Your Guide to Halloween Costumes

Vibrant Halloween costumes are so great, why are we bringing them out once a year? At any rate, Halloween is a great time to become that ghoul, goblin or super hero you want to be. Kids and adults can dress up as Spiderman, Wiggles characters or even as Harry Potter. In 2005, the most popular kid costumes were the princess, witch and Spiderman costumes. Witches and vampires make the top of the list for adult costumes. New costumes come out every year, and a lot of them tend to be the latest fads. Some of the longer lasting costumes tend to be superheroes. There should be a lot of Superman and Batman hero costumes, along with Power Rangers too.

However, there are a few good guidelines you need to remember when it comes to getting costumes. There are things to think about, like the size of the costume, the mask, the proper shoes, etc. This could make for a good or bad Halloween experience.

Just imagine Halloween night for a moment. Your child has to carry around a hefty bag or bucket of candy and the hefty Halloween costume too. Uncomfortable shoes could be hazardous. So could masks and heavy crowns or thick costumes… or thin costumes if it is really cold outside.

First of all, not every state is going to have a cold October. Some might have a very warm one. Your child might be too hot in that thick blanket monster costume. Also, if you live in a cold climate area, that thin princess dress might be too thin of a Halloween costume for your little one to be comfortable. Adjust costumes for little ones. Wear more thin costumes for warmer climates and wear a coat on thinner costumes for cold weather. Also, remember that if the costume is already very thick, you will probably not want to layer on another coat. The child will be walking as well and might overheat if he or she is wearing too much.

If you or an older sibling is taking the children along, do take a water bottle or a set of water bottles for the family to share. Every few blocks, let smaller children have something to drink. This will help keep their energy up as they are carrying Halloween costume props and buckets of candy.

As always, make sure any mask your children wears has plenty of breathing space. Some manufactured masks have tiny holes for the nose and mouth. You will want to cut away a bigger hole if your child can't breath. If the child can hear his own breath inside the mask, or his face gets hot after a few minutes of breathing in the mask, the holes are too small.

You should try the full costume on at least once before the big night. Some people get all the parts of the costume but don't put it on until the day of Halloween, when it might be too late to get a bigger or smaller size or to change your mind about costumes. Children should try on the costumes too, to make adjustments as needed when costumes are too long. You don't want children tripping over costume parts while walking along the streets.

With all costumes, if there is going to be a considerable amount of walking, you will want to have the children wear tennis shoes instead of fancy boots or other Halloween costume props. It might be a good idea for the adult in the group to carry a backpack for tennis shoes if children insist on wearing the full outfit.

There are plenty of great and comfortable Halloween costumes to choose from. There are also places that specialize in creating costumes. So pick out the right costume for yourself and your family, and remember the safety factors as well. Everyone will have more fun on Halloween by paying attention to the costumes you wear.