Are you taking your little ones out trick-or-treating this year in their strollers? Or are you looking for a fun way to incorporate a wheelchair into your child’s Halloween costume? We have some clever ideas for you that are certain to make a splash – and that can incorporate a stroller or wheelchair into your water theme! Check out our Water-Themed Family Halloween Costumes for Wheelchairs and Strollers to create some extraordinary results:

Baby Shark…and Mommy Shark and Daddy Shark…

Of course you can purchase ready-made shark costumes for your entire family – or you can easily go the DIY route! All you need is a pair of grey or blue sweatpants and hooded sweatshirt, plus some felt. For the telltale shark fin, cut an old piece of a cardboard box into a triangle and cover it with white felt. Depending on your skills, you can cut a slit into the back of the sweatshirt and sew the fin on…or simply use safety pins to pin it on.

On the hood, take some white felt and cut large zig-zag rows of “teeth” and use fabric glue to affix them to the hood of the sweatshirt. Use black felt to make circle eyes and glue those on the hood, too. If you want to add more details, turn the inside of the hood into a shark’s mouth with red or pink felt underneath the teeth. Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo!

HOW TO INCORPORATE A STROLLER OR WHEELCHAIR: To make a wheelchair or stroller part of your family shark costume, you have a couple options: An aquarium or a rowboat!

For the aquarium, use a large cardboard box and cover it in blue – either with paint or fabric. Then you can paint colorful fish all over it, or place some toy fish and seaweed on the sides. Or, secure a blue wavy shower curtain to the wheelchair or stroller in whatever way you can to look like the ocean, and decorate it with sea creatures.

To make a rowboat, you’ll have to craft the shape out of cardboard boxes or another sturdy material. Don’t forget to draw in the telltale shark bite out of the bottom of the rowboat and add some oars!

Ahoy, Matey: Pirate Style

For the simplest outfit, you’ll need a white button-down shirt (a size bigger works well), black pants, black shoes or boots, and red fabric – and any accessories to make it your own. To start, cut jagged ends on the white shirt and on the edges of the sleeves. Pair the pirate shirt with black pants, then rip up some old red fabric to tie into a sash around the waist, leaving a long part dangling down.

To add more punch, wear black-and-white or black-and-red striped anything – such as a flowing skirt, long and loose shorts, socks, leggings, or vest. Spice things up and complete the look with an eye patch, a bandana wrapped around the head, a large hoop earring, gold jewelry, a hook hand, or a beard.

HOW TO INCORPORATE A STROLLER OR WHEELCHAIR: Everyone wants to celebrate finding the pirate’s booty! Incorporate your little one’s wheelchair or stroller into the adventure by creating a pirate ship…or the actual treasure chest.

For both ideas, use cardboard boxes or wire with fabric hanging down to make the forms of a pirate ship or treasure chest. On the pirate ship, add a pole with a sail or pirate flag flowing in the breeze – and a “plank” to walk out on. If you’re going with the treasure chest, decorate with all sorts of baubles: Plastic necklaces, large ruby rings crafted from gold pipe cleaner and red tissue paper, or whatever your imagination dreams up.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub – Bath Time in a Tub

For this idea, the sky is the limit! Perhaps the easiest tub-themed costume for any age (that means you too, mom and dad) is to become bubbles. Simply don white pants and a white shirt (or blue, if you prefer) and grab a bag of clear, white, iridescent or blue balloons. Blow them up and strategically pin them all over your child’s clothes (or yours). Viola – instant bubbles!

Then, of course, there’s also the option to become the classic rubber ducky. You can either grab a ready-made duck costume or make your own. Wear yellow pants and a yellow hooded sweatshirt, and use felt to make eyes and an orange beak (cover the bill of a baseball hat, if you’d like).

HOW TO INCORPORATE A STROLLER OR WHEELCHAIR: If your little one is in a stroller or wheelchair, you can take either idea as their main costume – but then turn their wheels into a rolling bathtub! Depending on your craftiness, use wire and a shower curtain to envelop everything – or take a large cardboard box and make it look like a bathtub. Cover the box with felt, a sheet, or even white poster board. Use balloons or craft cotton to have bubbles overflowing from the side – or draw some bubbles – and add in a Bubbles toy from Goldfish or a loofah to accessorize and give it the final touch.

Other water-themed Halloween costume ideas:

Didn’t find what you were looking for? We also know a few other DIY costume ideas for the entire family that are all about the water, like:

  • SCUBA diver
  • Mermaid
  • Goldfish
  • Octopus
  • Jellyfish
  • School of fish
  • Lobster in a pot
  • Fisherman and fish

Learn how to create these ideas here.

Swim into Goldfish Swim School

If your little ghost or goblin really loves the water, enroll him or her in swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School! Not only will they learn a lifelong, lifesaving skill, but our WOW! customer service, 90-degree pool temperature, and instructors who display integrity, compassion and trust (including teaching children with special needs how to swim) will give your family a GOLDEN experience! Find a location near you and sign up today!