You’ve made your caramel apples, carved your jack-o-lantern, and set out your decorations. It still feels like you’re missing something…
Oh, right. Your kid needs a costume.
If you’ve waited until the last minute, don’t worry; Amazon has some surprisingly good ready-to-wear costumes for toddlers, and they’re fairly affordable. Here are a few cute, well-made options that you can buy right now.
1. This cop costume has plenty of small, authentic details.
It’s billed as the “Deluxe Police Dress-Up Costume Set,” and it totally delivers. At under $30, it’s surprisingly affordable, given the excellent attention to detail. Don’t be surprised if you see your kid pulling over other kids with his Big Wheel.
Embroidered patches, real buttons, and comfortable polyester materials make this the perfect outfit for your little officer. You get everything in the picture, except for the shoes (oh, and the kid). Not bad for under $30.
2. Here’s a costume that you can use after Halloween’s over.
This train engineer costume comes with the hat and bandana pictured below. The hat has an elastic band, so it should fit most heads, but the overall sizing runs a bit small, so keep that in mind when ordering.
If your kid loves trains, you’ll get plenty of mileage (pardon the pun) out of this costume. To personalize it, consider ordering a few patches. You might also pick up some toy trains while you’re at it; we’d go old-school with some wooden trains to keep it classic.
Get the costume on Amazon here.
3. Donuts, anyone?
Every kid dreams of dressing up like a donut. It’s a well-established scientific fact.
Okay, your toddler probably isn’t going to choose this Rubie’s Dunk Your Doughnut costume for herself, but it’s too cute to pass up. We could sprinkle in a bunch of doughnut puns, but we’ll try to resist.
Made with comfortable polyester, this jumper has frosting and sprinkles printed on the outside. It includes the cute headband you see above.
The doughnut provides some cushioning, which should help your toddler stay warm on cold October nights, and the entire outfit is remarkably affordable. If you’ve got a pair of toddlers, dress one up like a donut and the other like a cop and enjoy providing the laughs for your neighbors.
4. Every toddler seems to go through a dinosaur phase.
Make the most of it and get some unbelievably adorable pictures. The Silly Safari Triceratops costume is one of the best ready-to-go dino costumes we’ve found.
The fit runs a little bit small, but you can check the Amazon reviews for guidance. The detailing is exceptional, and once you add in some shoes, you’ll be ready to storm the streets of Tokyo (or wherever else your trick-or-treating takes you).
5. If you’re looking for something simple yet magical, this Tinkerbell costume does the trick.
We’re suckers for simple costum
es. They tend to last a long time, and they let kids use their creativity.
This Tinkerbell costume costs less than $20, and you can easily add to it to personalize. The set includes the wings, wand, headband, and tutu, so you’ll probably need some nice shoes to complete the effect.
As with many of the other items on this list, this is an outfit you’ll be able to use after the holiday; after all, you haven’t lived until you’ve had a Tinkerbell-themed tea party. Trust us.
6. What’s more endearing than a three-foot-tall pirate?
California Costumes’ Ahoy Matey pirate costume comes with everything you see here. The pants even have the cute little patches. You might need a toy parrot, but other than that, you’re good to go.
As with many of these costumes, you’ll have to provide your own shoes before you walk the plank. We’d recommend supplementing with some face paint, too—maybe a mustache or a painted-on eye patch?
7. This costume’s billed as an “animal onesie,” but we all know what’s really going on.
This is a Pikachu costume, through and through. It’s remarkably well made for an unlicensed onesie, and the store page offers a few different designs in case you want to, ahem, catch ’em all (again, unlicensed).
This onesie stands up well to repeated cleanings, so after Halloween, it should make decent and snuggly lounging attire. The material is a soft flannel that stays fluffy after repeated cleanings. Be sure to check the Amazon reviews for sizing notes. Oh, and if you’re doing a whole Pokémon thing, you might want to pick up an adult Pokémon trainer costume.
8. What’s more fearsome than a lion?
Well, pretty much everything, as it turns out. This lion costume won’t strike fear into the hearts of any gazelle, but it should be a hit with your neighbors during trick-or-treating.
The hood snaps on, and a snap-open inseam allows for easy diaper changes (or bathroom breaks, depending on the age of your little lion).
The costume is a comfortable jumpsuit, and once you fluff out the mane (it arrives pretty flat), your kid will love it. Best of all, the package includes shoe covers, so it’s basically ready to go as soon as it arrives.
9. This Dorothy costume is incredibly cute, although it requires a few quick upgrades.
While we’re on the subject of lions, cowardly or otherwise, we should mention this adorable Dorothy costume. It’s an officially licensed Wizard of Oz costume, and it’s very true to the famous Judy Garland original.
The only thing we’d change would be the lace on the bottom—that wasn’t in the film—but reviewers say that it’s easy to remove. Note that this costume doesn’t include the iconic ruby-red slippers, so you’ll have to invest in a pair to get the full effect. We’d also recommend a Toto basket, and yes, there are plenty on Amazon. Alternately, you could just buy your tot a little Irish terrier.
10. This next one might be our all-time favorite.
If every toddler had a hot dog costume, the world would be a better place. Seriously. Just try to look at this kid without smiling. “Yeah, Mom, you’ve dressed me up as a hot dog. What am I supposed to do, exactly?”
He’s handling his situation fairly well from what we can see.
Provide your own shirt, pants, and shoes, and you’re good to go. Like a hot dog at the ballpark, it costs less than $20, and it’s oddly satisfying.
11. If all else fails, dress your kid up like a dog.
Hey, why not? It’s pretty cute, and the Underwraps Puppy costume attaches with Velcro, so it’s easy to remove. The swirl design of the fabric stays comfy and soft, so your kid won’t start fidgeting with an uncomfortable costume halfway through his first Halloween.
This costume comes with everything you see here (except the toddler). It’s also designed to be spacious enough to fit over clothing, which is helpful if you live in a colder climate.