Kids astronaut costume submission: a 'Fly to the Moon' costume, from DIY to being seen

Among Halloween costumes, there is one that kids and adults almost unanimously praise —— the astronaut

Kids love it because no child can resist the idea of "I want to go to space". Adults love it because this costume is cool, not scary, and really does not cost much: things you already have at home can be turned into a "little astronaut". Even better, it photographs beautifully, and once you submit it to a costume contest, it is easy to be remembered

This article covers two things: how to put together an astronaut costume for your kids using things you already have at home, and once it is done, how to make that "submission" stand out and get seen by more people

Why choose an astronaut

First, why it is worth making an astronaut costume for your kids

Cool and not scary. On Halloween the streets are full of scary faces and skeletons, and then a little white astronaut suddenly pops up, sharp and clean, standing out along the whole street. Kids are not scared and judges feel at ease

Kids themselves are crazy about it. Few kids dislike space, planets and rockets. The astronaut is one of the few costumes that kids are wildly into on their own, and they stay excited through the whole process, unlike some costumes you have to coax them into wearing

Easy to put together, nothing to buy. The biggest plus of this costume is that almost every material can be dug out at home. Old white clothes, a plastic bowl, a cardboard box, a few stickers —— that is all it takes to build a complete set. A tight budget does not hurt the effect, it actually makes it feel more DIY

How to put an astronaut together from head to toe

The core of an astronaut costume is one word: white. Then add a helmet, add badges, add a backpack, and you are set

Base layer. Find white one-piece pajamas, or a white T-shirt with white pants. Pure white is the base color of a spacesuit, the whiter the better. If you do not have all white, light colors work too, just nothing too busy

Helmet. This is the soul of the whole costume. There are three options: one, use a white or light-colored hard hat with the brim facing forward as the body of the helmet; two, use a big plastic bowl, turn it upside down on the head and cut a "visor" window in the side; three, cut a cardboard box into a helmet shape. Whichever you pick, cut a window at the "face" spot and tape on clear plastic or cling film as a see-through visor (remember to poke a few small holes in it for air). More on this below, but for now remember: the helmet has to let them see and breathe

Badges and flags. Put a round "NASA"-style badge on the chest (cut a circle out of paper, draw a design on it, stick it on), and add one or two small flags on the shoulder or chest. With badges and flags, a white outfit instantly goes from "white pajamas" to "spacesuit"

Backpack (oxygen tank). Find a small cardboard box, paint it white, tape a few pieces of aluminum foil on the sides (shiny silver, like metal canisters), and fix it to your kid's back with tape as an "oxygen backpack / oxygen tank". This is the step with the biggest payoff —— with this backpack alone, no one will mistake the outfit for plain white clothes

Gloves and boots. Add a pair of white gloves and white (or dark) boots. If you do not have white ones, ordinary gloves and boots will do, the point is to keep the overall look white

Safety: just a few hard rules

Astronaut helmets are where problems happen most easily, so these safety rules matter a lot:

The helmet has to breathe, if you build it from a plastic bowl or a cardboard box, sealing it shut will leave your kid sweaty and miserable, keep the face opening big enough and poke holes in the visor (plastic wrap or a sheet of plastic) so it doesn't get stuffy

Their sightline has to stay clear, don't use anything too blurry or too shiny for the visor, make sure your kid can see the path ahead, this matters even more once it gets dark —— they need to see the steps and spot the other kids

Don't make the helmet too tight, it should go on and come off easily so that whenever your kid gets hot or stuffy they can take it off right away, a helmet that's stuck on and won't come off is the biggest safety risk of all

Keep the blade rule the same as always: kids handle the scissors, stickers and markers the whole time, and any knife work on the cardboard box is for adults, this one works everywhere

Once it's built, how to submit it and get it seen

Your costume is put together, don't let it just stand at the door for one night, if you want this astronaut to be seen by more people (like entering a costume contest or posting it to show it off), keep these submission tips in mind:

Start by giving the costume a name, not just my son in white clothes, try Moonwalker, Little Astronaut or Galaxy Guardian, pick a name and say it out loud when you submit and the whole thing comes alive, the more fun the name, the easier it is to remember

Take two good photos, one full body shot (head to toe, standing up straight, with a space backdrop or a plain white one) and one close up (the helmet and face, with your kid smiling), keep the light bright and even and don't fire the flash right in their face, the cleaner the background the better, don't let clutter steal the show

Write the contest info clearly, if you're submitting to a costume contest, spell out the contestant's name, the age group (preschool / elementary) and the category you want to enter (coolest / most creative / best look alike) —— as the earlier Submissions and Voting Guide put it, the entry card needs four things: contestant, age group, category and costume name

Pick one of two ways to submit, in person (wear it in the parade and show it off live) or by photo (hand in two photos plus the entry card and the host shows them), whichever is easier for you, in person shows the real thing and photos can be shown again and again, each has its perks

A few little touches to make the astronaut stand out

If you want this astronaut to go from pretty good to the one everyone remembers, add a few of these little touches:

Add a planet prop, crumple a small ball out of paper and paint it blue green, or draw a moon on a piece of cardstock, then have your kid hold it in their hands or stand on it —— instant moon landing photo, the picture writes itself

Let the cat or dog play an alien, if you have a pet, give them a little antenna on the head (two small balls of crumpled foil) and let them guest star as alien life, crouching next to your kid, an alien pet in your submission photo is funny and earns you points

Strike some space poses in the photos, don't just stand there doing a peace sign, have your kid float (up on tiptoes, like zero gravity), point at the moon, or wave hello —— a couple of small moves and the photo comes alive, a hundred times livelier than sitting up straight

One last word

A kids astronaut costume is probably one of the best value Halloween costumes out there

Cool, not scary, kids love it, and it can be put together from things already at home — a white outfit, a plastic bowl helmet, a cardboard oxygen tank, and a few stickers make a little astronaut. Once assembled, give it a name, take a couple of good photos, and submit it so more people can see it

Wearing a white spacesuit and holding that paper moon, the kid crouches on the front steps — that's when you realize the best part of Halloween isn't the scary face, but the child's earnest I-want-to-go-to-space attitude

So don't think it's too simple. This white outfit is the closest the kid gets to the moon all Halloween