It may be more than a little sad that my heart skipped a beat when I saw this Princess Leia outfit on sale at Play.com for £9.99, down 33% from £14.99.

• Click here to go to a galaxy far far away. Or to Play.com.

Last Halloween my little girl was just four weeks old, which made shopping for her outfit a rather demanding and frustrating task. I spent days trundling around with a sleeping baby trying to find a suitable kit. We ended up with a very cute pumpkin costume and she was the smallest squash at the party, which, of course, she slept through.

This year it could be so different! Not only is she likely to stay awake through it all, but she could actually run around swishing a light sabre if she had one.

This really cute Princess Leia outfit comes with a headpiece, romper with removable cape and inner leg snap closure allowing for nappy changes with ease.

With dispatch and delivery taking up to two weeks, now is a great time to buy to make sure it arrives before Halloween.

Play.com are also offering Chewbacca and Darth Vader costumes at £9.99 each.

Thanks to sarahandjonesy at HUKD

Kids love costumes. Nearly as much as mums love bargains.

• Click here to get your paws on this cute Insectosaurs costume from Tesco for £4.00

Little fans of the movie Monsters Vs Aliens will love this Insectosaurus suit, with matching claw gloves. It's a snip at £4.00 but do bear in mind that the long sleeved top and trousers pictured are not included.

You can also get costumes for the characters Missing Link and Dr Cockroach but these are a wee bit pricier at £6.00, presumably because trousers are included.

Dressing up costumes are so much harder to lose or break than toys, so we seem to get loads of  mileage out of them in our house. We all know that anything that encourages imaginative play is a real bonus for kids, too. And my favourite thing about dressing up costumes is that they give you a legitimate reason to laugh at your kid, and get away with it.