It’s your baby’s first Halloween, a momentous first milestone for your little one. However, from one parent to another, let me clue you in: this Halloween is your only Halloween. Next year, your teeny baby will be a toddler, with serious opinions about the costume she needs to wear for trick or treating. These opinions will only get stronger with each passing year. But this year, and just this one year, the choice is 100% yours! So, choose… but make sure to choose wisely.
You’re a new parent, so your ‘to-do’ list has multiplied exponentially since your baby’s arrival. There is always more to do than hours in the day, and you’re desperate to check things off. You need a costume, and you’ll be tempted to run into your nearest Target and grab something trendy off the rack. Let’s face it, your baby will look adorable in anything and everything right now. However, I’d urge you to reconsider, and spend a little bit of time thinking about the right costume for your little one. The options for the under-2 set are endless, but only one is perfect for your baby.
A few things to consider when choosing an infant Halloween costume:
Comfort
I think this is a number one priority for all kids, but especially ones that aren’t old enough to complain about the itchy fabric or the chafing waistband. For babies, choose soft, comfortable clothes that won’t irritate their sensitive skin. Natural fabrics like soft, stretchy cotton are best. This time of year, remember to check the weather, especially if you’ll be spending time outside. On chilly nights, a hat is definitely a good idea.
Safety
For little ones, avoid any small parts that may come loose and end up in baby’s mouth.
Ease of use
What are the odds that your little one will need a diaper change during the night’s festivities? I’m thinking they’re pretty high. Make sure to choose a costume that allows for easy on and off, so you and your little one can quickly return to having fun.
Cuteness!
Let’s face it, your little one is getting dressed up almost exclusively for the cuteness factor. You’ll be looking back on photos of baby’s first Halloween for years to come, so make sure to choose a costume that makes you smile, and makes your heart melt a little.
Your pocketbook
Sensibility and practicality are just a personal litmus test that I try to apply to life in general, even fun and frivolous Halloween. When you’re walking down the costume aisle at your local department store, spending money on an outfit that your little one will wear only once may seem like a great idea. But remember, that costume will hang in the closet until your baby grows out of his current size, so at least a few weeks after the holiday. Looking at it day after day, you may find yourself experiencing a bit of buyer’s remorse when the holiday is over. Consider DYI-ing a unique costume from clothes that your little one can wear time and again. You’ll reduce waste and enjoy the new clothes for a little bit.
Is your little one a foodie in the making, savoring pureed carrots and applesauce at every meal? Have you nicknamed her baby blueberry after the moment when you found out you were expecting? Or does he just look like a tiny peanut in his swaddle? Well, we have just the right costume ideas for you and your little one! Our fruit and veggie bodysuits and hats are the key component of a personalized and unique DIY costume idea for your babe’s first Halloween. The bodysuits and hats are hand-crafted with love. They’ve been hand embroidered and hand knit just for your little one, and they check all the boxes: they’re comfy, safe, easy, and SO CUTE!
Our beautiful, heirloom-quality fruit and veggie sets make beautiful gifts and keepsakes, but they also make wonderful food-inspired Halloween costumes. The best part: you only need to add some simple basics in solid colors to DIY a costume. To make a costume, you can dress your little one in both the bodysuit and hat, and add just some pants. Or, you can pair just the fruit and vegetable hat with a romper, footie pajamas, or even a shirt and pants. Solid colored baby apparel is available at many different retailers, depending on your shopping preferences and budget. When researching this article, I really liked the selection and price of solid pieces at Primary.com, but I’ve never shopped there, so I can’t vouch for the quality of the garments.
Below I’ve put together some costume ideas for you to browse, which will hopefully get your creative juices flowing. Of course, these are just a sample of our collection. You can browse all of our fruit and veggie bodysuits and hats in the Gifts section of our shop.
For a baby apple costume, pair our hand knit green apple hat and hand embroidered green apple bodysuit with some light green pieces (pictured here are items from Moon and Back by Hanna Andersson, which I found on Amazon).
For a baby banana costume, pair our hand knit banana hat and hand embroidered banana bodysuit with some yellow pieces (pictured here are items from Primary.com).
For a baby blueberry costume, pair our hand knit blueberry hat and hand embroidered blueberry bodysuit with some navy blue pieces (pictured here are items from Primary.com).
For a baby butternut squash costume, pair our hand knit butternut hat and hand embroidered butternut squash bodysuit with some golden pieces (pictured here are items from Hanna Andersson).
For a baby carrot costume, pair our hand knit carrot hat and hand embroidered carrot bodysuit with some orange pieces. Here I’ve included KID things items – the softest terry lounge separates in Pumpkin.
For a baby hot pepper costume, pair our hand knit fiery chili pepper hat and hand embroidered hot pepper bodysuit with some red pieces (pictured here are items from Primary.com).
For a baby lemon costume, pair our hand knit lemon hat and hand embroidered ‘squeeze me’ bodysuit with some bright yellow pieces (pictured here are items from Primary.com).
For a baby peanut costume, pair our hand knit peanut hat and hand embroidered peanut bodysuit with some toast-colored pieces (pictured here are items from Old Navy and Target).
For a baby pear costume, pair our hand knit pear hat and hand embroidered pear bodysuit with some soft yellow pieces (pictured here are items from Moon and Back by Hanna Andersson, which I found on Amazon).
For a baby pumpkin costume, pair our hand knit pumpkin hat and hand embroidered pumpkin bodysuit with some orange pieces. Here I’ve included KID things items – the softest terry lounge separates in Pumpkin.
For a baby green pea costume, pair our hand knit sweet pea hat and hand embroidered sweet pea bodysuit with some green pieces (pictured here are items from Primary.com).
For a baby tomato costume, pair our hand knit tomato hat and hand embroidered tomato bodysuit with some red pieces (pictured here are items from Primary.com).
Your baby may be too young for trick or treating, but she can totally get in the Halloween spirit from a very young age. Whether you choose to go door to door with your babe on your hip, visit friends or go to a neighborhood party, or just dress him up and snap a few photos for the Gram, I know you’ll love your baby’s first Halloween. And hopefully you now know how to put together the perfect costume for this momentous and spooky milestone night. Oh, and you may want to tag us on Instagram @kidthingsmb, so we can share your adorable babes with the world!
Oh, and while you’re thinking of Halloween, make sure to check out The Sweetest Halloween Collection of seasonal apparel and accessories. These scary-cute tees, bibs, and pants in spooky prints are sure to get you in the Halloween spirit.
I love crafting with my kids, and I’ve encouraged exploration and creativity through art from a super young age. Today, I’m sharing with you a roundup of some fun and easy Easter-themed crafts for babies and toddlers. They make great Easter decorations, but they’re also great for your babies’ development, so start crafting!
I’ve chosen these particular projects because they are easy and achievable. First, there’s no funky, hard-to-get supplies, and I promise only small, contained messes (so there’s a good chance you’ll actually do these crafts). Also, the projects are simple, fun, and totally doable for your little ones. In fact, these crafts are suitable for even the youngest artists! However, as with all art, even though they’re perfect for one, two, and three-year-olds, they can easily be adapted for older kids. You may even channel your inner Van Gogh and end up making a few yourself!
Below you’ll find some fun Easter inspiration, including chicks, sheep, and of course decorated Easter eggs. Get in the holiday spirit and have fun!
Like the ideas in this post? Make sure to bookmark this page or pin some images, so that you’ve got them all on hand when you need them. Just a little note on images: the craft photos are not mine, but rather belong to the talented, hard-working bloggers named with each craft. If you’d like to pin these images on Pinterest, please click through to each blog and pin directly from the author’s page.
Sticker Eggs from Live Well Play Together
It seriously does not get any easier than this Sticker Eggs craft from Live Well Play Together. All you need is a few sheets of construction paper cut in the shape of eggs. You can add some simple decorative outlines to the eggs, or just leave the paper blank and let your little one create. Pull out some stickers or other art supplies, and you’re looking at HOURS of fun. I guarantee your toddler will love the freedom of decorating at her own pace.
Pro tip: little ones have a really hard time pulling stickers up from the sheets. If you want some time for your own activities while your little one works on crafts, try this trick to make things easier for her. Take the sticker sheet, and pull up all the border paper, leaving only the stickers behind. Their little hands now have direct access to just the stickers, so they can do it themselves.
Fork Chick Craft from Crafty Morning
My kids love using everyday objects in unexpected ways, so this Fork Chick Craft from Crafty Morning is sure to be a fave. For this craft, you need white cardstock, yellow tempera paint, two googly eyes, a bit of orange construction paper, and a fork.
Pro tip to remove all anxiety: To make the chick shape, you need the fork paint marks to land in a circle shape. It’s nearly impossible for the smallest hands to make a circle, but you can make the task achievable by constraining their painting to a circle. Simply cut a circle shape out of white paper, which they can cover in fork paint marks. Then, when dry, glue this painted circle onto a clean white piece of paper along with the eyes, beak, and feet. No frustration needed.
Easter Egg Suncatcher from Sweet Frugal Life
I absolutely love this Easter Egg Suncatcher Craft from Sweet Frugal Life because it’s fun for kids of all ages. My kids are such a wide range of ages (as I’m writing this, our kids are 22, 18, 11, 8, and 5), and I’m always drawn to crafts that will be loved by all. Honestly, I can totally see my 18 year old getting into this activity! All you really need is tissue paper in your favorite colors, contact paper, scissors, and a little bit of ribbon or string to hang up your egg suncatcher. Notice I did not say glue or paint, which means very little mess!
The youngest artists can just tear the tissue paper into pieces and throw it onto the contact paper. Meanwhile, the older kids can experiment with increasingly more complicated shapes, patterns, and color blending by overlay. The possibilities are endless!
Cotton Ball Sheep Craft from Crafts on Sea
I remember making variations of this craft with all of my kids, and for good reason! It’s easy, you probably have all the supplies in your house right now, and it let the kids create art with a fun, new, squishy medium: cotton balls!
All you need for this Easy Sheep Craft from Crafts on Sea is construction paper, cotton balls, liquid school glue, and possibly a paintbrush to spread the glue around. Even a one-year-old can handle picking up and arranging the cotton balls onto the glue, though the youngest artists may need some assistance with cutting out the face and legs. At the end, you’ll have a friendly sheep to decorate your house in Spring.
Pro tip to reduce anxiety: for the littlest ones, who may have a hard time making a perfect circle sheep with glue, you can use the back of a small paper plate. Let the child glue the cotton balls to the backside of a paper plate. When dry, glue the plate to the construction paper.
Watercolor Surprise Easter Egg Art for Kids from Rhythms of Play
I absolutely LOVE watercolor paints! I love using them myself, and I love sharing them with my kids. They’re just so incredibly EASY. All you need to do is pull out the watercolor set from a drawer, grab a paintbrush and a mug of water, and you have an artist’s studio.
This Watercolor Surprise Easter Egg Art Craft from Rhythms of Play makes great use of my favorite medium. Again, this craft is easily adaptable for kids of all ages and abilities, but it’s totally doable for even the youngest artist. All you need is watercolors, paintbrushes, and I always recommend using watercolor paper for all watercolor projects. It’s specifically formulated to work well with all that water, and just makes the whole project super pro. If you want to use the resist method (highly recommended), you’ll also need a white crayon or white oil pastel. And that’s it!
Because watercolors are awesome, the final project will be beautiful and fun, regardless of the artist’s age and ability. You may end up making one yourself… we sure did. Below is a photo of our watercolor eggs.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading through this list as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Now that inspiration is fresh in your heart, get crafting! Make sure to tag us on Instagram when you share your projects. I always love to see your little artists at work, and I’m dying to see how your projects turned out! Happy Easter!
Since I first became a mom, I have celebrated 16 Mother’s Days, 16 birthdays, 16 Christmases, several other special days, and a multitude of “I love you so much, Mom” Days. For each of these days I received a handmade card from at least one of my children. Of course, I try to save them all, and I mostly succeed by putting them in a large cardboard box in the storage room in the basement. When I am old and gray, when my kids have left the house and I have an over-abundance of free time, I will take them all out, slowly leaf through them, and look back on this period of my life.
How did this happen? I feel that spring has barely started, and yet Memorial Day and SUMMER are right around the corner! Celebrate this long, lazy weekend by sitting back and letting your kids whip up a tasty bite for the whole family.
Little ones may need some help with cutting up the strawberries, but assembly is easy enough for kids of all ages. Making these festive, patriotic snacks is only half the fun, though. They are also fresh, summery and delicious. We eat them for breakfast (they can be assembled the day before), but they also make a great snack. Enjoy!
The thing about Easter is, sometimes I get a bit tired of all the sweets. Now, don’t get me wrong, I can house a chocolate bunny in no time (I wish it were not so), but Easter colors just lend themselves to cupcakes and cookies and candy, and there is such a thing as too many sweets. I am always on the lookout for some savory Easter recipes to break up the sugar high.
Last week I came across a recipe on Pinterest for these Easter Cucumber Sandwiches and absolutely fell in love with the idea, as did my kids. The recipe is on the Cherished Bliss blog – you can access it here. So, last weekend we made our version of these Easter Finger Sandwiches and had a blast playing with our food.
You know that feeling you get as soon as the first rays of sunshine start breaking through the winter gloom? It’s that feeling of: I can’t sit at my desk anymore; I need to go outside RIGHT NOW! It’s cold and muddy and gross but somehow you don’t care. Spring is in the air. Animals and trees feel it too, and so do your littles! Introduce them to the changes of the season through reading.
