Fall is here and if you haven’t started looking at Halloween costumes for your kid(s), you will soon.

Rules?

For me, last year was relatively easy. He was a baby and wasn’t going to be picky about what costume I chose for him. I figure he won’t really care about this year’s giraffe costume I picked out for him either. But after this year, I foresee potential problems. It’s already obvious to me that my son has a will of his own and he knows what he wants. And walking into a costume store could create some challenges. Not all costumes are appropriate for all ages or all weather conditions.

What grounds rules do you set for your children? Have you had to do you deal with a child who wants to wear a sleeveless outfit and a cold Halloween night?

Best Place to Find Costumes

When I was a child my mom used to take me to the fabric store every year. We would go through pattern books and she would let me choose (with guidance) what costume I wanted. Then we would buy the pattern, fabric and anything else needed and she would painfully sew me an amazing Halloween costume.

My sewing skills do not match my mother’s and I don’t know how she found time to sew the costume.

This year, there was a large variety of costumes at the Spring Chicken Consignment Sale in Havertown and I found a great one for my son. Next year, I’m not sure what we’ll do. It seems like temporary Halloween stores pop up all over the area after Labor Day and party goods stores are usually filled with costumes as well. There are also plenty of costume catalogs and mainstream children's stores, such as Pottery Barn Kids, Children’s Place, Old Navy and Gymboree, that sell costumes this time of year.

Do you make your children’s costumes? If not, where do you find the best costumes that both you and your kids can agree on?