My son loves trains, and since it’s close to Halloween, I thought it would be fun for us to make a DIY train costume together. So I searched Pinterest for ideas, and I was inspired by this train costume so much that I went into the garage in search of boxes!
Here’s the finished product! This DIY train costume was easy to make, and it cost less than $10! I used almost everything I already had at home, and you probably have many of the materials in your junk drawer. The only things I purchased were this blue spray paint and this Gold Duck Brand Tape (affiliate links) on Amazon.
1. To get started, I chose a deeper box for the base and a shallow box of the same width for the front. After cutting off all the box flaps (set these aside for later!), I cut a hole large enough for my son to squeeze through in the base of the deeper box. I cut a slot for the shallow box to insert it into the end of the deeper box, then curved the front to make a space for the wheels.
2. Use as much strong tape as you can to secure the two boxes together. You’ll spray paint over this later.
3. Gather materials from around your house for the other elements of the choo-choo train. Have fun! Cut 6 circles out from cardboard for your wheels. I printed off this train wheel clipart (resize as desired) and used a glue stick to adhere to each of the cardboard wheels. I think they turned out so cute, and they were much easier than drawing my own.
4. I used an oatmeal container with a toilet paper tube stuck inside (not pictured) for the train’s “nose.” Any time I could, I cut the boxes and inserted one shape into another to make them fit snugly. This is more secure than taping. After you get the shape of the box to your liking, spray paint it!
5. Let the box dry and apply gold Duck Tape to decorate the train. To get the number, I printed a number on computer paper, then traced the outline of the number on the back of the paper. I then covered the number completely with gold tape, and cut it out using my outline on the back. The number can then be glued onto your train!
6. To adhere the wheels to the box, I used e6000 glue (affiliate link) I already had at the house. It is super strong and worked the best out of anything else I tried!
7. You’ll notice that I took the straps off the train, because my son didn’t like them. To make the straps, I put a safety pin in each end of a piece of ribbon, then used the pin to feed the ribbon through 4 tiny holes in the box, criss-crossing the straps. For an older child, you could leave the straps straight. I tied a double knot and just left the safety pins on the ribbon in case they needed to be adjusted.
Thanks for checking out this toddler DIY train costume! Read about Mary’s fabric pumpkin tutorial to help you get into the spirit of the season.
