20 Kids’ Halloween Costumes, Vetted 20 Different Ways

As hinted above,Scandinavian-inspired children’s clothing brandHanna Anderssonis a well-establishedparentfavorite. One reason is that the company’s high-quality pajamas make greathand-me-downs. I learned about them from Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio and Verge photo editor Amelia Holowaty Krales when putting together ourbaby costume guideand thought they deserved a spot here, too. Trolio has used thestripey versionof these long-johns when creating costumes for her two kids (they served as the base layer for a deep-sea diver and a robot). But the brand also sells some more specifically costume-y styles like the pirate above (there’s a “Mischievous Mummy,” too), in addition toHalloween-themed printslike gummy bears, ghosts, black cats, and bats that would make for an easy ensemble come October 31. You can also add on accessories like apirate hat and parrot,dragon wingsorbat wings, or alion’s mane and claws.

When I texted my 12-year-old cousin Alex about what he wanted to go as this Halloween, he didn’t hesitate in sending me thisGhostbustersgetup. (His sister, 10-year-old Olivia, is hoping to dress up as Eleven in hertotally tubular ’80s romper.) Inspired byStranger Thingsand a recent rewatch of the legendary ’80s movie, Alex decided this year was the time to go for it. “I’m such a huge Halloween fan and it’s a classic,” he told me. He’s clearly onto something: Grace Rubenstein, co-founder of podcast consulting and production companySeedPod Media(and mother to Strategist deals editor Sam Daly’s half-brothers), told us her 3-year-old and 5-year-old sons are planning on being a Ghostbuster and ghost, respectively. “Kids love to feel important and powerful and helpful, and pretending to be Ghostbusters lets them do that,” she says.

Dodo Kidsvideo editor Erin Hug’s 6-year-old is currently obsessed with the French children’s showMiraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir, centered on two supervillain-fighting Parisian teenagers whose alter-egos are the eponymous Ladybug and Chat Noir. Hug’s husband is French, and her daughter considers the show a “really cool connection to her country,” even watching the showen français. This polka-dottedunitardmatches the one Ladybug wears, and comes complete with a coordinating mask and wig with ribboned pigtails. (To finish the outfit, Hug bought Ladybug’smagical yo-yo, which is used to tie up villains in the cartoon.) “As soon as she put it on, she started posing and jumping around like a superhero,” Hug says.

Art advisorElizabeth Dimond’s 3-year-old twins, Piper and Charlee, haven’t seenTheLittle Mermaidyet — but theydolove mermaids, which is why they proposed going as the sea creature for Halloween (it’s the first time they’ve picked out their own costumes). Dimond took it upon herself to find something that would please her toddlers’ “ever-changing minds” but wouldn’t be too pricey (just in case). This sparkly set includes a shell-adorned headband and familiar red wig that recall Disney’s animated Ariel. The costume is already in heavy rotation at home with one twin wearing the wig daily. To keep her 8-month-old, Quinn, on theme, Dimond is dressing her up asUrsulathe sea witch.

Alisa Richter, head of public relations atthe Sill, has boughtPottery Barn Kids’ Halloween costumesfor her 3-year-old son Finn for the last three years in a row. The brand isa popular source for costumesamong parents in the know, and has an extensive selection. This year, Richer chose this classic jack-o’-lantern costume for him. It features a glow-in-the-dark grin and a hat topped with a pumpkin stem. (Finn’s 6-month-old baby sister, Cecilia, is going to be astrawberry). Richter also bought a coordinatinglight-up pumpkin trick-or-treat bagto complete the look. We heard praise for PBK’s costumes from Lucy Rosenfeld, an associate vice-president at marketing agency Shadow. “They’re not your average ‘store bought’ costumes — they’re made to last and will be able to be passed down from kid to kid,” Rosenfeld says. (Her son’sLightning McQueencostume is now sold out, but the company still has lots of other options in stock.)

Other apparent fans of Pottery Barn Kids’ costumes are America Ferrera and Andy Cohen: When my curiosity over the costumes that celebrities choose for their kids led me to aBuzzFeed listiclefrom last year, I couldn’t help but notice thatFerrera(mother to Sebastian and Lucia) andCohen(whose son’s name is Benjamin) put their kiddos in similar silvery spacesuits. After close inspection of the details — including the petal-like flames on the jetpack and the star-embroidered chest patch — I’m confident the outfit is from PBK. It also comes inbaby-andtoddler-sizeversions, and if you want to stay fully on theme, the company sellsa coordinating rocket-ship treat bagthat can be personalized with your kid’s name orinitials.

In an act of “peak preschool-slash-sibling humor,” the 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son of Chloe Varelidi, founder of play-set makerFollies, are dressing up as a duo of pasta and pizza. (Varelidi attributes the idea to a family trip to Italy this past summer.) She particularly liked the “questionable Photoshop skills” involved in the making of this slice: “My rule is always that when the idea for a costume is ridiculous, it really needs to be very obviously ridiculous,” Varelidi says. As a bonus, her very active son can easily run around in the slice, which slips on over his head and shoulders.

Lila, the daughter of Katie Bishop, supervising producer of Vox Media’s Criminal Productions, is a big fan of the PBS animated showHero Elementary, which follows a group of students enrolled in a school for “budding superheroes.” (Her favorite character is a boy who can wondrously make bubbles.) The 4-year-old also can’t resist sparkle — so Bishop bought her this set that includes a starry tulle skirt alongside a lightning-bolt-emblazoned cape and mask. “Lila has started saying that she also wants to be a cat? And a unicorn? While also being a superhero? And I feel like in a pinch we could make that happen with a few headbands plus this costume,” Bishop says.

This set from beloved toy brand Melissa & Doug boasts a 4.8-star rating on Amazon across more than 2,800 reviews. Reviewers praise the costume’s quality with one joking that their grandson “put out a tremendous amount of fires” with it on and another explaining that the hat-and-jacket combination is tough enough for intense pretend play. The jacket features reflective panels, a name tag, and Velcro bands to hold an included fire extinguisher. Note that the bullhorn can get “excessively loud,” per one recent review, but a piece of packing tape over the speaker can be a quick fix.

To put the finishing touch on any costume — or to turn any kid into a cat, jack-o’-lantern, or other simple-to-paint design — you’ll want to have some face paint on hand. In our guide to thebest Halloween makeup, Stacy Chen, co-founder of face-painting companySilly Cheeks, turned us onto Go Green’s paints. Chen warns against using markers or other art supplies you may have at home, because they can irritate a child’s sensitive skin; instead, she suggests going with organic cosmetics like these. Chen likes that Go Green’s paint is ready to apply and doesn’t require water to activate.

As the Strategist’s self-appointed Halloweenexpert-slash-obsessive, I’m no stranger to Target’sHyde & Eek!line, which is well-known for décor likeposable skeletonsand a vast assortment of costumes and accessories. A quick peek at this year’s offerings led me to itsadaptive costume selection. It’s difficult to findadaptive clothing, let alone Halloween costumes. So the brand’s inclusivity — as well as variety — is welcome and appreciated. Options include arocket ship, arainbow, amermaid, and adragon, but this “flying witch” is probably my favorite. The costume comes with covers to make a wheelchair resemble a nighttime sky and awitch’s hat.

Pokémon is forever, it seems, and there’s a new Pokéfever going around right now, with multiple kids we talked to for ourback-to-school guideexpressing their love for Pikachu and all the rest (especially the relatedmerch). I heard about the resurgence again from Catherine Smart, co-founder of sauce companyNot Just Co., whose first-grader Jack loves the franchise. “All of a sudden, Jack was begging for cards — even proposing chores for card money — and his social life started revolving around a binder of cards and shrewd trades with his friends,” Smart says. So there was no competition for what he would be this Halloween. Smart appreciates the practicality of this “trainer” costume, as Jack can wear along-sleeveshirt underneath the jacket or switch between pants and shorts.

Another popular costume on Amazon is this one-size-fits-most surgeon uniform, which boasts a 4.5-star rating across more than 1,400 reviews. Customers were especially impressed by the quality — one reviewer praised how the set “feels like scrubs and looks like scrubs,” down to the stitching. The ensemble comes with a long list of accessories that you’d see in a doctor’s office, including a stethoscope, otoscope, thermometer, injection needle, and blood-pressure gauge. Another reviewer said their son “got into character right away” once he put on the scrubs, “listening to our hearts and bandaging owies.”

I found a few strong contenders when I Googled Halloween costumes — including arainbow complete with a cloud umbrella(but it’s sold out in many sizes) and alamé, googly-eyed octopus. But this “Monster Mash” one-piece won out because it’s versatile, gender-neutral, and supremely easy. It has horns and spikes, yet looks plenty cozy and cuddly to keep your kid warm in chilly October temps. They could say they’re a dinosaur, or an extra fromMonsters, Inc. And as a bonus, there’s anadult versionif you’re hoping to find matching costumes for the whole family.