How Young Is Too Young for Halloween

Oh--get him a costume.
Unless it's taking food off the table.
LOTS of things with kids are a "waste of money" but they are sometimes worth it because they are fun!

My eldest child was about 10 days old on her first Halloween, and I still dressed her up :) I say go for it! Have fun :)

He can totally do it! We dressed my son up as a lobster when he was 10 months old and he had a ball in the costume. We pulled him in a wagon/carried him around the neighborhood and he laughed and laughed at all the people telling him how cute he was and pretending to eat his claws. He won't miss it if you don't take him out, but he will definitely enjoy the unique stimulation of a different kind of experience. They have fun Halloween events at cider mills and malls and stuff too so you can get extra mileage out of the costume!

If it's about the money, you can get costumes at Salvation Army or a consignment shop, or ask friends with older kids if they have any. You can also make a lot of neat costumes fairly easily.

Hi Victoria_Rae,

My sister is 8 months pregnant and will be decorating her 'baby bump' as a jack-o-lantern.
I tried to talk her into being the snap/pod part of the pea, with the baby bump as the inside pea, but she thought just one pea was dumb.... so jack-o-lantern it is ;-)

I don't think there is ANY age that is too young for fun!

My daughter was 8 months old for her first Halloween. She loved dogs even then so I made her a dog costume. It was adorable! We were also renting our first house, so we stuck her in the stroller & took her "trick or treating" just to show her off! Didn't go to too many houses. And we ate the candy of course! hehe

I will preface this by saving, that I love Halloween. I personally think parents buying presents for a first birthday is a waste of money since they get so many from other people but I don't think a costume is a waste of money in this case. No, I would not spend more than 20 dollars. Why not take the baby out in the stroller at Halloween so he can see everyone and everyone can say what a cute baby you have? Or you could stay home and give out candy but bring the baby to the door in his costume. Make sure the costume is comfortable and not too warm or too cold and he should have no issue wearing it a long time.

I made my daughter a flower bunting and a fleece hat with butterflies for her first Hallween. She was 4 months old. We didn't go "trick or treating" per se but we did go visit family in town. I like what another poster suggested, Salvation Army. You can also google Family Fun. They have a lot of fun (some no sew) ideas for costumes.

Never a waste to make a cute and fun memory!

I even see moms in "costumes" when they are preganant. I say celebrate the holidays no matter the stage or age.

Your boyfriend is being practical...and frugal. I can't knock him for that. But...you will treasure the picture and the costume for years to come. I love to look and and hold the little corn on the cob my son wore when he was 4 months old. We all still giggle when we see it in the dress up box or look at family pics of him in it.

Good luck and best wishes at making some fun Halloween traditions for your little family. (Go out trick or treating with friends..you don't have to take or eat the candy..just go for the oohhhs...and ahhhs and fuss over your cute little pumpkin's costume!!)

Ours will be 12.5 months and we've already bought him a dragon costume. Much like the first birthday, it won't matter at all for him. It is important to me, we can afford it, and we will be doing it.

If money is a concern, consider a hand-me-down.

I dressed my 8 month old as Princess Leia and my dog as Yoda. It's been almost 3 years and family and friends still talk about it. The loved the idea. And we did take her "trick or treating" to our neighbors we were friendly with. They thought it was great. I got the costume at a kids consignment shop for $8. Best money ever spent. I ended up using the picture as our holiday card and wrote "May the force be with you through the holidays and the new year". I still see that holiday card up on my families fridge.

When my son was about 8 months old he was a Christmas present for Halloween. I dressed him nice and warm and had a box one side cut off wrapped it up in wrapping paper and a big bow, bunge corded it to the stroller and off we went. It was soo cute. He got lots of candy, or should I say Mommy got lots of candy ;-)) .

Our daughter was only 4 months old.. She did not really go Trick or Treating, but she wore a Onsie that had wings sewn on to it. and I made her a halo out of star tinsel..

We have great photos.. At 1 she went trick or treating to our closest neighbors homes..

we put a costume on my cousin's week old baby. Halloween is awesome for everyone! My dd was 9 months at her first Halloween and I made her an adorable fairy costume. I also made her a costume for the renaissance festival that year. I dont care that she only wore it the once.

My son was 2mnths old for his first halloween and we dressed him up and took him trick or treating. Not door to door, but to our relatives house. My mom got him a little book and his great grandma got him a little stuffed animal, and his cousin a pumpkin hat.. We did the same thing last year when he was a little over a year, and will do it again this year. instead of buying a coustume ask friends and family if they have a leftover from one of their older kids

I wouldn't spend a ton of money on a costume but find something cute, take pictures and show your son off to the trick or treaters that come to your door. My daughter (who's 5 now) was just looking through a photo album the other day and saw herself in a pumpkin costume, she was only a couple months old so she got a kick out of it!

One of my grandsons was 29 days old his first Halloween, and wore a huge pumpkin bib and matching booties. I propped him in his carseat and as the kids came to the door they could see him and all commented on the cute baby pumpkin ; )

I've been dressing my little guy up since his first Halloween, when he was 6 months. I got a giraffe costume at a children's resale store for a 1/4 of the regular price, we went to a church harvest party and he was a hit. Last year he was Chewbacca, everyone loved it when we went trick or treating, (I purchased it at the same resale store) and I have taken LOTS of pictures both times.

Try to make a homemade costume (there are sites on the internet that walk you through the process, and some are so darn cute and cost hardly anything) buy pajamas that can double as a costume so he'll get much use out of them, (one of my grandsons wore "Woody" cowboy pj's last year with "boot" slippers for Halloween, and then wore them all through the winter) or buy one at a yard sale, resale store, Craigslist or eBay.

You WILL want the pictures, they're too cute to pass up! ; )

My son will be 11 months at Halloween and you bet he will have a costume! There are so many costumes that you can either buy for very inexpensive or make for cheap or free! Budget a set amount and then see what you reduce spending on for a couple months and then your boyfriend can't complain about the money! I also like the PJs idea. These are not a waste of money because you can reuse them many times! Have Fun!

I took my kids trick or treating when they were that little. I don't see why you can't?

You're both right! Costumes are ridiculously expensive and very hard to justify - especially for very young children. I told myself this the entire time I was paying $27 for a monkey costume for my one-year-old a few years ago! I am STILL glad I bought the costume because the pictures are darling and he had an absolutely blast being a monkey! If you can afford the splurge, go for it! :-)

He isnt too young to have a simple cute costume and he isnt too young for trick or treating either. If you have family nearby, or a couple great friends, or neighbors, they will love having you dress him up and come to their homes and you can get cute pictures of him this way. He doesnt need a pillowcase of candy, but Id bet you could let him have a tiny piece of one, and you and boyfriend can enjoy a couple yourself. My grand daughter has dressed up cute for all her Halloweens and she was only 2 months old the first time. We also did the monthly portrait special at Walmart and took her in for pictures every month for the first year. It was really inexpensive and so fun to have the big 12 space frame with each month of her growth. Sometimes it was a holiday background and some were just the change in season, but her 2nd month picture is a barn with pumpkins and corn stalks in the background and shes wearing a black onesie and tights, with a black velvet tail I made, and cute nose and whiskers drawn on her face with an eye brow pencil. It was fun and a memory we will have forever of her first Halloween. You can get stuff at Dollar Tree, or just use a shirt he has with a number on the front and have him carry a football. Teach him to throw it down, wiggle his hips and yell SCORE! It will be adorable, and cheap.

We bought Halloween PJs for my little one - it was actually her second holiday, but the first she even sort of might remember - and we put the baby gate up by the front door so she could help hand out candy. She had so much fun and we still got the photos. Then, when her 730pm bedtime rolled around, we flipped off the porch light and dropped her in bed. It was a really, really great holiday.

Too cute to pass up even though we know it seems silly! We bought my son's first costume (he was 5 months old) used on Craigs List because we knew it was a "waste" of money. Plenty of people out there selling used kids costumes because lots of people only use those things for a couple of hours and thats it :) Do it - these are the moments we deserve as parents!

if you have a couple people - family or friends - near by, take him trick or treating there. sometimes stores have things too.
if it really is just for the pictures, wait a couple days after halloween then buy a costume then when they are on sale!

I started dressing both my kids up since their first Halloween. My son was almost 5 months old on his first and he was a frog and my daughter was almost 8 months old and she was a fairy. They have been dressing up since then and my son is 7 year old and my daughter is 4 years old.

When they were young we did it for the pictures and also visited family so they could see them dressed up.

I loved last Halloween my daughters first she was 10 months she dressed in a one piece cow suit and I added buildabear bows to the ear and tail to make it girlier :)
I carried her to the door and everyone gushed at how cute she was :D
Then I put her in her stroller while we walked from house to house.
I'm so looking forward for his Halloween since she can walk now but I'm still not sure what she will be.
I say go for it! And take lots an lots of pics she will melt dads heart when he sees her and he won't see it as a waste :)
GL
E.<3

If money is tight, either make a little costume or skip it.

If money's not tight, tell hubby to get into the spirit! There are going to be a LOT of holidays to celebrate with your little one over the next...ugh...well FOREVER! This is part of being a parent!

:o)

Luck!

I probably wouldn't pay for professional pictures for it, so yes, I would think it a waste of money, but money is tight for us anyways so we have to be selective. So it totally depends on your finances.

But, I still think it's cute to dress up. You can dress him up, take him to a local pumpkin patch or park and take tons of pictures.

This is how old my daughter was last year and we actually took her trick or treating. She had a BLAST!!! I would say take your little guy and let him have fun. But, if you don't want to, then at least let him get a costume and take memories. Really, when you are working on building a photo memory for when he gets older and you do too, isn't a little bit of money worth it? I got her costume at a second had retail shop for 6.99 so it really didn't cost much. See what you can find. Good luck!!

I did it for pics for both my kids (one was 4 mos and the other 6 mos) and still feel it was worth it! So cute. I got the costume at Costco for like $10 and used it for both of them. Also, we actually went trick or treating the following year at 14 months and 1.5 years. So fun.

My son was 6m old on his first Halloween. He was a pumpkin and fell asleep on the sofa before we could go to Grandma's, but we have a cute pic.

My little girl was 4 days old on her first Halloween. She dressed up as a little cowgirl. She didn't leave the playpen, but I have the pic to prove she was a cowgirl!

Just find a cute little outfit, don't spend a ton of money. Say $10-15. You could even go to the local firehouse and ask them for a kids firehat. Its about you and your memories. Not your boyfriends.

Homemade Ideas:
Bag of leaves - Brown pants, colored shirt with leaves glued to it
Baseball - White pants/sleeper, draw red stitching like a baseball
Lilttle Devil - Red pants, shirt, get a headband and tail from Walmart for $5.
Puppy - Brown pants, shirt, make a paper headband with floppy ears.
Candy corn - black pants, white tshirt with the top half colored/dyed orange.

My now 11 year old was 7 months old for his first Halloween - we dressed him up as Superman - a blue sleeper and a red bib with "S" on it...the bib was $5.

If you are crafty, you can go to the store and find something to make up...

any yeah - even at 7 months - my son went "trick or treating" in our neighborhood and the neighbors loved it!!! No, he didn't eat the candy - but he ooh and ahhed at the masks...giggled at some as well.

The first time my baby was 8 months old. I dressed her as a baby devil (red tights, red leotard, horns and I pinned a tail on her). Her cousin (3 weeks older) was a lady bug (black shirt, red tutu, and dollar store wings). They both had a ball looking at each other dressed up. Her outfit cost under ten bucks (leotard found at a thirft store, horns and tail from the dollar store, tights brand new) and the pictures were so cute.
The second time she was a year and a half and was Alice from Alice in Wonderland. She actually went trick or treating, and loved it. We took her to my inlaws neighbors and only did about 8 houses. Do you have a few neighbors or family that you can take him too so they can see him? Thats always fun too.
I view Halloween the same as any other holiday. You get a Christmas dress at Christmas, an Easter dress at Easter....you get a costume at Halloween. It doesn't have to be expensive, or store bought for the pictures to turn out cute!
Good Luck!

My daughter was not quite one yet on her first Halloween. I bought her a used costume on ebay. I think you can get your child something cute that won't be too expensive. It is nice to have pictures when they grow up.

Your never too old or young to celebrate Halloween! He's a Halloween scrooge if you ask me.

Look for a costume at Once Upon a Child or another consinment store that way it dosn't cost to much and you can still have some really cute pictures. The trick or treaters will love to see him all dressed up when they come to your door.

Oh, go for it! The pictures are priceless.

I bought a monkey outfit from Baby Gap for my son's first Halloween - he was 11 months. I think the costume was $18 or so. We just walked around with all the trick-or-treaters so he could see what it was all about - no candy, obviously. Worth every penny.

Someone here mentioned Once Upon a Child. I eventually sold the monkey outfit to them - so yes, they probably have some decent costumes for not too much $$. Have fun!

Do you have a once upon a child in your area? They usually have a TON of halloween costumes for babies/toddlers for $5-$10. I bought my daughter (who was about 18 months at Halloween last year) a SUPER cute lady bug costume for $7. Then I sold it for $8 at a charity garage sale this spring.

The pictures are totally worth it.
J.

My daughter was ten days old when she had her first Halloween. She looked adorable in her pumpkin jammies and cat hat. It's never too early to start!

I got a pumpkin costume for my daughter for her first Halloween when she was not quite 3 months old. Did not take her trick-or-treating (I get annoyed too with parents who take their babies out when they are obviously not going to be giving them the candy) but we took some cute pics and later I was able to sell the costume to a consignment store (along with some other outgrown clothes) and get store credit toward more clothes. So money-wise it wasn't a total waste. When she was 15 months old for her 2nd Halloween, a bought a bee costume that only cost $12.00. She had a blast walking the neighborhood and chasing after the older kids.

Yes. It's a waste of money. But if it's fun, you'll enjoy it, you'll have fun pictures, and you can afford it, why not? There are lots of things out there that waste money and provide less enjoyment.

My sons have always dressed up. The years they were very young we either went to a party, or we would walk around with our friends who had older kids. They are just too cute when they are little and all dressed up! Even if it is just to help you hand out candy :)

Last year a new baby just home from the hospital won the infant costume contest at Walmart as a baked potato. He was in a brownish receiving blanket, had white bits on the tummy to look like sour cream, and they made a basket (kind of what you'd think Moses was in in the bullrushes) for the foil around the potato. He won them a $20 gift card...almost straight from the hospital.

of course it's too cute to pass up!!! he can either A. wear it while YOU hand out candy to trick or treaters, or B. maybe you can find a party to go to? my mom always throws a huge bash so we have dressed my son up since he was just a month old on halloween..! Another idea is to take him to your or your husband's work for "trick or treat". this is an annual tradition for my son and me. "Trick or treating" at grandma's house, aunts, cousins, etc, is also totally worth it. Also, let's be real, IF you were to walk your son from house to house, and trick or treat with him, you wouldn't be the only one...:) plus you can probably find a costume at a consignment store fairly cheap. good luck!

For just pictures - go for it! Some really cute ones are of the littlest kiddos!

For actual T-or-T? Maybe a few houses - not much!

LOL on the newborn - have seen such littles one at my door - and KNOW that the teen-looking parent is the one gonna eat that candy!

I think however old you want to dress him up is just the right age. I however find it annoying when people ring my bell for candy, and they are holding their baby in a baby carrier. If you are embarassed to ring the bell because you think that everyone else will think that the candy is for you, that is when your kid is too young.

Our daughte was 5 months old and dressed up, and we took her to my husband work for trick or treating. Son was 10 months old and (he was walking) and he went trick or treating...

Too young? not able to sit up on there own??? I don't know. I think it's really up to you.

I was debating taking my son last year who was then 21 months, but I'm really glad I did. We got him a cheap pumpkin costume which looked adorable (he naturally looks like a pumpkin). I guess I worried that he'd be scared, wasn't loving the idea of all the candy, and I was nervous myself since I'm not used to walking around at night in the city with lots of masked people out roaming the streets. But the few priceless moments gave us stories to tell for the rest of ours lives. He was getting the hang of the candy bowl, but he kept putting candy back into the bowl. My favorite was at his first or second house he got a lollipop... we let him open it but when we looked away for a second, he put the licked lollipop back in the bowl! To this day my son calls candy "trick or treats." I know it is a big difference at 1 yr old, but I couldn't resist sharing these stories. If you had a group of friends with older kids to go with, I would go.

no one is too young! my 2 year old "trick or treated" at 9 months, 1.5 years and will again at 2.5 years with her baby sister (3 months).

No, we don't go "door to door" with her, but there are local community events that are perfect for toddlers. We have a "trunk or treat" at our local grocery store, and in a large town near us all the small businesses do trick or treating around the town square. It is SO much fun. The candy usually gets stored away to be used as treats and eventually tossed and she only gets a few pieces My baby won't get any candy obviously, but I'll tote her around in a cute costume. For Halloween we all dress up and it is SO fun.

I think that if you don't get a costume (even a cheap one) you'll regret not having those first Halloween pictures. If you live near family, do trick or treating at relatives houses early in the evening and take a few cute pictures then, or look in your community calendar to see if there are any kid-safe Halloween events just for toddlers.

-M.

PS: you could probably make your own costume with a little ingenuity (and some glue)

coolest-homemade-costumes.com/baby-halloween-costumes.html

My son was a month old and we dressed him up~

I took my kids on their first trick or treat at 2 1/2. I would have loved to get some kind of dress up for pictures but with kids to parent of 3 to 1, it didn't happen. I do have friends though that got adorable costumes for their babies even and just dressed them up for the pics and then on the day just to participate. A neighbor dresses her little ones up and then walks around the neighborhood with all the trick or treaters just to see how everyone if dressed up. Only her oldest actually trick or treats.

Costumes are very expensive, and if I were you I'd scope second-hand stores or garage sales to find one. I bought all my kids costumes second-hand (or even hand-me-downs from friends) until they are old enough to want to pick their own. You can find nearly new (some are still brand new!) for $5 or less! That way you don't have to worry about breaking the bank and you'll still get adorable pics of your little one for Halloween.:)

Not sure of your finances, but if they are tight I'd probably skip it. Plenty of years ahead of you for cute Halloween pics ;)

I took my son out when he was 16 months old. He didn't really care about it, of course, but it was the most fun I ever had on Halloween!! And yes, the pics are adorable (he was Eeyore).

As for the money part of it, my son already had little grey sweat pants and a grey sweat jacket. I made a tail and ears out of some old material and felt that I had (felt is .69 a sheet at Michael's) and sewed them onto the pants and the hood of the jacket, respectively. Put a little black face paint on his nose, sewed a "mane" out of yarn and added it to the hood. So, it was very cheap. And people loved it. Really, what ISN'T adorable about a one year old dressed like a donkey? LOL

Have fun!!

When my first was one, we got him a red onesie, red sweatpants, and a little headband with devil horns. Super cheap and super cute. He wore the red shirt and pants until he grew out of them. Can you do something like that?

Also, for that first Halloween, we took him to a mall that was having a party for little kids, and that had the Teddy Bear Band playing. He loved it.

Too cute to pass up! My kids are 10 and 12 now. I treasure those baby costume pictures!

My son was 3mnths old when he got his first halloween costume and i also took him trick or treating round friends and family houses with his two big brothers