Family Halloween Costume Ideas with Little Kids

Ever since becoming parents, family Halloween costumes have become one of our favorite traditions. Some years were thrown together at the last minute, some were surprisingly elaborate, and some only lasted long enough for a few quick photos before someone had a meltdown or wanted snacks. 😂

But looking back through these photos is honestly one of my favorite parts of motherhood.

From babies and toddlers to themed family costumes everyone actually agreed to wear, I wanted to put all of our favorite family Halloween costume ideas in one place — especially for families with little kids.

If you’re trying to come up with cute, cozy, funny, or easy family costume ideas this year, I hope these give you some inspiration.

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Shop all of our favorite family Halloween costume finds here

Wicked-Inspired Family Halloween Costume Idea

When my daughters became obsessed with Wicked, we immediately knew we had to turn it into our family Halloween costume theme.

My oldest daughter, Emily, was completely obsessed with Elphaba, while my middle daughter, Maddie, fully embraced her Glinda era. Instead of forcing everyone into one exact matching costume, we decided to build our family theme around the entire Wizard of Oz world.

Emily insisted that I paint her green just like Elphaba, so I ended up ordering a non-toxic face paint from Amazon and only painted her face. We added the tiniest bit of mascara, and she was absolutely thrilled to finally get to wear “makeup” for Halloween.

Elphaba Kids Costume / Elphaba Green Make up

Meanwhile, Maddie was beyond excited about all the Glinda accessories — especially her light-up crown and wand. The girls truly loved these costumes so much, which honestly made the whole thing even more fun for us as parents.

I got to be Dorothy (which honestly meant I got to feel cute for Halloween for once 😂), my husband made the perfect Scarecrow, and our baby boy completely stole the show as the Cowardly Lion.

What I loved most about this costume idea was that everyone got to be exactly what they wanted while still fitting together as a family theme.

We wore these costumes to the girls’ school Halloween parties and later took the kids trick-or-treating in a friend’s neighborhood since we live out in the country without many nearby neighbors. It ended up being one of those chaotic, joy-filled Halloween days that felt so magical with little kids.

Shop These Wicked Costumes

Our family clearly has a soft spot for the Land of Oz! If you’re looking for more Wizard of Oz inspiration, take a peek at the Wicked-themed 5th birthday party we threw for my daughter and the elegant Dorothy-inspired 70th birthday celebration we planned for my mother-in-law, inspired by her name, Dorothy.

When Your Kids Want Different Halloween Costumes

This was the year we officially entered the “everyone has their own opinion” phase of family Halloween costumes 😂

Emily desperately wanted to be a pink unicorn, while her sister was completely obsessed with Ariel and refused to be anything other than The Little Mermaid. At first, I thought our matching family costume era might be over.

Instead of trying to force everyone into one theme, we decided to divide and conquer.

Emily and I wore matching rainbow unicorn costumes from Target, while Dad dressed up as King Triton and our newborn baby brother became Flounder. Suddenly, even though everyone technically had different costumes, the whole thing still somehow worked together.

Adult Unicorn Costume / Kids Unicorn Costume

Adult King Trident Costume /
Ariel Wig /

Honestly, this ended up being one of my favorite Halloween costume years because it felt the most like everyone’s real personality.

One daughter fully embraced the sparkly unicorn life, while the other was deep in her Disney princess era. And baby brother honestly looked hilarious dressed as tiny Flounder 😂

I also love this idea for families with multiple kids because it takes so much pressure off trying to make everyone agree on ONE costume theme. Instead, we built mini themes within the family costume, and it made Halloween way more fun for everyone.

And the matching unicorn outfits? Absolutely worth it.

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Ariel Costume:
The exact Ariel costume we used is no longer available, but this one is very similar and just as adorable and also made by Disney!
Ariel Wig
Adult King Trident Costume
Flounder Infant Costume
Adults Unicorn Costume:
our exact costumes are no longer available, but this one has the same whimsical pastel look and gives the same magical vibe for a family costume theme!
Kids Unicorn Costume:
this adorable version pairs perfectly with the adult costume and was such a fun addition to our group theme.

Super Mario Family Halloween Costume Idea

The year the Super Mario Bros. movie came out, this family costume was an easy choice 😂

Dad was Luigi, I was Mario (mustache included), Emily was Princess Peach, and Maddie was the cutest little Toad. Everywhere we went, people immediately recognized the theme, and the girls were SO excited because they already loved the characters.

This ended up being one of my favorite family Halloween costumes because it was colorful, simple, and surprisingly easy to pull together. The adults’ costumes were inexpensive basics, and then we focused on making the girls’ costumes the stars of the show.

Tiny Toad absolutely stole everyone’s attention. The oversized mushroom hat made the entire costume, and Maddie stayed in character all night looking adorably serious while dressed like a little mushroom person 😂

Meanwhile, Emily fully embraced being Princess Peach. The crown, pink dress, and dramatic princess energy were honestly perfect for her.

I also loved how comfortable these costumes were for trick-or-treating. The kids could layer underneath, nothing was too bulky, and everyone stayed warm enough walking around all evening.

If you’re looking for a recognizable family Halloween costume that works great for young kids, this one was SUCH a fun choice.

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Easy Family Halloween Costume Idea for Hunters

This family Halloween costume honestly came together because we were trying to save money 😂

We already had hunting gear, so instead of buying full family costumes, my husband and I decided to wear our camo and hunting clothes and just get costumes for the girls. It ended up being one of those accidental themes that turned out way cuter than we expected.

Also: the rifle in this photo is a wooden toy gun that belonged to my husband when he was little 🤎

Emily was a little bear, Maddie was our tiny “Maddie Moose,” and suddenly the whole thing just worked.

Black Bear Costume / Toddler Moose Costume

I loved this costume idea because it was realistic for cold-weather trick-or-treating too. We layered the girls underneath their animal costumes, wore warm boots and jackets, and didn’t have to freeze while walking around all evening. Honestly, practical mom wins are sometimes the best Halloween wins.

The funniest part is that the girls completely leaned into their little animal personalities all night. Emily stomped around in her fuzzy bear costume, and Maddie’s little antlers and furry moose outfit absolutely stole the show. She looked so tiny and serious in it that people kept stopping to smile at her.

This was also one of my favorite “real life” Halloween costumes because it didn’t require tons of planning or money. We pulled together what we already owned, added two adorable animal costumes, and somehow ended up with a coordinated family theme that still looked intentional.

Proof that family Halloween costumes do not have to be expensive to turn out adorable 🤎

Halloween Tip for Families With Little Kids

One of our biggest tips for trick-or-treating with little kids is having a really good double stroller. We’ve used our double BOB stroller for years — from neighborhood walks and stroller runs to Halloween nights and even Disneyland trips. We’ve literally put thousands of miles on this stroller, and it has been one of our most-used baby items ever. Having a comfortable stroller makes Halloween with little ones so much easier once tired little legs start slowing down at the end of the night!

👉 Shop our favorite double stroller here

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Mom’s hunting top:
I couldn’t find the exact camo top I wore for this family Halloween costume, but this one is very similar and gives the same cozy hunting costume look!
Mom’s hunting pants:
These aren’t the exact camo pants from our costume, but they’re a great similar option for recreating this budget-friendly hunting family Halloween costume idea.
Dad’s hunting top
Dad’s hunting pants
Little Black Bear Costume
Toddler Moose Costume

101 Dalmatians Family Halloween Costume

This was the year our family Halloween costumes peaked in pure cuteness 😂

We decided to do a 101 Dalmatians theme, with my husband, toddler, and I all dressing as Dalmatians… and baby Maddie as Cruella de Vil. And honestly? The tiny black-and-white wig absolutely made the whole costume.

We wore these cozy Dalmatian onesies to a trunk-or-treat event, and at first people would smile and say how cute the matching puppies were. But the second they noticed we were carrying around a tiny baby Cruella, people completely lost it. We had strangers stopping us all night to laugh, point, and ask for pictures.

The funniest part was that Maddie had no idea why everyone was so obsessed with her. She just sat there looking tiny and dramatic in her fluffy faux fur coat and oversized Cruella wig while everyone around us melted.

This ended up being one of my favorite family Halloween costumes because it was easy, comfortable for cold weather, and instantly recognizable. Plus, the matching Dalmatian pajamas made the whole thing feel extra cozy for a night of trick-or-treating with little kids.

And yes… I still cannot believe how perfectly she pulled off Cruella at barely a few months old 🤍

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Simple Pregnancy Halloween Costume Idea

This was the year we kept things extra simple — and honestly, those are sometimes the sweetest Halloweens to look back on.

My husband had to work at the hospital that night, so we skipped the big family costume theme and stayed cozy at home handing out candy instead. I was pregnant with our second daughter and wore a skeleton pregnancy shirt with the little baby skeleton on the belly, while Emily matched in the cutest tiny skeleton outfit.

Earlier that day, we also dressed her up as Rosie the Riveter, which ended up being one of my favorite toddler Halloween costumes ever. Between the little denim jumpsuit, pink bandana, and her serious little expression, she completely stole the show.

I love this Halloween because it perfectly captured that season of life for us — hospital scrubs, pregnancy cravings, toddlers running around the house, and simple costumes that didn’t require a huge budget or weeks of planning. Sometimes the low-key years end up being the most memorable 🤍

The DIY Costume That Started It All

One of my favorite costumes we ever did was also one of the cheapest.

For my daughter’s very first Halloween, I dressed her up as a tiny Boston Marathon finisher using things we already had around the house. I put her in my actual Boston Marathon tank top from race weekend and tied the back so it would fit her, added my marathon medal, and laid her on the foil finisher blanket I still had from the race.

It cost almost nothing, but it’s still one of my favorite costumes we’ve ever done.

That’s one thing I’ve learned over the years with family Halloween costumes: kids don’t care if everything is perfect or expensive. Some of the most meaningful costumes come from using things you already own and turning them into memories.

The photos, traditions, and little moments together are the part that lasts 🤍

Shop All Our Halloween Costumes

Wicked Costumes

Little Mermaid/Unicorn Costumes

Super Mario Family Costume

Final Thoughts on Family Halloween Costumes with Little Kids

Looking back through all of these Halloween photos honestly feels a little emotional.

Some years were elaborate, some were thrown together with things we already owned, and some only worked because we let the kids completely take the lead on who they wanted to be. Over the years, we’ve learned that family Halloween costumes do not have to be expensive, perfectly coordinated, or Pinterest-perfect to become meaningful memories.

Sometimes the costumes everyone remembers most are the simple ones — like turning old marathon gear into a baby Boston Marathon costume or building a family theme around whatever characters the kids are currently obsessed with.

As our kids have gotten older, I’ve also realized that the fun is less about having the “perfect” costume theme and more about seeing their personalities come to life each Halloween. From little animal costumes and matching pajamas to Wicked-inspired characters and tiny baby costumes, every year has captured a completely different season of our family life.

If there’s one thing I’d encourage other parents to do, it’s to lean into the magic while your kids are little. Use things you already have, let the costumes be imperfect, say yes to the silly ideas, and take way too many photos.

Those are the memories that end up meaning the most 🤍