Last minute toddler cat or dog costume?

October 23, 2017 7:47 AM

Last minute Halloween costume for toddlers-filter: Our weekend IRL shopping totally struck out! Could you potentially help me find either a cat or dog costume in 24 month or 2T?

Nothing on Etsy is giving me confidence it will arrive in time, and the few options I'm seeing on Amazon and Target are just... weird. I'm hoping to find just a soft bodysuit that has a hood with "ears" and a tail (not a lot of cardboard, a Snoopy doghouse, etc). We have facepaint for whiskers if needed. Thank you!

(I know the mods are trying to keep the number of Halloween questions down and did search the archives, I promise!)

posted by slidell to Shopping (13 answers total)

When my kiddo was that age we used footed pajamas for a kitty costume. I got a piece of fake fur to tack on as a tail, and I think we used a pair of halloween store kitty ears (the kind on a headband). You could also tack felt triangles on a knit cap if it's going to be cold.

When she was a little older we made her a dalmation costume from a white sweatshirt and sweatpants. It was easy to add black dots with paint, pin a little tail to the back of the shirt, and put black felt ear shapes onto a headband or hat.

Bonus with both these costumes was she could wear the base outfit later as clothing.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 7:58 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

Have you asked your neighborhood social media groups? Toddler costumes seem to be a frequent ask on mine.
posted by k8t at 8:34 AM on October 23, 2017 [2 favorites]

I was at H&M yesterday and they had a onesie with a tutu skirt, in black, with a headband and ears. I think it went up to size 2 but it was in the babies section. For what it's worth!
posted by Lawn Beaver at 8:42 AM on October 23, 2017

Best answer: Primary has a lot of "no sew" Halloween costumes with instructions. You have to order by 1 pm EST Wednesday, I believe. They also have a costume "concierge" for ideas. A good backup, perhaps, if a neighborhood list does not work. We ordered some regular clothes (that we can reuse) and got simple clip on ears/tails at Target.
posted by anya32 at 8:45 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

Costco, Shopko. Online services maybe.
posted by Oyéah at 9:41 AM on October 23, 2017

Have you tried local thrift stores?
posted by sulaine at 9:45 AM on October 23, 2017

I sewed felt ears on a hoodie and made a collar from ribbon and a wooden craft disc. Cutest puppy ever.

The ears could also just be safety pinned from inside the hood and felt doesn’t need to be hemmed.
posted by Talia Devane at 10:23 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]

Here’s an option for cat:

Hanna Andersson

The coordinating pjs are sold out in toddler sizes, but I don’t think they were what you’re looking for anyway, and a black onesie would probably do just fine to complete the costume...
posted by jacobdezoet at 10:52 AM on October 23, 2017

Best answer: My kid had a white top with black spots so I just used face paint to give her a nose and some dots on her face and didn't even bother with the years because she was two and didn't care yet. The people who care when it comes to toddlers are usually the parents so if you don't care, I'm pretty sure you could get away with face paint and nothing but face paint. Have fun!
posted by Bella Donna at 1:02 PM on October 23, 2017

Best answer: If you want to DIY a dog costume, we're planning to do it for our 3-year-old using a brown hoodie and leggings (Leveret brand purchased from zulily) and this tutorial.
posted by centrifugal at 5:16 PM on October 23, 2017

Response by poster: Thanks all! These DIY ideas are sounding far easier than I thought. I especially love the picture at the link centrifugal posted. Cute!
posted by slidell at 6:15 PM on October 23, 2017

Just went to Goodwill and it was bursting with costumes.
posted by k8t at 3:17 PM on October 24, 2017

Getting late, sorry, but my favorite DIY toddler costume trick is a hoodie with felt ears, etc. attached, as noted. But the thing that kind of makes it is threading elastic* through the hood's hem/drawstring track to cinch it a bit. You can safety pin the ends of the elastic if you don't want to sew. It keeps the head part on comfortably, so less hood maintenance, and no hats to toss.

*I've always used this, in whatever width will fit in the existing hood hem, but it just now occurs to me that something like an underwear waistband could be pressed into service here.
posted by Leona at 7:14 AM on October 27, 2017