Pregnancy Halloween Costume Ideas

This is my first pregnant Halloween and I have thoughts. Mostly I have thoughts about how every pregnancy costume I found online falls into two camps. Camp one is a joke about how enormous you are. Camp two is a five hundred dollar photoshoot situation with a fog machine. There is nothing in the middle for a person who just wants to look cute, be warm, and sit down on a curb whenever she feels like it.

So I made the middle. Everything below is comfortable, works over a stretchy waistband, and leaves room for the fact that you might feel great at 4pm and completely done by 6:15. That happens. Plan for it. Also, obviously, listen to your own body and your own doctor about what you are up for on a given night, and give yourself permission to bail early without feeling bad about it.

Heads up, some of these are affiliate links, which just means I get a tiny commission at no cost to you.

1. Jack O Lantern

The obvious one and still the best one. An orange long sleeve maternity tee, black felt cut into triangle eyes and a jagged mouth, arranged so the bump is the pumpkin. Green cardigan or a green beanie for the stem.

Use fabric glue or iron on felt rather than pinning, since pins near a bump are annoying at best. Cost: around twenty dollars if you need to buy the tee. Warmth: great, it is a long sleeve shirt and you can layer under it. A basic maternity long sleeve tee in orange is the base for this one and you will wear it again in November.

2. Snow Globe

A white or pale blue dress or tunic over leggings, small white pom poms glued in a scattered pattern across the bump, and a winter scene on a headband if you want to push it. It is soft, it is pretty, and it does not make a joke out of your body.

Cost: about fifteen dollars for a bag of pom poms and fabric glue. Comfort: excellent, since nothing is structured. This is the one I keep coming back to for a party rather than a walk.

3. The Baker

An apron over the bump, a chef hat, flour smudged on one cheek, and a wooden spoon. If you want the joke, tie a small tag to the apron that says fresh out of the oven in November, or whatever month you are due.

This one is my favorite because the apron does the shaping for you and you can wear literally anything underneath. Sweatpants. A hoodie. Nobody knows. Cost: around twelve dollars, and you already own the apron.

4. Astronaut and a Small Planet

A gray or white long sleeve, and a felt planet with a ring around it centered on the bump. Add a knit beanie and you are done. It photographs beautifully and it reads instantly.

The ring is a strip of felt glued in an oval, and it takes about ten minutes. Warmth: very good. Comfort: nothing touches your waist, which by month seven is the only criteria I care about.

5. The Bump Neutral Cozy Witch

Sometimes you do not want the bump to be the costume. That is completely valid and I felt that way for most of the fall. A black maternity dress or a long black tunic over leggings, a long duster, boots, and a pointed hat. Nobody is looking at your stomach, you are warm, and you can move.

This is my actual pick for trick or treating this year, because I want pockets and I want to be able to walk at my own pace without a costume having opinions about it.

6. Gumball Machine

A white top with colorful pom poms glued across the bump, red leggings or a red skirt, and a small silver or gray circle low on the belly for the coin slot. It is bright, it is cheerful, and people genuinely light up when they see it.

Honest note. Pom poms shed if you use cheap glue. Use proper fabric glue and let it cure overnight, not an hour before you leave. I learned this the annoying way with a different project.

7. Fishbowl

A blue or teal top, small felt fish and seaweed glued on the bump, and a few blue tulle layers if you want texture. This one is quieter than the rest and I think it is the prettiest of the bump forward options.

Cost: under fifteen dollars. Comfort: perfect, since it is just a shirt with things on it. Some iron on felt shapes make this a fifteen minute project instead of a craft night.

What to Buy vs What You Already Own

• Already own: an apron, leggings, a cardigan, a beanie, boots you have broken in.
• Worth buying: fleece lined maternity leggings. They go under every costume here, they are warm, and they are the only reason I made it through a cold October at all.
• Worth buying: a bottle of proper fabric glue. Three dollars, and it is the difference between felt that stays on and felt you find in the driveway.
• Skip: a costume in your pre pregnancy size that you plan to squeeze into. It will not be fun and you will spend the night adjusting it.
• Skip: new shoes. Buy nothing you have not already walked in for an hour.

My Halloween Night Kit

• A water bottle, and actually drink it. This is the thing I forget every single time.
• Snacks in a pocket, because the hunger arrives with no warning and there are no open restaurants at 7pm on Halloween.
• A folding stool or a plan for where you can sit. Porches, curbs, the back of the car. Know your options before you need them.
• A warm layer you can add, since the temperature drops fast after sunset.
• A ride home plan that does not require you to walk the whole loop back. My husband does the last stretch with our daughter and I go back for the car.

What I Would Skip

Body paint directly on the belly. It looks incredible in photos, it takes an hour, and getting it off is a whole event at the end of a night when you are already tired. Felt on a shirt gets you ninety percent of the effect for five percent of the trouble.

Also skip anything with a fitted waistband, a corset panel, or a zipper that has to close all the way. Comfort is not a compromise this year, it is the entire point.

And skip the costumes that are just a joke about your size. I know they are everywhere and I know some people love them, and if that is your sense of humor then go for it. But if you are going to see these photos for the rest of your life, and you are, pick something you will feel warm about later.

Go Easy on Yourself

This is a fun weird year and you get to enjoy it however you want, whether that is a full pumpkin situation or a black dress and a hat and no explanation. Both are correct. I will be the one in the duster cardigan sitting on somebody’s porch step, extremely content.

So glad you are here. Pam