Fall is officially here, and the cooler temps and yellowing leaves have us super excited for all of the fall family activities—including Halloween! But Halloween can be confusing for young kids; they’re not totally sure why they’re dressing up or why everyone’s handing out candy. But, once they catch on to the magic and marvel of Halloween, there is no denying their excitement.
But, just like most other holidays and events that involve children, the cost of Halloween can add up. Buying candy, decor, tickets to festivals and fairs—in addition to their actual Halloween costume—can sometimes be the scariest part!
To help you out, we’ve rounded up up the cutest Halloween costumes for babies, toddlers, and kids all under $75 (with many of them being under $40). And, if your child is a little skittish, all of these kids costumes are free of spooks and ghouls—just good, ol’ Halloween fun for the whole family.
Pro-tip: pick one that aligns with your child’s interests and get double-duty out of it as a pretend play dress-up outfit for the playroom post-Halloween! Check out the list below.
For Babies
For baby’s first Halloween, it’s all about the memories for the parents—and the pictures. These costumes for babies check the cute, comfy, and photo-worthy boxes.
Pumpkin Costume
There's a good chance you have a photo of yourself dressed in a pumpkin costume for your first Halloween, so why not recreate it with your little one this year!
Chicken Costume
We love this clucking adorable chicken costume for babies. Make it a family costume by dressing up as farmers—or other farm animals.
Dragon Costume
This baby dragon costume comes with wings that wrap up in a swaddle—too cute!
And "Mother of Dragons" still has a nice ring to it.
Grumpy Costume
The baby beard on this costume is just too much!
And mom can be Snow White for a picture-perfect moment.
Little Lion Costume
This three-piece costume comes with a cozy lion suit, cute headpiece, and a pair of booties.
sizes 6 months - 4 years
Dinosaur Sweatsuit
This dinosaur sweatsuit is so sweet, you'll surely use it beyond Halloween.
comes in 7 colors
sizes 0 - 18 months
Baby Tiger Costume
This tiger onesie from Target is perfectly cozy. You could also add a red hoodie and your little one could be Daniel Tiger, too!
Penguin Costume
This cozy fleece penguin costume is perfect for Halloween, even if your little one can't waddle yet.
Avocado Costume
Q: What's more perfect than an avocado? A: Your little one dressed up as one!
Squiggly Pig Costume
Layer up this little pig with long sleeves and leggings if you're Trick-or-Treating in colder temps.
Lil Monkey Costume
This monkey costume from Amazon is perfect for Curious George lovers. Make it a family costume and dress as the The Man in the Yellow Hat. Or have parents dressed as bananas.
Flamingo Costume
The fluffy detail on this flamingo costume from Pottery Barn is almost too much cuteness!
Starbucks Baby Costume
We'll take one to-go, please!
This cute coffee onesie costume can be customized with a hat (with green straw), cup sleeve, and optional pants.
For Toddlers
A toddler Halloween costume better be comfortable, because little ones are going to be on the move. The good news for parents at this age is many toddlers are open to your costume suggestions. Once they start forming their own opinions, though, the family or sibling costume of your dreams might be just out of reach.
Dalmatian Costume
Whether your toddler loves firefighters or is just a puppy fan, this dalmatian costume is perfect.
Make it a family costume by dressing siblings or parents as a firefighter or Cruella de Vil.
Max Costume
Where the Wild Things Are is a classic for every Halloween and we love this Max costume from Etsy.
Cow Costume
This toddler cow costume from Target is a Halloween classic, complete with a fuzzy little tail!
sizes 18 months - 5T
Elvis Toddler Costume
Celebrate The King this Halloween with an adorable tribute costume—especially timely given the release of the Elvis film this year.
Unicorn Costume
For the little one who loves all-things magical, this unicorn costume comes with both a horn and wings attached.
sizes 18 months - 5T
Madeline Cape
This costume is adorable, even if you don't live in an old house in Paris.
Cape can be worn for toddlers or older kids.
Astronaut Costume
This astronaut costume is out of this world (sorry, we had to do it).
Your little explorer will love the authentic helmet, with movable visor. Plus, this outfit doubles up for plenty of pretend play.
Bumble Bee Costume
Bees are a cute and classic costume that can also easily transform into a group costume with butterflies, garden gnomes, or flowers rounding out the family.
Dorothy Wizard of Oz Costume
One of the classic costumes of Halloween, The Wizard of Oz has so many characters to consider for a costume, but only Dorothy can stand alone.
Don't forget to grab some ruby slippers to make this costume complete!
Melissa & Doug Firefighter Costume
A classic for Halloween and pretend play, this one is sure to get plenty of use.
Troop Beverly Hills Costume
We can't help but want this in our own size! Inspired by the 1989 movie Troop Beverly Hills, this costume includes a sweatshirt, beret, and more. Plus the sweatshirt can be worn all fall/winter long.
Available in adult sizes, too!
For Kids
Now we get to the real magic age for Halloween—when kids can fully experience the joy of dressing up for school, trick-or-treating through the neighborhood, and letting their self-expression shine through their costume.
Personalized Chef Costume
For the aspiring chef, this costume is perfect for Halloween and pretend play. Or make it themed with a Ratatouille toy.
Harry Potter Costume
Is your kid a Gryffindor or Ravenclaw? Either way, this Harry Potter-inspired costume will bring out their inner wizard.
Cruella de Vil Costume
This Cruella cape is both classic and perfect for a family or siblings costume.
Digger Costume
Whose kid hasn't been enthralled by construction equipment? Celebrate their passion with this wearable digger costume.
Cher Clueless Costume
As if we wouldn't include this adorable costume from 1995's iconic movie Clueless!
Wonder Woman Costume
Another costume sure to be a favorite for dress-up, this Wonder Woman costume is also budget-friendly at under $20.
Thor Costume
With this summer's release of Thor: For Love and Thunder, we expect this costume to be a popular choice for kids and grown-ups.
Encanto Costume
Another hit of the past year, Disney's Encanto! This high-quality Mirabel costume is great for Halloween and pretend play.
Black Cat Costume
Classic and cozy, this black cat costume is perfect for layering on a cold Halloween night.
T.Rex Costume
For the dinosaur fan, this bright costume will also make your kid easy-to-spot while Trick-or-Treating.
Pirate Costume
Ahoy matey! This pirate costume is sure to be a favorite for imaginative play well beyond Halloween.
Mermaid Costume
This costume will tide over your mermaid lover as they wait patiently for the live-action Little Mermaid movie coming in 2023.
Alien Abduction Costume
For kids who love the silliest of Halloween costumes, this inflatable costume is sure to get some laughs in their class—and their neighborhood.
Adaptive Halloween Costumes
In recent years, major retailers like Target, Pottery Barn, and more have developed more inclusive costumes for kiddos with specific needs like feeding tubes, sensory sensitivities, and wheelchair adaptability. Below are some of the best adaptive Halloween costumes we’ve seen out this year.
Adaptive Buzz Lightyear Costume
"To infinity, and beyond!"
Buzz is a favorite in any of the four Toy Story films.
Buzz Lightyear Spaceship Wheelchair Cover
Add a space shuttle, and there's no stopping Buzz Lightyear!
Adaptive Unicorn Costume
Everyone deserves the magic of dressing up as their favorite mythical character.
Adaptive Light-Up Black Panther Costume
Inspired by Marvel's Black Panther, this costume even has a chest pad that lights up!
Mystery Machine Wheelchair Cover
Get the whole family in on a group costume with the gang from Scooby Doo.
Editor's Note: This costume is just over our $75-and-under roundup at $79.
This article was originally published in 2018 and has been updated for timeliness.
