Thinking about a wheelchair-costume for Halloween?

Halloween is next week! EEK! This is hard to believe since it feels like kids just went back to school yesterday. I do realize this post probably should have been a little sooner but nevertheless, here we are. Plus, I’m sure there folks out there looking for last-minute costume ideas.

I am currently in the process of making my son’s wheelchair costume for this year so I thought, “Why not share how to make one?”. There are literally tons of ideas out there on wheelchair costumes (thanks to some highly creative parents). I am the parent that is guilty of searching for these ideas on Pinterest and creating either a replica or a slightly modified (and simplified) version.

Below is a link of possible wheelchair costume ideas in case you are considering one and looking for ideas. Some of them seem a little elaborate and time-consuming to make, but there are also plenty of simple ways you can incorporate the wheelchair into your child’s Halloween costume.

Here’s a link on some ideas to get you brainstorming:

https://www.halloweencostumes.com/blog/p-810-20-wheelchair-halloween-costumes.aspx

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Believe it or not, finding an idea for a basic wheelchair costume is actually not that difficult. Just think of someone who usually sits in front of a table such as a casino dealer(see photo on right courtesy of a Dad), chef, disc jockey, or a politician in front of a podium. You can then either incorporate your child’s wheelchair tray (if he/she has one) or create the table portion yourself.

Another idea for incorporating the wheelchair is for the costume to be some type of vehicle such as a fire engine, food truck, army tanker, tractor (pictured on the right thanks another mom) or police car.

So far, I have only fully created two wheelchair costumes to date on my own. It actually turned out to be quite simple. It was just a big rectangle box with one side and the bottom cut out since I made sure I chose something with regular borders.

I am currently applying the same concept to this year’s Halloween costume (a food truck). Unlike many seasoned wheelchair costume creators, I have not mastered the art of uneven edges and adding various accessories to the wheelchair costume yet. BUT, if you are a first-timer who wants to give it a try, keep reading.

You will need the following supplies:

1. Large cardboard box: The width should be be slightly wider than the widest part of the wheelchair or wheelchair tray. The minimum height should be the distance from the armrests to the top of the wheels.
2. Duct Tape
3. Box cutter or heavy duty scissors
4. String
5. Wrapping paper or spray paint for the color
6. construction paper, markers and/or other embellishments to decorate

Steps:

1. Start by taping the top of the box closed with duct tape. This will make it easier to cut out the side of the box that the wheelchair will “slide” into
2. Cut out the side of the box that will face the wheelchair. Avoid cutting all the way to the edges (as shown below). You can always fine-tune this cut later but you cannot make the opening smaller if your cut ends up being too wide. Making the cut too wide will cause a loose fit, making it more likely to fall off.

3. Once you try to place the box over the wheelchair you will realize the exact size needed. You can then do any additional trimming necessary. If your child has a wheelchair tray, you might decide to cut the box such that the box will rest on the tray, giving the costume extra support. You may need to make additional cuts to the bottom as well, since you don’t want it to be in the way of footrests or wheels.

4. Next you will need to make two holes on the sides of box where you can insert string. This is how the box will attach to the wheelchair, as shown below.

You now have the structure completed, which is the hardest part!

5. Next, it’s time to decorate! I spray painted the DJ costume above with black spray paint. I’m happy with how it turned out but it took several coats. This year when I went to the craft store to buy spray paint the sales associate suggested wrapping the box. I decided to try it for this year’s costume and I’ll be sure to report back on how it goes!

6. You can add embellishments with items cut out of cardboard and covered with construction paper, aluminum foil, or anything you like. If you would rather leave that part to a professional you can order paper embellishments from my favorite Etsy shop, Lucky Duck Paper. They can create anything, prices are reasonable, and customer services is exceptional!

There you have it. A wheelchair costume. Not as difficult as you thought, right?

The good news is that if you are not up for this challenge, Target.com now has adaptive costumes. There are a few costumes with a corresponding wheelchair attachment, although I found the selection to be limited (I only found two). You can check them out for yourself below:

https://www.target.com/c/adaptive-halloween-costumes/-/N-66yhm#?lnk=snav_rd_adaptive_costume

I hope you now see that wheelchair costumes are certainly within reach if you are interested in one. So have fun, be safe, and most importantly, I hope you have a healthy Halloween!