As it happens, outwear generally for children is a thing that it is quite hard to get right. I am now no longer at the stage where my children scream like banshees and run off when you try to put their coats on – thank god – but there are still other problems.
For the last five years, I have been surprised every Jan-March by how cold it suddenly gets. And then how wet. Then how cold and wet. And then there I am, scrabbling around in the sales at the start of April, buying up leftover warm things, which my children only need to wear for 2 months before it warms up again and then they grow out of them and it’s all been a hideous waste of money.
So this year finally, finally, I am going to get my act together and I think I have hit on the perfect combination of outerwear items that will see children from November – end of April ’17.
1 The first item is an excellent raincoat (see the John Lewis Zinfandel of previous post)
2 Next, one of these super-lightweight parkas from Uniqlo. They are so light and so warm that the child barely feels them on, and then can dash about unhampered by binding puffa. You can put them in the washing machine and they dry almost instantly. Not especially windproof, but for very cold-wind days you can layer this under the windproof Zinfandel or over a fleece (q.v.).
3 For mild-to-nippy weather, (i.e Oct-December, early May), and for layering under the raincoat on cold + wet days I have also got this sleeveless puffa, also from Uniqlo.
4 A good fleece, which my kids have never had. By that I mean a light, close-fitting one that zips all the way up the front, so you don’t have to jam it on over their heads. Is there any man-made material better than fleece when it comes to children? Unbreakable, light, non-sweaty and supremely washable.
But I have had trouble finding a good, functional fleece from the usual outlets (Boden, John Lewis, Lands End kids) so I went straight to the top, to North Face, and bought each child one of these little jackets.
At £45 each, they are not cheap, but I bought both a size too large so they will last us at least two years. And I feel like a really technical piece of winter kit is what’s been missing all this time. I may in fact have gone too early on these in a fit of neurotic hoarding – so perhaps wait until new stock comes in around October and there’s more choice of colours and sizes if you want to follow suit.
5 A snoody. This is a tubular scarf, also made from the sacred fleece, purchasable only from Trotters. It protects fragile little necks from cruel east winds and can be pulled up over the ears in emergencies. You went mad for it last year and crashed the website in a buying frenzy, so you’ve probably all got one. For those who missed out, they aren’t available yet but I will post a link when they go on sale. Essential winter wear for the whole family – but especially for the under-10s.
I’m on holiday next week so no Spike for a bit, but I’ll be back soon xxx
Is have an adult version of the uniqlo puffa which I use for biking. So lightweight and warm and I find it really does stop the windchill you get on a bike, though you do need to layer up in deepest winter.
This is reassuring – I always buy a ton of different cold weather options and think it’s because I can never buy the right thing. So hard to find warm and waterproof,but not too bulky. It doesn’t exist. H&M and Mountain warehouse do good thin childrens zip up fleeces for layering. I’m dreading buying my son’s school coat this year as he struggled with what I bought for him last year, so he has to come with me and help choose this time. Dreading. It.
I rather like these jackets from Landsend (I’ve linked to the boys’ ones but they also do girls’ ones).
http://www.landsend.co.uk/Boys_Packable_Insulated_Jacket/pp/P_31789.html?cgid=11420&brand=2
They’re good down to 5C (so okay for most of the winter in London) and you can scrunch them up into a ball into your bag. They’re sort of waterproof but not as good as a cagoule.
I also really like these fleeces.
http://www.funkyrascal.co.uk/didriksons-monte-fleece-zip-jacket-amaranth-purple/
http://www.vikingkids.co.uk/didriksons/AW14-Monte-kids.htm
They’re really thin so you can put them under pretty much any jacket or just have them on their own. They’re in surprisingly short supply though – I really had to trawl the internet to find people who sold them in my kids’ sizes.
Esther, you are beginning to think “Scottish”!!
The Scottish fleece jacket weather rating !
No fleece = very hot and sunny, likely record temperatures, rarely happens
One fleece = Scottish Summer – sunny, windy with some rain thrown in
Two fleece = Scottish Spring and Autumn – wind and rain with rare glimpses of the sun
Three fleece = Scottish Winter – wear thermals
White fleece = Covered in snow, please defrost and hand me a mug of tea!
Have a lovely holiday!!
Mx
Ahhh the mighty snoods, I bought 2 last year purely because you told me to, and they are AWESOME. Boy wears his and I wore the Baby’s all winter long. I fear he may want it for himself this year, boo!
I like the thin gilet, mine had Joules ones in the past and they were so puffy they couldn’t put their arms flat against their body?? Kind of ruins the point of making them wear a gilet as opposed to a restrictive coat?
Will head to Uniqlo, thank you!!
Good planning ahead! Though I’m thoroughly torn as to what to do this year as have fleece-microplastics-sadness https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/20/microfibers-plastic-pollution-oceans-patagonia-synthetic-clothes-microbeads
oh NO!!!!!
I have also discovered http://www.vikingkids.co.uk after someone told me the cliche that in Scandinavia there isn’t bad weather, only bad clothing.
I should add Vertbaudet to the list where they do 3-in-1 type of kids outerwear, so one doesn’t have to buy three separate jackets