Cosplay is so fun but when you downsize it for your little one there are lots of extra details to keep in mind! I hope these tips help.
I’ve always loved creating cosplay for myself but I think the challenge of creating it for a child has made me love it even more. There’s so many extra hurdles. My daughter wanted to be Cruella for Halloween this year and inspired me to put together some tips on creating cosplay for kids.
You can view more details on her Cruella cosplay here!
Growth
Try to think of ways the costume can grow with your child. Maybe not several years, but for at least one year. If your child is still under one, this is probably impossible because they just grow so fast. But you can still create elements you can reuse if you ever decide to upgrade the costume.
Cruella examples:
- The shoulder epaulets detach from the jacket so they could be added to a new jacket if necessary.
- The train isn’t sewn to the elastic so it can be widened with a new elastic.
Store Bought
No shame in buying as much as you can. For the most part, children’s clothing is pretty cheap. Maybe even cheaper than buying the actual fabric and sewing it yourself. So if there are any base items you can buy (pants, jackets, etc) and build on top of, I highly recommend it. Maybe even buying a costume from Spirit Halloween and just making it better. This probably goes without saying but be sure to check second hand stores too!
Cruella examples:
Multiple Versions
Consider making at least two versions:
- Full version for cons and/or Halloween event. They’ll be supervised so you can include all the bells and whistles. You know your child best so don’t push them past their limit and play off what they like. Since I know my daughter loves big dresses I knew she wouldn’t have a problem wearing a lot of fabric.
- Play version for daycare/school. Don’t focus on accuracy and details. Think, DisneyBound. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it’s an informal type of cosplay or dress up inspired by different Disney characters and themes. There are some amazing (and simple) ones out there so do a search for some inspiration!
- Safe for playground and other kids
- Not too long so they can climb and run
- Nothing hanging off it that can get hung on something
- Nothing that might scratch or hurt them or another child
- Comfortable fabrics they can wear all day
- Feel free to include 1-2 extra pieces that can be added on for a photo (example: jacket or helmet, just be sure you trust their teacher to keep it safe and provide something to put it in)
- Easy for your kid (and teacher) to use the bathroom
- The bottoms come off easily or have easy to use snaps
- There isn’t an excessive amount of fabric that might fall into the toilet
- They can easily wash their hands
- Washable
- Between lunch, crafts, and outdoor playtime your child probably comes home a mess, so be sure you can clean their costume, preferably by just throwing in the washing machine.
- NOTHING YOU’RE ATTACHED TO OR NEED FOR THE FULL VERSION
- Ask yourself, if this gets destroyed or ripped, will I be upset? If yes, then rethink that part of the play version. I was originally planning on adding some red fabric directly to the black skirt, but the black skirt was part of the full costume and if it got ripped, I wouldn’t have anything. So I just bought a separate skirt.
- Shoes are the exception and can probably hold up for both versions. If there are any attachments, remove them for the play version.
- Safe for playground and other kids
