Why I Make my Child's Halloween Costumes

A couple of years ago, I started making my daughter's Halloween costumes. When she was one, I made a hat with antennae to go with her off-the-rack  ladybug costume. It got more compliments than the whole outfit. When she was two, I made her a flower costume. Last year, she went as her favorite feline, our cat Pixie. This year, I will be making a green crane costume for her. Making the little one's costumes has become something I look forward to, because it provides the unique challenge of bringing her wishes to life.

Three years ago when I started down this road, I imagined I would save money by doing it all myself. I quickly discovered this was not the case. Often, the cost of materials adds up quickly, especially if fake fur, feathers, or fabric is involved. Then there's the time-suck of making the costume. I tend to spend several hours drafting a plan for the costume, and even more time in the execution. In the end, it would often be simpler if I had just gone down to my local big box store and purchased a ready-made costume.

So why do I do it?

I love my child. Let me clarify: every mom has something she's good at, a unique way to express love to her

children. Some moms bake, some tell great stories, some leave notes in their children's lunch boxes. I happen to be decently creative in a way that allows me to make special costumes for my girl. When I say I hand make Halloween costumes because I love my child, I'm not taking an "I'm a better mom than you because I take the time to do this," stance. If anything, me doing this only glosses over the fact that in other areas, I'm actually a pretty crappy mom. I hope one day it balances out. Perhaps my daughter will look back through our scrapbooks and say, "Look at the time and effort Mom spent making sure that I got to be exactly what I wanted to be each year. You know, Mom might not have been perfect, but at least she cared." For now, pouring my heart into this is one of the best ways I have to show her I love her.

Her costumes are unique. When my girl comes to your door on Halloween night, she won't look like any other child you've seen. Even if she wanted to be a Disney princess or Batman or some other iconic character, her outfit will stand out because I customize it to her. However, it's unlikely that she'll want to be Cinderella or Wonder Woman, because she's wired a bit differently. If all her friends were dressing as Harry Potter characters, she'd want to be a snitch, or the painting of the Fat Lady, or maybe a blast-ended skrewt. Besides, my little one is oddly specific about how she wants her costumes to be. For example, I thought it would be nice if I took a little artistic leeway and gave her a yellow beak for this year's costume, but she matter-of-factly informed me that the crane's beak was grey, and that's exactly how she wants it to be. Last year, when she wanted to be our cat, that included having little pink pads on her hands and feet. When I make her costumes, she can be as detail-oriented and seek as much perfection as she wants, and that's okay, because she does get it honest, after all.

It's extremely satisfying for both my child AND me. I get an enormous sense of accomplishment when I finish a costume. It also makes me happy to see just how excited my little one gets during each stage of the creation. For her it's satisfying because she gets a say-so in the whole process, from concept to completion. As a four year-old, she has a lot of decisions made for her every day. This is something that's all her own, and it makes her very proud.

So that's it then. I encourage you to give it a try sometime. Even if you don't feel like you're the crafty type, there are plenty of fool-proof plans on the internet that can likely inspire you. (Check out my Halloween board on Pinterest for starters!) Watch out though; you might just get hooked!