winter coats would you really spend £100 on a 4 year old?

[pombears22]

Was talking about this with a mum friend this morning - around us most kids wear coats that cost around 100 quid. To me that just seems a bit mad for a pre-schooler when others are so much cheaper. I mean how much technology does a pre-schooler need for a British winter. Same with waterproofs etc etc - somehow I just thought that kids dont really need this stuff but I've only just moved back to the UK so unsure whether am totally off the mark here

A coat is one item I do spend money on, but I want them to wear it hill climbing, skiing and sledging as well as on the school run. When they were little, I would start with a supermarket coat, then get a splash suit, then a properly waterproof coat... I'd end up with a selection, now I get one good coat which usually lasts 2y. They are wearing the coats in about 50% of my family photos, so I'm glad they weren't too drab/black.

However, my DD has ASD and is quite particular so that has probably informed my thinking. We need waterproof, warm and windproof but not bulky or restrictive. So we have ended up with more expensive Scandinavian brands (which is still cheaper per wear than the M&S or Tresspass coats we tried, which she would take off).

A lot of her friends live in Decathalon coats, I'm envious about that, not superior!

No! Someone spending £100 on one coat is trying to hard to be something or someone.

An adult fine it’ll probably be a classic or decent enough to last years.

In terms of where we live, London and I guess quite a mc area where absolutely everyone wears say Polarn O Pyret which are at least 90 quid plus other brands

if they're scandinavian brands then most will do 2-3 siblings and then sold on second hand, maybe even bought second hand and sold on third hand (depending on your income). A hand me down of one of the better scandi brands is often a better buy than a brand new 'fashion' brand.

@FunkyPhantom

Find your nearest TK Maxx, job done 😆👍

When my ds was a toddler I bought him a tommy Hilfiger coat from tk Max for £17! It was passed down to my dd too.

Are kids coats really that expensive?
The pesky little buggers keep growing so you won't get much use out of it, go to Sainsburys!
Save the balance for their feet

When we lived in the UK I never spent that much. We usually got an M&S or Next parka, which often saw them through two years. Now we’ve moved to a much colder climate and I have spent that much. But when they literally lie down in the snow and don’t complain of the cold, I know it’s been well spent.

Coss-posts. I thought it would be POP. Or Didriksons.

Yes I have done if it's a proper outdoor coat, not just for the label. They often have multiple layers you can remove or add on. And they aren't too bulky either which both my boys hated. They are properly waterproof too. However I know the coats i but are going to be used by two boys so really it's a 50 quid spend. I am a childminder who spends a lot of time outdoors and many of the cheaper puffa style jackets get soaked through after a tiny bit of rain/water play. Also some puddle suits from sainsburys and other supermarkets are not water resistant at all. Better to buy an outdoor clothing label and they are not all too expensive. The lidl ones are actually quite good but huge sizes!

My 4yo (preschooler) has several lovely / expensive coats.

They are all hand me downs from my SIL who is insane and bought them - new - for my niece. I remember her being a bit batshit about niece keeping them clean etc as well.

In theory, no I wouldn't.
But if we walked a distance to school and were active at weekends and I had siblings to pass things on to, then maybe I would pay that for a good quality warm breathable coat.

You can't always tell though. My three youngest all look like they've got very expensive coats, yet none of them cost more than £20 from a charity shop. It just so happened that they had those ones in when I went in.

No way would I spend that on 1 coat.
Dd(6) has lots of coats but they didn't cost £100. When she was younger I bought her coats from M&S, Next, Asda they did the job.
I remember when she was a baby I spent £45 on pram shoes 🙈 she only had them a couple of days, when she lost one, ( tossed it out the pram)

In wealthy areas a lot of kids will go skiing at least once each year (in normal non covid times) so coats have to be able to keep them warm in the snow even if they're mostly worn in london.

I do spend a lot of time out, so we need reasonable coats. I wouldn't spend £100 on just a coat .... Maybe coat, and decent waterproofs and even then only if my children were close in age and i knew my family would get the wear out of it (three children going one to the other like my sil where they are all about 2 years apart - she'd get 6 years out of something sturdy enough).

Yes I would. I don't like supermarket coats or NEXT etc as everyone has them. I buy a brand new expensive coat every year - around £130 even if DD doesn't need one then she wears last years coat for school and new one for weekends and best. Always done this ever since she was born and she's 6 now

@NuffSaidSam

I wouldn't spend £100 on a coat for a 4 year old.

But it depends what £100 means to you. For some people £100 is £5. For some people £100 is a £1000. Depends what you have.

Exactly. It's all relative. To a wealthy person, £100 on a coat is fine. To someone struggling, a £20 coat is a dream. Many people are having to choose between heating and eating, with prices set to soar, so even buying a coat at all is a hardship.

DD had a couple of Polarn O. Pyret shell jackets back in the day, I thought it was worth the investment because they are light enough to wear most of the year, roomy enough to layer in winter, and DD is a slow grower so they’d do at least 2 winters. Plus if you sign up for their emails, the discounts are decent. That being said, I’ve never bought the actual proper coat from them because £££ (and it does look too heavy for southern UK).

I remember buying an age 2-3 Regatta coat from a charity shop for £2.50, incredulous (because it still had the tag on) that someone had paid 345 for this coat new.

We buy coats for our children from supermarkets or maybe mountain Warehouse / Go Outdoors in the sale. Coats wander at nursery and at school, so no way would I pay that sort of money for one.

Going against the grain we bought our 3 year old his first Polarn O Pyret coats this year and it's honestly so much better than this Boden and Jojo coats he's had in the past. I think he'll be able to wear it for a couple of winters. We spend a lot of time outside so it makes sense for us.

Now that she’s too old for PoP stuff, she picks her own coats, last one was from Asda and this year’s one is from John Lewis - as long as it’s fluffy on the inside she’s happy

My 'posh' coat only cost £70!

No way, DS is 5 and gets supermarket coats or similar

OP you can often get Polarn O Pyret coats for less than £50 in the sale, I know because I have bought one recently. Also they often pop up in charity shops in nice areas of London. I would assume most are buying them in the sales or second hand.

Even boden are only 70 quid. I buy the Boden ski jackets 2 sizes too big and they last 2 years. For nursery lidls waterproof coats were fine.

No, I find it depressing and ridiculous when I think of how children in some other countries live (and some kids in poverty in this country).

I just find it all so unnecessary and pointless.