Toddler kit for Autumn/Winter

[pregnantgrump]

Hello all. Hope you can help. Kid is 13 months, and just walking. Lots of lists on the Internet for new babies not so much for toddlers. Have noticed that things I thought would still work eg dungarees with press studs don't now he is a moving target. What does he need for Autumn and winter? How many pairs of shoes? How many coats? How long do they stay the same size at this age? He grew like a weed in the first year and was in 9-12 mo clothes by 7 months. But has been wearing 12-18 since April and it's still on the big side now. Also: Grobags. He gets up and tries to walk in them and falls over. What is the next step? Do people use those jojo things which look like pram suits? I'm tempted but he loathed his pram suit last year. Thanks in advance.

Get an all in one splash suit and wellies - It takes the fear out of the garden, parks and pavements when wet. We ditched the sleeping bag for fleece PJs and light padded blankets (if he is anything like ours, he will be climbing out of the cot next). I stuck with one pair of really good shoes, plus the wellies and fleecy socks indoors. Likewise, one good coat. I can usually count on three good months of wear at that age, so it's worth getting the coat in a bigger size, if necessary.

DS lived in jeans with elasticated waists, T shirts and hoodies or jumpers. I found layers were the key, to prevent overheating. The biggest headaches were gloves (get attachable ones) and hats. DS always pulled his off when I was not looking.

Thanks v much!

I have two boys and I just bought one pair of startrite boots for them - dont really bother with anything else as they are easy to clean and look smart bit function well.

I love the pull on jeans and have a couple of smarter pairs of trousers

One wolly cardi ad two jumpers. I like the packs of long sleeved t shirts

I have two coats each

Sorry - how long do they get out of them. I found next to be good for getting plenty of wear from. Good and long

Now I am being annoying and not as advert for next but they do a pack of four plain tshirts and they both lived in them - then I put short sleeve t-shirts over them sometimes for a change.
Primark do lovely two packs of fleece onsies for really good value and watch out for them. Great if the blankets fall off

Basically what the ABC said.

I just cut the grobags open at the bottom so she can walk in them and length isn't an issue :) hopefully that will tide us over till she can keep a duvet on!

Ok, here goes:

grobags: I just let mine walk in them (a bit) and gradually they get better at it and stop falling. Put him in the grobag shortly before sleep time when he is tired so less keen/less time to walk around.

Shoes: don't buy them now for winter as feet may well grow a size, or two. I think you will need one pair normal shoes plus wellies.

Coats: One is fine ime. Some places eg Vertbaudet do handy 3in1 options where there are removable layers to make it warmer.

Other clothes: Trousers (look for jersey lined ones for warmth and elastic waist for ease), t shirts and/or vests (both long and short sleeved), jumpers/sweatshirts, socks, hats. Some people buy tights or leggings to go under trousers on cold days. Gloves - with a string. Waterproof overtrousers are very useful. Advise plenty of cheap/second hand rather than special items as he will get muddy!

How fast do they grow? Less fast than as a baby but still pretty quickly...

Thanks all this is brilliant. And also great to have advice re brands. I do like next he had a couple of pairs of tracksuit bottoms that lasted ages and didn't fall down (like the m&s ones).

Re the shoes definitely won't get them now. But other stuff that is nice for little boys seems to sell out very quickly and there doesn't seem to be as much stock as for girls. Also have busy full time job so need to plan in advance and stock up in one go.

Yeah I tend to do a big shop twice a year, online and return lots of it. I buy a lot of H&M, Next, Zara and Vertbaudet - but that's partly because their stuff suits DD's shape (slim and leggy) and colouring (redhead) - so depends on your DS. Jojomaman is great for practical kit like gloves, hats, jackets, boots etc. John Lewis is good for basics and "trad" clothes. Mothercare worth a look.

Lined jeans and trousers are fab. I've picked them up from next and Mothercare, ASDA also do a lot if you are on a budget but they come up fairly big on the waist. John Lewis and Gap are good at doing adjustable waists IME.

I also like cuffed jeans and trousers - they can't trip over them, easy to roll up if too long, keep ankles warm and are easier to get on than skinnies.

For indoor activities like soft play and playgroups we also wore those knitted leggings. We have some from Blade & Rose.

One pair of decent leather shoes and one pair wellies are fine.

Coat wise, we had a fleece lined, hooded, padded jacket, plus waterproofs at this age. Fleece or faux fur lined hats with ear flaps (trapper style) are the best to keep heads warm.

For tops, H&M do long sleeve Henley style T shirts. My son has a big head and hates pulling tight tops over it, this gives a much bigger hole and meant he could start undressing himself. Also zip up hoodies or jumpers with buttons at the neck were good. My favourites at this age were from John Lewis, M&S, H&M and Boden but I also picked up a few bits from Peacocks of all places.

I buy a lot online too, I like brands like Tootsa McGinty, Girls&Boys, Maxomorra

My son isn't very tall but was still wearing a lot of his 18-24 month stuff when he was almost 3.

Cambridge baby dungerees - woolen so super cosy, no poppers. Add tights underneath when freezing. About £25 but two pairs will last you through whole winter ( and my next child wore also)

Gro bags - ditch now. Buy a duvet. Low tog as under 4 find it harder to regulate temp. So 4.5 tog or similar

Get some winter semi waterproof boots lined with sheepskin or similar. Can be worn all winter. Better for feet than wellingtons at that age and easier to climb and run in. Something like leather boots with warm lining.

Agree with PP
One pair shoes and one pair of wellies/ waterproof boots is plenty. It's not til they start riding bikes etc that they get ruined.

Splashsuit: Lidl sometimes do great waterproof dungarees. Cheap but have lasted well IME. We needed to size down

T-shirts, hoodies, jeans and tracksuit bottoms are our staples. DS has a couple of nice shirts or trousers for the odd smarter occasion

I always have 2 coats (one to wear & one to wash) as they can get very dirty from slashing in puddles etc. I tend to invest in one good one and the second one is a cheaper supermarket one. I usually try to buy winter coats in the spring sales as you can get some great deals and DSs sizes are pretty predictable

We kept DS in grobags until he moved to a bad at 2.5. He was terrible at keeping covers on him and I think the grobag stopped him climbing out.

As others have said, we just have one pair of leather shoes at a time plus wellies - feet grow so fast.

DS (now 2 and a half) lived in cord or jersey-lined canvas pull on trousers last winter - I think from M&S and Morrison's/Sainsburys. I'm currently really liking Vertbaudet for trousers for DS, particularly their range which comes in three different widths (narrow, standard and wide fitting) so you can find the right fit, and their "indestructible" trousers with adjustable waists and reinforced knees. We get cuffed roll-up trousers because they're easier to get on and off than skinnies and the length can be adjusted for short-arse. He also likes wearing leggings for playing inside or soft play, or an extra layer when it's cold - Polarn o Pyret do unisex plain black ones, as do H&M (but theirs only up to age 2). Love the Blade & Rose leggings, so cute, but DS has sensitive skin and found the fabric itchy.

We had one winter coat from JoJo last year and will do so again this year. I sized up and it lasted all winter. A waterproof set is also essential. I prefer the separate dungaree and coat sets (DS's are from Didriksons) to all in ones as they're more versatile and seem to fit better/last longer.

DS wears t-shirts and jumpers (he hates shirts for some reason) and from 1 onwards I've found they last a full season or more as he's growing more slowly. One thing I have found particularly useful is a knitted tank top as it adds an extra layer without being bulky and restricting. Ours are knitted by grandma but I've see them around in John Lewis, Vertbaudet and elsewhere. H&M are good for reasonably priced cotton knit jumpers, also like Vertbaudet.

Going against the grain, DS has been out of his cot for ages but is still in grobags at 2 1/2 and refusing to give them up (I got a duvet but he doesn't want it). He can move around in them at some speed, it doesn't seem to be a problem for him.

Ds needed 2-3 splashsuits, 2pairs of waterproof fleecy boots (decathlon) and a padded coat. We went on lots of muddy walks. Wellies are not very comfy to walk in. Trousers with adjustable waist.

I really like Gap toddler boy clothes, my DD has loads of their trousers (cords etc) adjustable waists and sift fabrics so last a while. Get on their email list for regular 30% off vouchers.

Also a decent hoody (e.g. Jojo MB) is handy and cosy. Lots of cheap T shirts from Sainsbury's/ Next.

Thanks for all of this advice it is very helpful. will go through and make a list. I held off shopping the sales for him as during the previous year he had grown so quickly a lot of the stuff we bought in advance didn't fit. Hopefully he's settling into a more reasonable rate of growth now so will be able to next year.
Our Sainsbos has next to no boy clothes. V annoying. Will look online.
Great tip re which waterproof things to buy. I am frankly baffled by the different options eg are those '4in1' coats worth it? Can't see that it would be but happy to be corrected

DS has this dungaree and waterproof coat set, and we layer up underneath with fleeces etc. www.vikingkids.co.uk/waterproofs.htm

That would be my personal preference over the 4-in-1 type coats, as we can just use his "normal" jumpers and fleeces underneath, according to the temperature, and I know I can trust the waterproof to do a decent job of keeping him dry.