Dress up/costume question

[Disney2017]

Hi!

I am wondering if kids actually wander around the parks wearing costumes (specifically princess dresses)? It hadn't occurred to me to pack any but have seen lots of pictures of little ones all dressed up. We are not doing BBB but do have lots of Character meals planned.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Yes many little girls walk around in princess dresses.
I'd be sure to bring some back up clothes in case she gets hot or itchy and uncomfortable.

 

[Fosteringaprincess]

All 3 of my kids wear costumes often at Disney! My girls in their princess dresses all day long even in the summer!

 

[kboo]

My ODD, now 5, is so into princesses. We haven't done BBB, but she likes to dress up for special dinners (BOG, CRT, actually anything character... come to think of it, any TS restaurant merits a princess dress, in her eyes.) for her, it makes the dining experience special (and we find that she conforms her behavior better too, when "dressed like a princess" LOL).

That said, definitely bring a change of regular clothes (or, if we are going to be in the parks all day, bring the princess dress so she can "change for dinner.") One way we limit the volume is to tell her when we re packing that she gets to bring a total of 2 "fancy" dresses. Or, if we think we will end up buying a princess dress at the parks, then she is limited to bringing 1.

 

[abinormal]

My mom ended up getting a bunch of costumes for my daughter. What I did was get some space bags, squished them down so they'd fit in the backpack, and had her put them on over her clothes. She loved wearing them when she met the princesses, and we got some adorable pictures. But definitely not all day.

The space bags were great for fitting them in the suitcases too. I'm learning to sew now so hopefully by next trip I can make some comfortable costumes to wear all day.

 

[MamaBelle4]

My mom ended up getting a bunch of costumes for my daughter. What I did was get some space bags, squished them down so they'd fit in the backpack, and had her put them on over her clothes. She loved wearing them when she met the princesses, and we got some adorable pictures. But definitely not all day.

The space bags were great for fitting them in the suitcases too. I'm learning to sew now so hopefully by next trip I can make some comfortable costumes to wear all day.

I have nothing to add to this except the same thing. Yes, my 4 girls wear their dresses. But not all day. They are too uncomfortable, so we pack a change of clothes.

 

[elaine amj]

I am taking my niece next summer and was going to buy her one of those washable, none itchy dresses for $30 each. Then, shopping on Target.com, I found these "occupational dresses" for $17 each and bought them.

They are very costume-y and pretty, yet comfy. I just got them and they feel just like a t-shirt dress (perfect since it will be super hot in August). I'm excited and I hope she loves them. I might also get her a crinoline/frilly underskirt or something for more poof.

 

[5stljayhawks]

Yes - keep an eye out for disney store twice upon year sale if you are needing a dress

 

[maranara]

Do kids dress up in anything other then princess dresses? My 7 year old isn't a princess girl...but was a Jedi for Halloween...am wondering if I should pack her Jedi costume for our DHS day...

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Do kids dress up in anything other then princess dresses? My 7 year old isn't a princess girl...but was a Jedi for Halloween...am wondering if I should pack her Jedi costume for our DHS day...

We saw plenty of children dressed up for Star Wars, as well. Cast Members really play to them.

 

[maranara]

We saw plenty of children dressed up for Star Wars, as well. Cast Members really play to them.

Thanks! I will pack the costume!

 

[BJ7644]

DD5 wore dresses about half of our park days. I'd let her make a choice in the morning and I expected her, for the most part, to stick with that choice for the day. If she picked an outfit then no dress came along, but I'd pack extra clothes if she picked a dress. And I let her know the days plans as well - who we might be meeting that day and who we may see at a meal, so she could make an informed choice. Worked well for us.

Most importantly tho is the shoes - I seen a lot of young girls in dress up shoes hobbling around, sometimes crying. I think fancy shoes for dinner or pictures is fine, but something comfy for the walking and standing or she'll be hurting.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

DD5 wore dresses about half of our park days. I'd let her make a choice in the morning and I expected her, for the most part, to stick with that choice for the day. If she picked an outfit then no dress came along, but I'd pack extra clothes if she picked a dress. And I let her know the days plans as well - who we might be meeting that day and who we may see at a meal, so she could make an informed choice. Worked well for us.

Most importantly tho is the shoes - I seen a lot of young girls in dress up shoes hobbling around, sometimes crying. I think fancy shoes for dinner or pictures is fine, but something comfy for the walking and standing or she'll be hurting.

Oh, my gosh, YES.

I couldn't tell you how many times I saw beautiful little girls, crying because their feet hurt. Let/make them wear comfortable shoes. It really doesn't take anything away from their outfit.

 

[TinaLala]

I see kids, adults, men, boys, women, girls wearing all degrees of Disney costumes at the park. I agree let the child wear sneakers or comfy shoes but dress up as much as they want. My high school kids make Mickey themed ears, character themed fleece jackets, iron on tshirts - where else can you dress up like your favorite character and have fun?!?!

 

[Vijoge]

When we took our two oldest granddaughters, who were 9 and 7 at the time, I bought Cinderella dresses at the Disney Store in the mall. They wore their dresses to lunch at CRT and immediately took them off and never put them back on for the entire trip. We're taking their 3 younger sisters in January and I'm not buying princess dresses this time. It was a total waste of money, no matter how "cute" they looked for 50 minutes.

 

[CiCiBee]

I also suggest looking at a company called Adorable Essentials. They have a playground princess line that is super cute. They are a play on the princesses but are still shorts/pants and a cutue shirt. Far less itchy and you can layer for cold weather or buy pants for long. I think the princess dresses are adorable, but these outfits are more practical.

 

[Disney_traveler]

Do t have kids of my own, but this last trip I saw really cute outfits on kids that were character inspired but not the itchy princess dresses. Not sure if it was bought from ETSY or handmade, but they took Disney character sheets or material and made cute sundresses/ shorts and shirt outfits from that material. I keep wanting to go to the local thrift store and buy character bedding to transform into outfits for the parks for myself. They even would have cut out appliqués from the sheets. It was amazing.

 

[Princess Minnie321]

I brought two for my daughter because she loves to wear the dresses at home and I was worried if she saw girls in their dresses she would want hers. She put her Sofia dress on a couple times, but mostly did not want to wear the dresses. I just put the dress on over her clothes and she wore her sneakers with them. I saw a few girls who had on princess shoes with little heels and they looked very uncomfortable for walking around the parks.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

My kids wore Disney themed shirts most days, but my daughter did wear costumes over a tank top and shorts/skirt a few times. I carried a gallon-sized Ziploc bag in my purse so I could fold the dress up and store it when she was done.

 

[ChaseTheWind]

Thanks for sharing all of this! I am not and never was the princess type, but my 3 year old is all about it! Her aunt bought her a really lovely dress for our upcoming trip and I had no idea this was a thing, but I think she'll enjoy having the option of wearing it even if it's just for a little while.