Babies' First* Halloween

This was actually their second Halloween, but this was the first year we recognized the holiday. Since the kids were born in October, they were only a few weeks old when their first Halloween rolled around. And for those of you who are parents, especially parents of multiples, then you know those first few weeks are just sort of a blur of feed, burp, change, sleep, repeat.

Henry and Winry being sleepy newborns for their first Halloween, October 2014

I’m pretty sure that my husband and I were not even aware that Halloween happened until it passed us by. Do I regret it? No. Keeping my babies (and my sanity) alive were the priority. Putting that little bit of extra pressure to make sure I dressed them up and took photos probably would have broken me at that point. So my advice to all new parents is to do something for Halloween only if you really, really want to for yourself. If your family doesn’t understand why your child(ren) aren’t wearing something cute on Facebook, then you need to fire your family. Besides, there are plenty of years of adorable costumes in the future.

I had actually ordered some custom infant t-shirts in case I did need a costume for the kids but didn’t end up taking photos with them wearing it because of what I explained previously. Still, here are the cute twin outfits that I had planned and as a bonus, could be used on non-Halloween occasions. (Second bonus: I may cut the PB&J images out and sew them onto something else. I haven’t decided on this yet. But when I do, I’ll try to post a tutorial in case others want to do something similar.)

Henry was the peanut butter.

Winry was my little jelly.

So if you need something easy, this is a good way to go. Either get blank onesies/shirts and paint or puffy paint them yourself or get a digital print of what you want. I used UberPrints.com. Why? Because they have great turn around, fantastic customer service, an easy-to-use online studio, oh, and I work there, so I already knew that I’d get something awesome.

My only warning is that the Rabbit Skins infant t-shirt product seemed to run a little small, and I would recommend a onesie instead for more accurate sizing. Although, like I said, our customer service is great, and you could always call and talk to a rep about any sizing concerns in case the sizing chart online isn’t helpful enough.

This year, I went with option one and puffy painted something onto a couple of black romper onesies. My idea was to paint the Big and Little Dipper constellations on the onesies (Henry was born first and is a little bigger than Winry, so making him the Big Dipper was an easy choice). Meanwhile, Mat (the husband) and I were astronomers.

Astromomer (mom astronomer)
with her Big and Li'l Dippers, Oct. 2015

 

Big Dipper and Dad, October 2015.

Li'l Dipper and Dad, October 2015

This was an easy costume for us as well since we just wore button-up shirts and ties and lab coats that I already had. Why did I already have lab coats? My dad is a microbiologist and brought some home years ago for Halloween costumes when I was a kid. Don’t even get me started on how awesome it was that he could bring dry ice home for Halloween too. Score!

If, however, you don’t have scientist connections, then I found a couple of great DIY lab coat tutorials for the sewing and non-sewing types. These tutorials are for children, but I’m sure if you get an extra bigger-than-you size, you can make the proper modifications for an adult size. Or, like I said, just be or know a scientist, whichever is most convenient.

For those who want to sew, using a men's button-down shirt

Use a white t-shirt for a quick and easy lab coat.

I also made a couple of retractable telescopes out of cardboard tubes as an astronomer accessory for my husband and I. Since I like to think of myself as a practical crafter, my intent was that the kids could play with them when they're older.

I found the original tutorial here.

Retractable Telescope Tutorial 

Mine is decorated with paper (scrapbooking paper that you can find at a craft store is great because it's thin and comes in a variety of decorations) instead of paint, and I used buttons and those little twist ties that you can get off of a loaf of bread instead of the brads. I also added a strap by punching holes near the end and securing the strap's ends inside with tape.

My astronomer version of the retractable telescopes

My one mistake was not following the directions closely enough and putting the second sliding slit on the skinniest tube instead of the middle one. Turns out that it was important since I can't secure that last set of button/twist ties to the tube since it needs to be able to slide. It still works, but I have to slide with care.

I also couldn't help myself this year and got a couple of small pumpkins for the babies. My practical argument is that I can cook the pumpkins afterward--maybe even into some baby food, which is why I chose to paint them with water-soluble acrylic paint instead of carving them.

Shy and not-so-shy Mario Boo pumpkins, October 2015

(Helpful pumpkin preservation tip: spritz the outside of the pumpkin with diluted vinegar and wipe off with a cloth. It kills the bacteria that want to make your pumpkin moldy and sad while avoiding chemicals that would make the pumpkin inedible later.)