My favorite part of halloween is picking my costume. I love dressing up and going all out but for some of our kiddos, they may be more difficult for a number of reasons.
Sometimes it’s sensory, the material of the costume, hats, and masks, or just the overstimulation of it not being their “normal”. Preparing your child is key and waiting until the last minute to grab a costume will probably end in disaster. Begin by letting your little one pick out their character, they are more likely to want to wear it if it was their idea, then start your hunt for the outfit so that you have multiple options to compare. Let them try it on, feel the material, and even practice wearing it at home for small amounts of time to work up to wearing it for longer periods. Some other options would be character hoodies or using regular clothing to create a character, “where’s waldo” is a perfect example.
If your child is non-ambulatory finding a costume can seem a little daunting. Making sure it’s comfortable for them to wear in the wheelchair, but also making sure it’s fun and festive, so here’s where we get creative! I am SO excited that Target has released a line of wheelchair adapted accessories for Halloween costumes! Mermaids, construction equipment…the options are AMAZING and I’m sure these could also be attached to gait trainers or walkers as well! And if you want to take it a step further in the creativity department I’ll introduce you to the king of Halloween…
Recently the Ruff family was one of SGF’s gifted families, Porter is their sweet son who I have had the privilege of knowing since I first became a COTA. Porter’s parents make sure he has the BEST Halloween every year coming up with elaborate ideas that incorporate not only his wheelchair into his costume but they participate too by dressing up alongside him. The level these parents go to for their son is truly an inspiration and I could not make a halloween blog without featuring this amazing little guy and his awesome family!