Homemade Nurse Costume for Kids
Young children love to dress up as community helpers, such as firemen, police officers and nurses. To make your child a traditional nurse's costume, include an old-fashioned cap and apron. For a more modern approach, use kid-sized versions of adult scrub shirts and pants. Add accessories appropriate to your child's age and the event for a perfect nurse costume.
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Actual Nurses' Uniforms
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Until the late 1900s, most nurses were readily identifiable by their distinctive uniforms. These were usually blue, pink or white and always included a skirt and top, never pants. Some included a full apron. Nurses were all required to wear a starched hat, usually white; these were marked by narrow colored ribbons to identify the wearer's year in nursing school. Through the 1970s and 1980s, nurses' uniforms evolved to more comfortable, practical pants and tops combinations very similar to operating room scrubs. Nursing caps have all but disappeared except for ceremonial occasions.
An Old-Fashioned Nurse
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For an old-fashioned nurse's costume, dress your child in a plain white or light blue cotton blouse and skirt. Tuck the blouse into the skirt. A full apron or small capelet complete the main uniform. Make a nurse's cap from heavy white paper and put a red cross on the center front of the cap or add one or two colored lines at the brim. Thick white tights and white lace-up oxford shoes with no or low heels complete the look.
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Modern-Day Nurse
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If your child wants to dress like a modern nurse, borrow a very small-sized set of scrubs from a colleague in the medical profession, or buy a used set at a second-hand or thrift store. As an alternative, the child can wear a short-sleeve, V-neck cotton pullover shirt with a matching pair of loose cotton or twill pants. The pants and shirt can be the same solid color, or your child can wear a colorful print top over solid-color pants. Clogs, sneakers or Crocs-style shoes are all acceptable footwear choices.
Accessories for Your Nurse
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Finish off an old-fashioned nurse outfit by pinning a small, round, gold-colored pin on your child's blouse collar. She also can carry a small plastic or faux leather doctor's-style satchel. Be sure to use bobby pins to keep her cap from falling off.
Your modern nurse should wear a stethoscope. She also may want to carry a toy thermometer or blood pressure cuff in her shirt pocket. Add a picture ID tag on a lanyard for her to wear around her neck. Give her a clipboard with a few papers and a pen attached to complete the look.
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