Winter gear for small toddler !

[Scho23]

Hi everyone. I have a very active and strong walker at 14 months old but she is very small and wears clothes between 6-9 and 9-12 months. A lot of clothes at this size is very baby-ish and I am really stuck on what waterproofs/ winter coats to get her. I nearly bought a toastie all in one but I’m worried it might be restrictive? I don’t really get waterproof dungarees because they don’t protect shoulders / head from rainy weather.

any recommendations much appreciated! I saw some old posts about LIDL range waterproofs but I don’t have a store near me I’m afraid.

Waterproof trousers are great but you also need a waterproof coat with them if it’s raining. If it’s not raining but muddy or still wet on the ground, the trousers are great and I use them and the waterproof coat all year round but with different layers underneath. You can pick these up from lots of places - H&M did some nice colours / prints.

At that age I also used a waterproof fleece lined all in one suit for colder days as it kept them warm and dry even in the snow. The best one was from Polarn y Pyret but it’s very ££ - I managed to get one second hand but was still in great condition as they are made well.

I always used to buy mine an all in one coat, with the legs and arms - really toasty and warm. Next used to have a lovely selection and really nice quality with wellyboots that match.

Jojo madman Bebe waterproof all in ones. They do a waterproof one that’s thinner and a winter weight one that’s warm. The jackets are good too.

Try Muddy Puddles for a suit, they’re great and not too thick so they can still walk around. They do come up roomy but my DC was small too and they’ve got tapered wrists and ankles so they still allowed them to move around without getting in the way.

Ahh I was coming on to say Lidl and then saw you don't have one near, sorry! It's worth looking on Vinted or eBay for their stuff though, and another brand I used to like is Playdays - they did excellent rubberised waterproof dungarees. That was my usual go-to toddler outfit - warm leggings and sweater, with the rubberised dungarees over the top and Lidl rubberised fleece-lined jacket. I also had some good JoJo Maman Bébé stuff, as a pp suggested.

Some of my friends had the Bogs neoprene wellies but I think we just used to have normal ones.

We had the Polarn o Pyret waterproof trousers, they come in size 6 months up to about 6 years so wouldn’t be ‘babyish’. No they don’t cover the shoulders, they have braces to stay up, but you don’t need them to because you put a coat on over- either a light raincoat or heavier winter coat depending on the weather.

At that age mine had North Face or Patagonia down puffas because we lived somewhere very cold with the eldest then handed them down but as long as it’s warm and waterproof then it can be from anywhere. I haven’t ever noticed babyish coat styles being a thing, the age 1 ones look the same as the age 7 ones don’t they? Unless you mean kitch designs or something but you can avoid those styles and get something neutral instead.

If you want a warm all in one the Columbia Snuggly bunny is great- mine had those for really cold and snowy days (and later skiing holidays) until age 3!

Lindex do really good winter and in-between-seasons gear for children, they mainly operate in the Scandinavian markets so the stuff is very good quality

Wow thank you @Sinkingfeeling952 @Setfiretotherain1 @Womblewife @MiddleAgedDread @Elsbetka for all your suggestions! Going to investigate all those options! Which POP would you recommend? They seem to have a lot on the market.

@InTheRainOnATrain thanks for sharing your experience. No need to get too caught up on the “babyish” comment. A lot of all in ones have feet on them that you can’t remove before 12months size.

Oooh I love Lindex but totally forgot about them!

If your daughter is very small as mine was do consider a good warm all in one baby suit and take it to an alterations tailor. They can take the feet off for you.

I also went to a specialist walking shop to get her a waterproof all in one meant for babies in hill walking back packs. Cost more but as she was so teeny and slow to grow it also lasted ages.

I hadn’t considered that 😮 thank you so much! I think I’ll be investing in whatever it is because she’s such a slow grower. Xx

Ahh that makes sense, personally never seen that on proper outdoor gear and I had average sized kids but they were both early walkers so footed stuff would have been an issue for us too. The columbia suit we had came with the option to fold over the feet or leave it footless to accommodate shoes so that was good. You could also fold over the hands (same for the North Face coats we had) which kept me buying them because DD always used to throw off her gloves!! The polarn o pyret trousers aren’t footed either and have a lot of adjustment so really last. But as PP says if you find the perfect suit but it’s footed then you could just get it altered to remove feet, the dry cleaner could probably do it pretty cheaply.

Have a look at the Reima ski wear brand of toddlers waterproofs etc. They start from 12 months. I think this is the brand used at my local forest outdoor nursary for durability, warmth and waterproofing. essential as the small kids are outside in all weathers. An adjustable trousers with braces is easier to fit than one with fitted shoulders. Team with a waterproof over the top as a two piece. Again allows for a bit more adjustability on a small frame than an all in one. prices from £25.

Have Lidl put out their waterproof collection yet this year? It's usually available around now and it's great stuff. Plain colours, fleece lined, actually waterproof and cheap.

Omg you guys are so amazing with these recommendations! I mostly looked at Next, H&M and M&S - wish I had a LIDL near me 😭

https://muddypuddles.com/products/waterproof-scampsuit-green this suit from Muddy Puddles is brilliant - it's a separate waterproof suit and fleece suit that you can layer together depending on the temperature. Completely waterproof and easy to get on and off and comes in small sizes. It is quite expensive though, but worth every penny in terms of keeping them warm and dry if you spend a lot of time outdoors.
Top tip - put the trousers over the top of their wellies with the elastic stirrup strap under the sole of the boot, this stops their feet getting wet when they jump in puddles.

The big ski brands - North Face, Columbia, Burton etc all do bunting suits which have the folding mitts/feet. I know Burton in particular have a grow with me system on their child sizing - a line of removable stitches that gives you room for growth and two or even three winter’s worth of wear.

Like a PP, I highly recommend Reima. Where I live in Canada it gets -30 cold and their stuff has never failed us. They do different cold ratings too.

Mountain Warehouse, Trepass etc all do good winter wear for kids.