it look like he was holding a hipster beer. I can’t be the only one who feels genuinely inspired by this choice.
2
A Dryer
Can you make a Halloween costume from a cardboard box and an assortment of random socks like this mom did? Sarah D. simply used some craft paint and hot glue to create this masterful dryer costume for her child on Halloween. The Maytag printout is such a nice touch, but the socks are a truly epic detail for a last-minute costume.
3
Clark Kent (AKA Superman)
Using clothes that are already in your kid’s closet is key to achieving a costume as simple, yet as awesome, as this Clark Kent/Superman getup. “Only work that went into it was very quickly sewing the Velcro strips where the buttons are so he could pull it open,” Kelly F. tells Romper.
4
An Ice Cream Cone
Kelsey K. came up with this ridiculously sweet (pun intended) ice cream cone costume last-minute when her daughter Claire was a baby. “It was just paint, felt, a pom pom, and plain Walmart pants/onesie,” she tells Romper, noting that the look is still one of her all-time favorites.
5
An Applesauce Pouch
Is there a toddler out there who doesn’t love a delicious applesauce pouch — especially one that they can squeeze out all over the furniture? When Eve’s son was 2 in 2017, she took a last-minute trip to the craft store to create this adorable GoGo SqueeZ costume during what she calls “the golden age” of the snack.
6
A Pirate
Arrrg you ready to have a fun Halloween? You’re not really ready until your little one has a costume. Meaghan O. in Portland, Oregon says that all she used to create her toddler’s day-of pirate costume was a striped shirt, a bandana tied around the head, and a drawn-on eyeliner mustache. It’s so simple, yet everyone will immediately know exactly what your kid is if you borrow this last-minute idea.
7
A Leaf-Covered Goblin, A Pop Star, & Fairy Wings
Last-minute Halloween costumes aren’t something that millennial moms just discovered via Pinterest. In fact, our own mothers have actually been doing this for decades. Samantha, a mom of two in Atlanta, tells Romper, “My mom made me a goblin by stapling leaves to a green sweatshirt.” Shout-out to her mom, Julie, for being an absolute genius.
She also recalls another year where she wore a sparkly dress, carried a toy microphone, and was a “pop star.” But in her own motherhood journey, Samantha has found that a pair of fairy wings and a ride-on dinosaur added to any outfit can make your kid look like a fantasy character come to life.
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