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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Sending a toddler to Nursery halloween party as a scary clown? Ok or not?

30 replies

babarthefuckingelephant · 30/10/2015 00:41

Genuinely not sure weather not to care or weather its inappropriate or scary for two year olds. Its the halloween party in the morning and we have had a really difficult few weeks and not got anything sorted. He already has faceprint and a clown outfit and its about all i can scramble together. Will we look like psychos?

OP posts:

AbbyCadabra · 30/10/2015 01:10

A Halloween party at a NURSERY?! Good God!

(FWIW my two year old was frightened by Father Christmas and people in animal costumes that were supposed to be cute. I wouldn't send a small child to a party where there was something scary.)

TheHouseOnTheLane · 30/10/2015 01:15

What's wrong with a Halloween party at a nursery ffs?

OP I wouldn't. My friend and I went to a party last year and her 4 year old was horrified by the scary clown there....clowns are still seen as "good" by little kids!

TheHouseOnTheLane · 30/10/2015 01:16

Have you got black top and trousers that you could paint a skeleton on?

Or what about just a mask (not too scary) from Asda...?

CluckingBelle · 30/10/2015 01:16

I dressed my 2 year old as chucky and she won a dress up competition. Not to nursery but for a young children's event. Realistically, how scary is a preschooler dressed as a clown going to get? So my opinion is to go for it.

PervyMuskrat · 30/10/2015 01:19

Not ok. If you have facepaint, a couple of small bats or pumpkins on his cheek but not a full on outfit. I hope the next few weeks get better

TheHouseOnTheLane · 30/10/2015 01:20

Oh yes! Do him with a "bat" face and dress him in black...have you a batman t shirt?

TheOriginalMerylStrop · 30/10/2015 01:22

any old dressing up - power ranger/whatever better - or just a clown. non-scary version

FeelsLikeHome123 · 30/10/2015 01:25

Scary clown - no but no problem with dressing up for holloween

Mmmmcake123 · 30/10/2015 01:29

I'm sure the other toddlers won't analyse it too much. Seriously don't over worry

AbbyCadabra · 30/10/2015 01:33

But is it just a dress up day, or a 'scary' dress up? Because the op is/was considering a 'scary' clown.

Senpai · 30/10/2015 01:35

I wore my horrifying zombie make up in front of 19 month old DD and she was fine with it. I'd be worried more about the older children around 3-4 to be honest. But two year olds don't even understand it's suppose to be scary yet.

BoomBoomsCousin · 30/10/2015 02:02

Can't you just make it a normal clown costume, not a scary one? Though I doubt most two year olds have the requisite social knowledge to know that scary costumes are supposed to be scary, the staff and other parents might react poorly.

hazeyjane · 30/10/2015 02:34

I don't think, at 2, halloween dress up has to be scary - just dress up - so I would just go normal clown, if that is the costume you have.

I know for a fact that several small children will knock at our door dressed as Elsa, as terrifying as she is in full 'let it go' mode, I don't think she is supposed to be scary!

spillyobeans · 30/10/2015 06:00

That would be scary as fuck. Have you not seen american horror story freak show woman! You will look like a strange one!

Ok overreaction but i hate clowns!

zombieme8 · 30/10/2015 06:19

Could your ds not just be a clown? Maybe draw some pumpkins on his cheeks? I don't think toddlers need to be terrifying for Halloween!

Booboostwo · 30/10/2015 06:30

Face masks are likely to scare some children, painted on negative expressions are likely to scare some children. I would assume the nursery meant fancy dress not scary fancy dress.

MeeWhoo · 30/10/2015 06:34

When ds was two and abit we decided to go take him to a children's show led by a clown (regular clown, not scary). It was NOT a good idea, the milisecond the clown came out he started screaming in absolute terror and clinging to dh and I with his fingernails, even trying to breastfeed even though he had been weaned a couple of moths earlier. I don't think we would have had a worse reaction had he been confronted with a lion on the loose.

He is 4 now and ok with clowns, but (thankfully) I have never seen him have such a strong, visceral reaction to anything, the fear was really palpable. Talking to other people I have been told he is not thr first child to be terrifies of clowns on first sight, so, for that reason only I wouldn't reccommend mixing clowns and toddlers.

BathshebaDarkstone · 30/10/2015 06:40

I think just a clown, or has he got any other dressing up clothes? My DC have loads.

Groovee · 30/10/2015 06:40

Our nursery doesn't allow masks or face paint as it a can scare some children.

FrozenPonds · 30/10/2015 06:53

Why does the child have to be a scary clown?

Just dress them as a normal funny clown if you already have the costume.

Most kids there will be dressed as super heroes or Disney characters anyway, I reckon.

Slugonthewindow · 30/10/2015 07:03

I agree about a couple of pumpkins or bats on the cheek - just do a wee bit - no need for a full costume this year

JeffreySadsacIsUnwell · 30/10/2015 07:09

Another vote for pumpkins or bats. I know my DC's keyworker would freak at a scary clown, even toddler-sized, let alone the children!!

Also, full face paint for a whole nursery session when you're not around may not be the best idea. As soon as your DS gets tired and starts rubbing his eyes, all that face paint is going to be smeared everywhere and possibly in his eyes too . Just not worth it for a nursery party!

Original poster

babarthefuckingelephant · 30/10/2015 07:14

Oh crap. I really should have checked this earlier. He's half dressed now and looks like the frigging joker. What have I done. They are going to call social services aren't they. What a fail

OP posts:

JeffreySadsacIsUnwell · 30/10/2015 07:20

OP - if you have grey tracksuit trousers and top, or brown, black or even navy (children can't tell the difference between navy and black anyway), dress him all in one colour, safety pin a (short) bit of string or ribbon to the back of his trousers and use your face paint (or eyeliner!) to draw on whiskers and a nose. Then send him as a cat. Job done!

We do lots of last-minute costumes in this house. Seems like every week the school decides it's yet another dressing-up day. Take this as your hint to start keeping a box of last-minute useful stuff! I buy animal hair bands with ears whenever I see them, for example, plus a full black outfit and a full grey outfit for each DC is always useful (not kept just for dressing-up, but if you know that the DC always have somewhere in their wardrobe eg black leggings and a black t-shirt, you don't panic quite so much at emergencies!). Craft box with emergency ribbons, sheets of felt and fabric pens also essential, plus safety pins and bondweb.

I promise you, it only gets worse as they get older - especially as they may lose the letter from school so you know only when you get the reminder text or another parent asks what you're doing, or your DC insists they want to be something in particular! Hope your DS enjoys the party.

JeffreySadsacIsUnwell · 30/10/2015 07:23

X-post. Just take the full face paint off him, keep him in the clown costume if he wants to wear it and draw a pumpkin on his cheek (or the tip of his nose, instead of a red clown nose!) to keep him happy.

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