DIY Halloween Costume Idea for Babies and Toddlers: Taco Truck

It was a few days before our baby's first Halloween and we didn't have any costume ideas.  We knew we wanted to make something ourselves because that's our style, but that's as far as we got.  As an aside, it's sort of silly that parents care so much about the "first" holidays when babies aren't even old enough to know what's going on, but it's fun to get into the spirit of things as a family.  Like, my husband and I have never gotten a Christmas tree before, but now that we have a baby, it makes the holidays more fun. 

Anyway!  So my husband, Rob, mentioned that someone in his office dressed up their baby as a sushi roll.  We laughed about how cute an idea that was.  Then we joked that we should dress Greyson up as a taco since that's our favorite thing to eat.  The joking continued and we said that we should turn our Baby Jogger City Mini stroller into a taco truck, and that's how the final costume came about.

The taco truck costume was definitely a big hit during our neighborhood Halloween parade.  For whatever reason, taco trucks make people giddy in New York.  They make people squeal with delight.  If you have some bad news to deliver, do it in a taco truck!  People will forget their sorrows.

Here's a video where I show the final costume and describe how it was made with a few simple materials that you probably have around the house.



If you watch the video and decide you want to give the costume a try yourself, here's how to make it after the jump...




The materials you need:
-Foamcore (one 30" x 40" piece of foamcore cut into two 30" x 20 pieces) for the sides of the truck
-White cardboard box (or regular cardboard that's painted white) for the front and back of the truck
-Yellow mattress pad type foam that will form the shell of the taco
-EVA foam or felt for the taco: green (lettuce), brown (beef), red (tomatoes) and yellow (cheese)
-Aluminum foil (for the taco wrapper)
-Markers for the graphics on the side of the taco truck
-Velcro or tape to hold the pieces of the truck together
-Two wire hangers to hold up the truck onto the stroller
-Exacto knife 

The steps for making the taco truck:

-Cut the foamcore in half to make the two sides of the truck
-Using an Exacto knife, cut out the taco truck shape on both pieces of foamcore
-Using markers, design both sides of the truck with taco truck graphics (google for inspiration)
-Measure the width of your stroller and find cardboard pieces for the front and back of the truck
-Attach the foamcore sides to the cardboard pieces with velcro pieces or tape
-Bend two wire hangers and thread through the cardboard piece on the back to hang on stroller

The steps for making the taco:
-Measure your stroller seat area and cut the mattress pad foam into a circle that fits the seat area
-Cut out slits in the foam to make room for the stroller's shoulder straps
-Cut out pieces of EVA foam or felt to make the taco ingredients
-Add aluminum foil behind the taco

Stick the baby in that carne asada taco, and you got yourself a nifty, crowd-pleasing costume. 

Below is a link to our stroller: the City Mini by Baby Jogger, which we have and love!  If you're looking for a stroller that's great for the city, I highly recommend it.  This stroller folds up lightning-fast with the pull of one strap, which is handy if you're taking the subway or lugging the stroller up a flight of stairs in your apartment building.