Halloween greetings from The Parenting Patch! Halloween is my second favorite holiday (right between Christmas and Thanksgiving). On Saturday, my husband and I helped our daughter carve her pumpkin into a Jack o’ lantern. The pumpkin has been sitting in a pan on top of the piano in our living room since then. As soon as evening rolls around, I will light a candle inside and place the pumpkin outside on our front steps. After trick or treating is over, I love driving past the front of our house and seeing the Jack o’ lantern glow in the dark of the night.
Halloween also means dressing up in fun costumes and then walking around the neighborhood trick or tricking. For Halloween this year, my family and I are dressing like Sesame Street characters. My daughter absolutely adores Elmo, so I decided to let her be Elmo for a night. I am dressing as Abby Cadabby. My husband is dressing as Cookie Monster. Although I could run out and buy Sesame Street costume for my family, I am instead opting for an easier and cheaper alternative: simple homemade Sesame Street costumes.
Because the weather is always so cold by Halloween in my neck of the woods, a warm Elmo costume is a must for my daughter. To make her costume as simple as possible, I am dressed her in red pants with red socks and a red shirt. To complete her costume, she is wearing her crocheted Elmo hat. If the weather is really cold, I can also put a red coat and red mittens on her. For a seriously simple Elmo costume, dress your toddler in all red and add an Elmo face hat.
Abby Cadabby
For my Abby Cadabby costume, I am wearing a blue dress with pink tights and a pink shirt underneath. To finish off my look, I am using purple hairspray in my hair. To complete the costume on a toddler, add either a purple pig tails wig or a crocheted Abby hat. If your child is old enough, you can even make a wand with a stick and a colorful pompom made from yarn.
Bert
To make a Bert costume, start by dressing your child in green pants, white and blue shoes, and a shirt with green, blue, and orange vertical stripes. To make the costume more elaborate, add a crocheted Bert hat. Older children can carry paperclips and bottle caps.
Big Bird
For children who love Big Bird best, start with orange pants with orange socks and a yellow shirt. Add a crocheted Big Bird hat to finish off the costume. If you want to get a little more elaborate, add three pink rings around each leg, just like the pink markings on Big Bird’s legs.
Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster is a super simple costume to make for a young child. Start by dressing your toddler in blue pants with blue socks and a blue shirt. Then add a Cookie Monster hat on top to finish off the costume. Alternatively, your child can wear blue pants with a blue Cookie Monster face shirt. For an added touch, make a “Cookie Bag” by writing “Cookies” on a plain bag. Let your child collect Halloween candy in the Cookie Bag instead of a plain sack.
Ernie
To make a Ernie costume, start by dressing your child in blue jeans, a blue and red horizontal-striped shirt, and red shoes. To make the costume more elaborate, add a crocheted Ernie hat. Your child can even carry a rubber ducky to complete the look.
Grover
Creating a Grover costume for your toddler is similar to creating a Cookie Monster costume. Start with blue pants with blue socks and a blue shirt. Then add a crocheted Grover hat to finish off the look. If your child loves Super Grover best, add a red cape to the costume.
Oscar the Grouch
For an Oscar the Grouch costume for your toddler, you have two choices. The first is to dress your child in green pants with green socks and a green shirt and finish the costume off with a crocheted Oscar hat. If you want to include a trash can as part of the costume, dress your toddler in gray or silver pants instead of green. For older kids, you can also make a trash can by bending a piece of cardboard into a large cylinder. Spray paint the cardboard silver and add straps over the shoulders. Only add the cardboard trash can if your older child can walk easily with a more elaborate costume.
Rosita
For a child who wants to be Rosita for Halloween, start with blue-green pants with blue-green socks and a blue-green shirt. Complete the costume with a crocheted Rosita hat.
Snuffy
If you child wants to dress as Snuffy, create a costume with brown pants, brown socks, and a brown shirt. Add a crocheted Snuffy hat to finish off the costume. You can alternatively make a mask with a long nose out of brown paper or fabric. However, make sure that the mask does not obstruct your child’s vision.
Telly Monster
Telly loves triangles, so make sure that your child who wants to dress as Telly has some triangle-shape toys to carry around on Halloween. To create the Telly costume, dress your toddler in fuchsia pants with fuchsia socks and a fuchsia shirt. Top the costume off with a crocheted Telly hat.
Zoe
To make a Zoe costume, start by dressing your toddler in an orange shirt and pink tights or leggings. Add a pink body suit with a pink tutu on top of the rest of the outfit. Then add a crocheted Zoe hat to complete the look.
Although store bought Halloween costumes can be fun (like the ladybug costume in which I dressed my daughter last year), I am opting for a simpler solution for my family this year. Using clothes that we already own, my daughter is dressed as Elmo, I am dressing as Abby Cadabby, and my husband is dressing as Cookie Monster. What costumes are you and your children donning this Halloween?
For handmade crocheted Sesame Street hats, check out Sunshine Knit and Sew on Etsy, who so graciously allowed me to use her Sesame Street Baby Hat photos.
Image Credits
Simple Sesame Street Halloween Costumes for Toddlers © 2013 Heather Johnson
Adult Abby Cadabby Halloween Costume © 2013 Heather Johnson
Toddler Elmo Halloween Costume © 2013 Heather Johnson
Crocheted Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Crouch Hats: http://www.etsy.com/listing/114818727/sesame-street-baby-hats-photography
Crocheted Zoe, Abby Cadabby, and Grover Hats: http://www.etsy.com/listing/120407439/sesame-street-baby-hats-photography
