If you’re a parent, you’ll know the sinking feeling when the kids come home from school with another request for elaborate fancy dress. It can be expensive to buy new costumes for every event or party, more so if you have both boys and girls. Although girls are often quite happy to dress as pirates, the same can’t always be said about most boys dressing as Princesses. Kids also grow so quickly that often you can’t use the same outfit on two consecutive Summer parties or Halloweens. It makes a lot of sense therefore to look for ideas which are suitable for everyone, maximising the use you get out of each costume.
Get Some Pirate Inspiration
We’ve already mentioned pirates, and it’s a hugely popular theme for kids of all ages, and for adults too. A basic pirate costume works for both girls and boys, and it’s easy to make a costume your own by adding in jewellery, accessories or even a parrot on the shoulder. Perhaps a better option is to buy separates, which can be mixed and matched with items you already own such as striped t-shirts, bandanas or brightly coloured socks. If you’re crafty, it’s easy to make an old pair of trousers into pirate shorts by hacking the legs off with shorts, or by sticking or sewing on fabric patches. There are lots of ideas online, to suit all budgets and levels of sewing ability.
Unisex Costumes for Halloween
Again there’s a lot of crossover between girls’ and boy’s Halloween costumes, especially if you steer away from the pink and sparkly witch costumes. However, it’s probably better to look elsewhere for your spooky inspiration. There are some very cute bat costumes around for toddlers, which are perfect on either a boy or a girl, and much less scary than some of the options for older kids. The all-time classic Halloween outfit for kids though is the ghost, and all you need for this ultra-simple costume is a cheap supermarket white sheet and a pair of scissors to cut eye holes.
World Book Day Ideas
Parents around the country scramble for new ideas each World Book day, and this is another opportunity to raid the dressing up box, make use of what you have and shop for something which will do for several years. Halloween costumes can often be repurposed for a Harry Potter theme with the addition of a striped scarf. Roald Dahl’s one of the most popular children’s writers, so get into theme with a comfortable fox onesie costume and a copy of Fantastic Mr Fox.
Christmas Nativity Costumes
Most schools still go down the road of having girls as angels and boys as shepherds, but others prefer to mix things up a bit. If you have more freedom over a Christmas themed outfit for your child, look for something like a reindeer, star or even a Christmas tree. This type of costume can easily be recycled for younger brothers and sisters in years to come.