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Baby's First Halloween

11 Inexpensive Costumes
for Frugal Moms

By Shannon McKelden

Baby's first Halloween is especially fun for parents. After all, who can resist a little one all dressed up and looking adorable? But nobody wants to spend a fortune on a costume that will only be worn once before it's outgrown. So what's a thrifty parent to do? Get creative!

There's no need to spend much (or any!) money on a costume for your baby.

Bettine Roynon, a costume designer based in London, recommends an easy way to choose a costume for Baby's first Halloween. "Instead of deciding what costume you want to make and then finding suitable materials, you could look around the house and be inspired by an old hat that looks like a tortoise shell or a fishnet stocking that could be the tail of dragonfly, etc.," she says.

In Roynon's book, Baby Costumes: 24 Easy and Adorable Outfits to Make for Infants and Toddlers (M Q Publications, 2006), almost all of her designs start with a base of a onesie and build from there. With a little bit of dye and creativity, you can create almost anything.

"Anything that is a natural fiber – like cotton – will take the dye really nicely," Roynon says. Things like old socks, stockings or hats work well. Sleepers and solid colored sweat suits also make great bases for creating a costume.

Child safety should always be taken into consideration when making a homemade costume. "Make sure anything that you attach is really, really well secured," Roynon says. "Make sure that any stuffing or poly-fil is not going to come out because we all know this will go straight into the baby's mouth!"

Other items not to use on an infant's costume include the following:

Want to see more?

• Cheap Scares: Halloween Costumes on a Dime
• Two Cute! Adorable Costumes to Make for Your Twins
• Monster's Who's Who: A New Father Reflects on His First Halloween
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!

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