5 VERY important things to consider when choosing a Halloween costume for the little ones.


With all of the blog posts going around about Halloween food and costumes , the one thing I have not seen is safety tips.  Halloween can be a chaotic time. From the big kids running from house to house saying "Trick or Treat" while doing the potty dance, because all they are really thinking is, hurry up lady, I have a lot of houses to cover, and four pillow cases to fill!, to the little-ones toddling in between it all. So, I thought I would do a little research to find some important tips to share with the first-timers out there hoping their little one will hold out long enough to get a few good treats from them to eat!  (Which would be FTD and I.)

As some of you know, last year Ollie was the cutest damn Yoda. EVER.



This year, FTD has decided on something a bit lofty... crazy... and well... VERY FTD...

While FTD loves Star Wars above all, another of his favorites is the cult classic, Clockwork Orange. So when I showed him this photo, it was over...



The decision was made on the spot.  Ollie was going to be the shithead main character, Alex DeLarge.  While I was thinking more along the lines of a lovable monkey costume, or just doing a Yoda repeat.(Whaaaa? The kid is 20-months old, he doesn't know what's going on!)  I only agreed so easily for two reasons: 1. Most likely he will wear the Yoda again because FTD will not go get the outfit, as agreed upon.  2.Worst case FTD does follow through and get the ingredients for the costume, the outfit is warm enough to wear out comfortably in our Autumn weather.

And lucky for FTD The outfit falls in line with the, 5 VERY important things to consider when choosing a costume for the little ones.  So, without further ado... here are some tips to help make this year's Halloween badass!

1. First and foremost, make sure the costume is weather appropriate and fits properly, not too long or tight.  With all of the running, jumping and skipping from door-to-door, the costume needs to move easily with the child. Also, for the babies and toddlers who can not speak yet, make sure the fabric is not itchy.

2.  If a mask is involved, make sure it is easy to remove, does not fit too snugly and allows for ease of breathing--through both the mouth and nose.

*Hats and masks could pose a breathing problem for babies and toddlers, make sure they fit over both nose ad mouth properly, enlarge the holes yourself if necessary. Also, hats are best secured with chin straps using Velcro to hold the hat in place, but will easily break away in an emergency situation.

3. Face and/or body paint on babies is not recommended. If it is necessary, it should be free of all toxins. For the bigger kids, still make sure paint is free of toxins, but also that the makeup is far from eyes; if sweating ensues from the mad dash to from house-to-house, the paint could run into their eyes, causing some pretty gnarly irritation.

4. Glow-in-the-dark sticks/bracelets/necklaces, flash lights and reflectors are life saving devices, make sure your child has at least one. HINT- Place glow-in-the-dark bracelets/necklaces around your child's ankle to make them easy to spot in a crew of running kids.

5. If your child's costume has props including swords, canes, magical wands... make sure the ends are not too sharp or pointy, so no eyes are lost from swinging them around other children, or if they trip doing the mad dash.

While doing the research for this post I came across quite a few tips, while most were common sense, these five stuck out to me.  Still, most of us are first-time parents learning this crazy Halloween routine all over again.  I found a great all-in-one resource for tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics.  If you would like to read the complete list, CLICK HERE!


So... What are your little ones going to be for Halloween?  Are you dressing up too?














April is an award-winning writer and blogger. Her work has been published in over ten countries and four languages. From books to newspapers, to print/online magazines and everything in between, you can find her work. For more on April, Visit AprilMcCormick.com