Alternatives for toddler who hates wellies?

[CandleRigg89]

My 2.5yo really does not enjoy wellies. If we tell him he has to wear them, he begrudgingly agrees but asks to be carried everywhere. We have just the basic M&S ones but have tried Clark’s, JoJo etc and none have been liked.

With autumn/winter coming up, I originally thought I’d try fleecy-lined wellies but now thinking a snow boot or waterproof boot might be better. Does anyone have any brands or styles they’ve used over winter that are waterproof, warm but still light and easily moved in?

My daughter hated wellies, I think because of how clumpy they were and she found them hard to run in. We got her some barefoot ones that worked really well, I don't remember the brand but they looked similar to the baiyou ones, there are lots that are similar, they had a thinner bendier sole so they moved with her foot and were less 'stompy'.

I live in a country where you need proper winter footwear and I can tell you that good snow boots or waterproof hiking boots will be a lot more expensive than a basic wellie. My kids wear Viking, Ecco or Reima but I wouldn't bother with such shoes for a capricious toddler in the UK where it's not going to snow much and wellies are perfectly adequate.

He'll probably get used to them. Try a slightly larger size with walking socks to make them more cosy and stop them slipping on the foot. Make sure all socks are tucked over trousers to stop them slipping down - that is one of the main reasons wellies become uncomfortable.

How high do you need them to be? We're in Scotland and my two have had waterproof ankle boots for daily winter wear as soon as they're past babyhood. They're warm, flexible, a good fit, and water/mud proof (until the puddle is deeper than the boot, at any rate). An independent shoe shop should be able to help with brands. And yes, they are definitely more expensive than wellies – but they get worn virtually every day here from mid-autumn to mid-spring, nursery, the park, the shops, etc.

My daughter wears walking boots. The Mountain Warehouse own brand ones are flexible and comfortable and don't cost much more than a pair of wellies.

I'm probably a terrible mother but I just let me DS wear his usual shoes (normally trainers) and if he got wet feet, so be it. But we live in London and don't have a particularly outdoors-y lifestyle.

Decathlon have some snow boots and more robust shoes.

Keep an eye out in Lidl for fluff lined boots (but be aware they're miserable if you go in over the boots so bring a change of footwear).

Multiple cheap shoes and many changes of socks might work depending how deep the puddles are!

Sorel Whitney. They are insulated waterproof boots in more like a trainer style. They’re really expensive full price but amazon often have random size/colour combinations heavily discounted eg I just got pink/grey for DD for £35. I find them far more versatile than basic wellies because she can scramble up all the playground equipment, they work in the rain, when we go skiing etc.