How to Make Children's Zombie Costumes

Kids love to play dress-up as a zombie.

Children love gruesome costumes, whether as a trick-or-treating outfit for Halloween or simply to make an eye-catching entrance at a fancy party during other times of the year. If your child is looking for a ghoulish get-up, then stray from the typical ghost or monster outfit. A zombie costume is one cost-effective and less-visited choice that can easily be made at home.

Things You'll Need

• Old clothes
• Scissors
• Brown pastel stick
• Face paints
• Hair product (optional)
• Talcum powder (optional)

Instructions

1. 

   Visit a secondhand store for inexpensive clothes to use in a zombie outfit.

   Find old clothes you don't mind cutting, or visit a Goodwill store to buy cheap, old clothes.

2. 

   Use scissors to fray clothes for a zombie outfit.

   Fray the edges of the selected clothing, and create rips and tears using scissors for an unkempt look. Use fingers to pull out threads so the damage looks natural. You may even wish to put the outfit through a wash cycle after customizing to take the freshness out of the cuts and tears.

3. Pick a pant leg or a sleeve, and create four parallel slits with scissors. These will look like scratch marks from another zombie, adding to the authenticity.

4. 

   Use a brown pastel stick for a mud effect.

   Use a brown pastel stick to "dirty" up the outfit. The brown color will look like mud clinging to the clothing from where the zombie emerged from the ground.

5. 

   A white face makes the perfect base for zombie makeup effects

   Make up your child's face using a white base that makes him seem pale and lifeless. Make eyes look hollow using a gray-toned paint around the sockets. Add a fake blood effect at the corner of the mouth or neck with red paint. And if pushed for time, a store-bought mask may complete the look. Long hair should be back-combed for a messy effect and spritzed with a holding product to keep it in place. Or add talcum powder to short hair to make it look dusty and gray.

Tips & Warnings

• Tailor the outfit to the child's age. You don't want to give any of her friends nightmares.

• Always choose flame-retardant fabric for children's costumes.

• If using store-bought masks, ensure that children can see clearly, and check that elastic will not be able to tangle at the neck.

References

• Pomona College Student Life: Budget Halloween Costumes

Resources

• U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Halloween Safety