Halloween might be over but, if your kids are anything like ours, then the dress up days in your house are definitely not the kind of thing that only happen in October. In fact, our kids love playing dress up so much that it’s not uncommon to find someone in our house wearing a costume just about every single day of the year! The kinds of costume our kids choose depend on the time of year or what they’ve been watching on TV lately, but there’s one costume category that pretty much always beats out the rest as a favourite. Our kids simply love dressing up like animals!
There are plenty of animal costumes you can buy for your kids but we always find that ours like to use things even more when we make them ourselves. Just in case you think your kids would rather have DIY costumes too, or perhaps in case you’d prefer to save money and use your own skills, here are 15 of the best homemade animal costume tutorials we’ve seen so far!
1. Bat wings and ears
Our kids are quite happy to wear all kinds of animal themed costumes, but they’re usually the most enthusiastic about costumes that involve capes! If the cape involves a hood then that’s a total bonus. That’s why we liked this cute bat ears and bat wings cape idea from Made Everyday. In fact, we loved it so much that we actually made our very own by actually following this tutorial!
2. Cute feathered chicken
Perhaps your littlest child is the one who really needs an animal themed costume so they can match their older siblings and really look like part of the gang? In that case, we think you’re going to love this adorable little feathered chicken costume idea from Living The Swell Life! It’s easy to make from a white shirt, yellow leggings, and a white feather boa, but the funniest part for us is the rubber gloves on the feet! This wouldn’t work for older kids who need to walk around, but it’s a cute idea for babies.
3. DIY elephant costume
Do you have a little bit of sewing experience so the idea of actually making your kids’ outfits from scratch doesn’t totally intimidate you? Then maybe you’re ready to turn your little ones into funny little elephants with big, adorable ears! Larissa Another Day guides you through the process of making the suits, the hoods, and the drunks. They even give you a pattern for shoe covers that look like elephant feet!
4. Pink flamingo
Have your kids always been huge fans of the colour pink, loving just about any dress up idea that lets them wear as much pink as possible? We know ours will certainly take any opportunity to dress in pink from head to toe, especially if it means they get to dress up like an animal! That’s why we thought this tutu clad pink flamingo idea from Kids Matter was so cute. We can’t get over the funny little eyes and the big beak attached to the hat!
5. Baby fox
Would you rather help your chid turn into a cute, furry little creature rather than a brightly coloured bird, but you’d not that experienced with sewing so you’d prefer to start with base pieces of clothing and embellish them from there? Then we think we might have found just the tutorial for you! Taylor Made Creates shows you how to turn a pair of pyjamas with a hood into an adorable little fox outfit complete with ears and a tail.
6. Baby hedgehog
Are you up for a little bit of a challenge but you’d still like to keep it basic enough that you can get it done in just a few steps? Well, this insanely adorable hedgehog outfit from Alida Makes certainly meets those criteria, plus it’s so cute that it might be our absolute favourite idea on the whole list! This tutorial shows you how to cut felt into small strips to look like hedgehog quills. We love the way they’ve used multiple colours in order to really mimic the actual quills of the real thing.
7. 10-minute homemade jellyfish costume
Are you pressed for time because your little ones have suddenly decided that they need a new animal costume for a homemade play they’re putting on in your living room right now, so you want to work quickly? In that case, tell the kids to go grab their blue pyjamas while you reach for that old clear plastic umbrella you’ve had since college and raid your ribbon stash! Giggles Galore shows you how to attach the ribbons all along the bottom edge of the umbrella so they sway through the air when the kids hold the umbrella and move, just like a jellyfish’s legs float through the water.
8. Baby koala bear
Does your baby have a gray onesie that has always reminded you of a little koala bear every time you put it on? Well, why not turn it into precisely that, just for fun? Creating Really Awesome Fun Things shows you the simple steps for making a cute little koala face and little feet out of felt, as well as how to attach them to the onesie. If you don’t want to turn the onesie into a koala costume permanently, try using safety pins or stuck on Velcro instead of thread or glue!
9. Baby moose costume
Are you very into the idea of making a cute little animal costume out of things you already have in your home, rather than going out and spending lots of money on new crafting supplies? Then grab your baby’s brown onesie, the one with the hood, and dig an old pair of tan gloves out of the winter clothing basket! The Dragon’s Fairytale shows you how to stuff the gloves and sew them to the onesie’s hood so they look like cute plush antlers. It’s as simple as that!
10. Baby octopus
Of all the things on our list, are the adorable baby animal costumes the ones that are really catching your eye and squeezing your heart? Then here’s another incredibly adorable DIY idea for your consideration, and we particularly love it because it’s also an upcycling opportunity! Mom Inc Daily suggests filling the legs of old kids’ tights or leggings with stuffing or rags and sewing them around the waist of a onesie, tacking buttons the underside to look like suckers. Attach six colourful “legs” and then put a pair of tights with similar buttons on your baby’s own two legs and you’ve got a total of right- just like an octopus!
11. DIY panda bear
Did the koala bear onesie idea almost hold your attention long enough to reach for your crafting supplies but it turns out you don’t actually have a grey onesie on hand? Well, if you happen to have a black one instead, then perhaps you’d prefer this adorable panda bear look instead! Just like the koala, it’s made using simple cutting techniques and sheets of felt. See the whole idea in more detail from Creating Really Awesome Fun Things.
12. Cotton ball sheep
Are your favourite kinds of crafts always the ones made of household wares and supplies that, on a normal day, you wouldn’t necessarily see as crafting supplies? Then we have a feeling you’ll get a huge kick out of this adorable sheep costume from Modest Effort Mama! The base out fit is simple black clothing, but the “wool” is made from glued on cotton balls. The kids can even help with this idea, gluing the cotton balls on themselves!
