Halloween for toddlers?

[CupidIsFired]

I have a 16 month old DD and we have been invited to a couple of Halloween parties one is from her playgroup.

I wanted to dress DD as a zombie type princess, messy hair fake blood on dress, get her to eat some berries as she's a messy eater, and she loves puttin on make up so give her a make up sponge and some dark make up and go wild. I already have everything required to do this pretty much, would just need to get a bottle of fake blood to put on the dress.

DM says it's probably too much for her age, she should be in something cute, like a witch or cat etc.

Is this right? I'm a FTM so I don't really know what's appropriate or not, I thought it was a good idea myself, I love Halloween and gettin dressed up, even though I haven't done it in years. Just thought it would be funny, and DD can get in on it by doing her own "make up" plus IMO Halloween is supposed to be scary?

So who's right me or my DM?
Zombie princess or cutesy cat/witch costume bought from the likes of Sainsbury's or asda.

[Tracey563]

Happy Halloween everyone

[CupidIsFired]

@donquixotedelamancha haha that made me laugh. Maybe I'll just play it safe with all party's. Wouldn't want to come across "your mum" at one of them, which may be likely going by all the people in the world today... but I'll try to find something unique still, something I can make at home, a bit quirky maybe. At least it can still be fun that way.

[donquixotedelamancha]

Why does do some mumsnetters have a method of almost always ratcheting up the ante to this sort of ridiculous level.

I think it's just one person with 50 to 100 accounts. I'm fairly sure it's my mother. The pearl clutching, the finding of all humour offensive, the anything unusual being disapproved of- it's all classic my Mum.

I'm sceptical that there can be so many illiberal, judgy, humourless people but my Mum has Views on everything and everyone should hear them. Repeatedly.

Seriously OP, don't waste energy trying to reason with my Mum- whatever you do will be Wrong. Just do what you want.

[MorganKitten]

Zombie!

[VladmirsPoutine]

Its grim

Why does do some mumsnetters have a method of almost always ratcheting up the ante to this sort of ridiculous level. It's a toddler party. What is grim about it? It's some berries and a bit of lipstick, I reckon OP's daughter must have a knack for finding herself covered in food with some red lipstick on her forehead on any given day she's let loose!. Good grief!

[GiveMeHope103]

Sounds horrid and I would judge you for dressing her up like that. Its grim. Shes a baby.

[CupidIsFired]

@CassianAndor when did i state i didnt care? I clearly said that I wouldn't dress her scary for her toddler parties so she wouldnt scare anyone and that I would dress her as a zombie for the festival which is going to have all different ages dressed up. So very very likely that alot of people are going to be dressed scary, sooo I'd say it was probably a good chance that any parents who have kids who are scared of these types of costumes aren't going to attend. I've taken DD down the Halloween aisle this week and she wasn't phased by the masks etc. She's still pretty young to know this.
And I say again.... It's not going to be that scary. It's literally going to be a bit of black dirt on her face which she would do as she likes to get into my make up, some red on her dress and messy hair with berry juice on her face. Most dinner times she looks like a zombie after playing all day and eating her fruit for desert. She wouldn't even sit for me to do proper make up on her to actually make her look scary anyway. It will be a cute take on a zombie princess. Plus around Halloween they have zombie themed cartoons... with zombies and mummys and ghosts.

I never once said I didn't care about other children at all. A bit unfair of you to say its clear too

Its halloween, in my family it's always been a scary thing. And if I didn't care, would I have asked for opinions on here? No, I would've just gone ahead and did it without consulting anyone.

[CassianAndor]

Bobby I think it’s pretty clear that the OP doesn’t care if other little children are scared. More important for her to dress up her child.

I can see the thread now: AIBU to think you don’t dress a toddler in a scary costume for Halloween? I was at this great family Halloween festival, loads of good stuff for the children. Unfortunately there was one child dress really scarily as a zombie with blood, lots of the children were really upset and scared, the mum just seemed completely oblivious.

[VladmirsPoutine]

You sound like great fun OP! I'd certainly seek you out in at the party. But for her sake, if the other little kiddies get terrified and avoid her it will be upsetting for her and she won't understand why. Go for the safe option. She's got a lot of Halloween's left to terrify people as she gets older.

[Bobbyflay]

I think your idea is great but you don’t want other children to be scared of her. That would upset if they didn’t want to play with her.

[Josephinebettany]

Oh Halloween is traditionally scary costumes so you are definitely not BU dressing her as a zombie

[GPatz]

I've got one kid going as a clown and the other going as a fisherman

[Northie]

Zombie princess!! There will be 2,000 pumpkins, skeletons and cat costumes from Asda at the party. Bring the fun and originality please

[ToffeePennie]

Oh and we did a flash mob last year where I was the pumpkin queen and he was a mini jack-o-lantern, I adapted a cover for his sling specially.

[ToffeePennie]

You sound like my people. But no, I wouldn’t, the last two years my toddler has been a pumpkin and Frankenstein’s monster. This year he will either be a fluffy muppets style monster a skeleton or a cute black cat, depending what his brother is.

[CupidIsFired]

@Sparklingbrook Halloween festival may suggest horror and gore, but that stuff doesn't start til after dark. The festival starts at 2pm and the first few hours are for the kids, so there's pumpkin carving, games, a parade and some street shows etc.

@CassianAndor I am listening, as I am not going to dress her up like this for when there is other young kids all together in a party. She will be in a cute costume. For the festival, which is in an open area I was thinking of doing the zombie, that way people can walk away from her. I will also the other costume with me incase, but she will not be that scary as she won't have lots of make up on and also there's gonna be adults and older kids dressed up too.


@VickyLouT hahaha this is relatable

I will also dress up too, I love Halloween so it will be something I plan to do every year, we won't be roaming the streets after dark or knocking strangers doors (although that's what we did when I was a kid and it was great fun) we will be going to events and parties and she will be with me all the time. So hopefully enjoyable for both of us, as my nephew, who is a toddler too and will be dressed up, will be coming. Maybe I can think of something matching for them both. Maybe my costume idea will chanhe by then. Who knows. But I'm was planning on covering her in blood and cuts. Just a little blood on the dress, little bits of black "dirt" on her face and messy hair. Then she can eat some berries

[VickyLouT]

www.facebook.com/workinmomsTV/videos/1630138040466013?sfns=1

Do it.

[MRex]

Kids tend to look cute whatever they're dressed in. DS had a few customes last year including a furry monster with big eyes that looked adorable, only two children were scared of him and that's because they thought he was a prop/toy but then he moved. In baby groups he got a lot of cuddles for being furry. You just need to think about what will be popular with other kids for the toddler events; more like sweet monsters with big eyes, big furry spiders or bats etc rather than blood-drenched bandages that they won't really understand.

We're lucky that most of the kids round here dress up and door-knock, the little kids all see older children dressed up with all manner of gore and it's only one or two tinies when they got startled who got even briefly upset; they were fine again and all smiles once the bigger kids showed their faces. There was far more upset over stolen sweets, the ones knocked over by a running ghostbusters squad (who were duly told off) and the "time to go home" grumbles. DS was only a baby but really loved all the costumes on kids coming to the door last year, even the zombies, I think he thought it was all laid on for his entertainment. He'll definitely be dressed up again this year and have had a long nap so he can stay awake long enough to see all the costumes. So don't worry, you'll be able to have plenty of fun.

[Oysterbabe]

A mix of cute and a bit dark. The baby as a dalmatian puppy and you as Cruella De Ville

[BarkandCheese]

I love Halloween too, I’d go with something tame for the nursery party though, you don’t want to be responsible for scaring the other children. However if a little zombie princess turned up trick or treating at my door I’d love it.

I also live in an area where trick or treating is a fun, spontaneous community event for the local children. I think the way people feel about it is often coloured by what goes on in their area. If you gangs of teens in scary costumes banging on your door at all hours of course you’re going to hate it. In my area it starts at around 5pm and is mostly done by 7pm. Families go out together and it’s just a fun evening. We go all out with decorating the house, we have a smoke machine, lighting and sound effects and give away a shed load of sweets.

[hazeyjane]

I love Halloween
When dds were little I made them cat costumes, pumpkins, werewolves... more cute than WAAAAAH!
As they grew up, costumes got more outlandish and dd2 especially, really goes to town....all homemade, sometimes scary, usually just weird and it is fab. This year they want to do matching Victorian ghost girl style, and are trying to work out how they died....bless.

[wonkylegs]

I wouldn't go too scary as some kids get a bit freaked out at this age BUT that doesn't mean you have to go for cutesy generic
When DS1 was 18mths I made him a mummy costume by sewing crepe bandages and strips of white and cream fabric to a white pair of pjs & a soft hat (so he could still be changed) - it was fab and so much better than some of the generic stuff and lasted well - it got a bit stained at nursery that day but washed pretty well and the stains just added to the look so it still looked good when DS2 wore it many years later.
This year DS2 is reusing the dinosaur costume I made his brother when he was 3
Last year he wore a sheet with a neck hole with battery operated white fairy lights sewn under it for trick or treating which although simple just looked like a floating ghost in the dark (also meant he could wear his coat under it)

[misspiggy19]

Grim. Your mother is right. Who would dress a 16 month old as a zombie????

[reluctantbrit]

I am not a Halloween fan at all and only endure it for DD's sake since she is 5 and started going to parties.

I wouldn't mind a zombie toddler but I wonder if it is comfortable for her. let's face it most of the dress up dresses like witches can be a bit scratchy, not sure if she would enjoy the whole process.

Can you show her pictures of children dress up and see how she reacts to a zombie one?

[bobstersmum]

When my ds was in nursery they had a Halloween party, he was 3, I dressed him as Dracula (kids outfit) and put some face paints on, he saw himself in the mirror and was absolutely terrified he couldn't understand why he looked so scary I had to take it all off!