Halloween costume ideas for little ones
Choosing a Halloween costume for a three to eight year old is really about three things: it should feel magical, it should be comfortable enough to wear all evening, and it should survive more than one wear. Here are the costume ideas we come back to every year at our children’s workshops in Cork.
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The flower fairy
A soft tulle dress, a tiara and a pair of sequin wings is the costume most three to six year olds ask for first. It is gentle, it twirls, and it works just as well at a school party as it does on the doorstep on Halloween night.
Choose wings with fabric-covered straps so they sit comfortably over a warm cardigan.
The velvet princess
Princess dressing-up never goes out of fashion, and a deep velvet dress with a rhinestone crown feels far more special than a shiny one-wear costume. It also carries straight on into year-round make-believe play.
Velvet is warm — perfect for a cold Irish October evening of trick-or-treating.
The little witchling
A witch dress with a matching hat is the classic Halloween costume, and a soft, friendly version suits little ones who want to join in without anything frightening.
Pick a hat with a soft brim so it does not block your child’s view in the dark.
The junior wizard
A cape, hat and wand set turns any outfit underneath into a costume, which means your child can wear their own warm clothes and still look the part.
Cape sets are the easiest costume to layer over a coat.
Dragons, dinosaurs and unicorns
Ride-on costumes get the biggest laughs of the night. The child steps in, the adjustable braces do the rest, and they look like they are riding a dragon, a dinosaur or a unicorn all evening.
Ride-on costumes are worn over an outfit, so there is nothing to change into.
Sparkly and not-too-spooky
Skeleton jumpsuits, bat tutus and star capes give older children the Halloween feeling without anything scary — glitter, wings and a bit of drama.
Add reflective tape or a small light to dark costumes for walking home safely.
Getting the size right
Costumes are sized in age ranges, and children wear something warm underneath on Halloween night. If your child is between two sizes, take the larger one — a little room means the costume still fits next year, and dressing-up clothes look lovely slightly long.
What makes a costume last
Our costumes are made by Den Goda Fen to European child-safety standards, using sustainably sourced, long-lasting fabrics. That is the difference between a costume worn once on the 31st of October and one that lives in the dressing-up box for years.
Ready to pick a costume?
Browse fairies, princesses, wizards, witchlings, dragons and dinosaurs in our Halloween collection.
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