Winter Outerwear for Babies, Toddlers and Small Kids
Baby winter outerwear comes in the widest variety of colors, materials and styles. Since babies are less inclined to go snowboarding or skiing there is less need for water resistant shells and special reinforcement of the clothing. Instead the baby outerwear can be perfectly suitable, warm and colorful with a non-water resistant soft fleece, cotton or blend shell. These shells are softer than the water resistant shells but there can be some color loss after repeated washing or a greater tendancy to pick up stains or pilling. Water resistant nylon tends to be more stain resistant and holds color better, but in nylon there are fewer cute baby prints to chose from and the material isn't as soft and cuddly.
In toddler and small childrens winter outerwear we start to see more water-resistant shells being used. This is most important to children who play, slide, climb and sled in the snow for hours on end.
For most people the greatest importance is the warmth of the outerwear. The water resistant and non-water resistant materials can be suitably warm as long as there's a good layer of insulation and the material is dry. Since toddlers and older children spend more time in contact with the snow their outerwear should be more water resistant than what you might chose for a baby.
Most winter coats, snow pants and snowsuits are insulated with a polyester fiber fill. This is one of the most practical and warm types of insulation to have, it washes easily, sheds excess water quickly and holds shape well. Down is another nice choice for maximum warmth however there can be allergy issues with down feathers and the washing needs to be done more carefully.
Since babies and small children have a larger surface area relative to their circulatory system they have a more difficult time than adults do in maintaining their body temperature. In the winter time it's important to make sure they are very well insulated from the cold. A tremendous amount of heat is lost through the head so wearing a good warm hat is the first place to start. In general a well made one piece snowsuit keeps the heat in better than 2 piece snowsuits but a well put together 2 piece set along with appropriate layers worn underneath can be just as good as a one-piece snowsuit. When children are at the stage of running around many prefer two piece suits over the one piece snowsuit. In this case having a good warm winter coat and warm bib overall style snow pants will be the best way to keep warm. The pant style snow pants available (without bibs) are very practical and comfortable for shorter times outdoors or for snow play in warmer climates.
Winter outerwear for small boys to large youth sizes
In this size range almost all the winter outerwear for snow play, sledding, skiing and snowboarding will have water resistant shells. Some of the detailing and materials can get very elaborate and expensive for kids and adult winter clothing. What's really most important though is just keeping warm! As with the smaller sizes having a good water resistant shell and proper layer of polyester fiber or down insulation is needed. In this size range it's great to see many little boys snowsuits and snow pants being reinforced in key areas. These days a lot of snow pants and snowsuits have heavily reinforced knees, seat and cuffs. This is important to kids who wear their winter clothing daily to school or for those who play hard in the snow or do a lot of skiing and snowboarding. Generally these bigger children prefer 2 piece suits - a good winter coat and snow bibs (bib overall snow pants). The 2 piece outfits are easier to wash too. One piece snowsuits are made in all sizes ranging from kids to adult but they tend to be expensive and more specialized or geared towards a winter sport. Also, their very large size can make them a bit tricky for washing in the home laundry machine. For day to day use a good winter coat and snow pants may be the best way to go.
Other layers to wear with winter outerwear
While we've gone over the basics of the outerwear we can't neglect the great importance of the layers worn underneath. Winter outerwear on its own can not be expected to keep children warm in most snowy climates. Good layering strategy must be used to get the full benefit of the outerwear. Each layer worn under the outerwear increases the overall insulation value of the entire outfit. Don't ever use any waterproof raingear as outerwear or an inner layer. All the layers must breathe! Wearing material that doesn't breathe or breathes poorly can make you dangerously cold very quickly.
The body must not get damp so the layer closest to the body should be in a material that breathes and wicks moisture away from the body. Artificial fibers do this best. Natural fibers such as cotton certainly feel comfortable when dry but tend to absorb and trap moisture. Avoid 100% cotton next to the skin and try to make that first layer a breathable polyester or nylon. Many light weight summer shirts, swimmers rash guards, athletic shirts and sports jerseys are made in woven or knit nylon or polyester making them the right sort of material to keep the damp off the skin. Polyester fleece and polar fleece is also a nice alternative to cotton. With smaller children and toddlers a good strategy for keeping them warm is to have them wear a blanket sleeper as their thermal underwear. The non-cotton sleepers are essentially made of the same materials as expensive thermals are. For older kids most pajamas do the same thing. A slightly loose fit seems to work better than skin tight thermals. The skin tight thermals can be uncomfortable and cause skin irritation in many people. Megabrat.com has started stocking sleepers, union suits and warm pajamas for babies and toddlers, in addition to their winter outerwear, to help children get properly ouftitted for winter.
After the underwear layer the next layers may be fleece, polar fleece or other artificial fiber material that breathes. Wool is a type of natural fiber that does quite well to maintain warmth even when wet so wearing a wool or wool blend sweater may be a good choice. Generally lots of thin layers will keep you warmer than fewer thick layers. The advantage of many layers over too few is that you can layer up, layer down or vent them as necessary to stay at a comfortable temperature.
A general rule for the minimum number of layers for children to wear under their outerwear.
Remember as temperatures and wind chills get colder not just the quantity but the quality of the layers and outerwear becomes more important.
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| 70f |
1 layer |
| 50f-60f |
2 layers |
| 30f-45f |
3 layers |
| 20f-30f |
4 layers |
| 10f-20f |
5-6 layers |
Sizing winter outerwear
We get a lot of questions about the right size for the clothing and what the maker's standard sizes mean. Firstly, the "right size" is one that allows for layers worn underneath so the outerwear should be a bit roomy to accomodate that extra clothing. In snow pants the length needs to be enough to cover the tops of boots and not be too long that cuffs drag on the ground. Snow bibs, bib overall snow pants usually have adjustable straps so to some extent you can adjust the pants to the right length for fitting over boots while keeping cuffs off the ground.
What's the difference between a size 24M and 2 and 2T or the difference between a size 3 and 3T or 4 and 4T? Unfortunately there is no standard by which makers use to come up with their idea of size. One maker's size 3 might be the same as another's size 4 and anothers size 2! The makers vary so widely in their sizing schemes that it can be extremely frustrating for buyers to determine the proper size, especially in the smaller childrens sizes.
What we see is that there is often no perceptible difference between a size 24 months, 2 and 2T. Sometimes the size with a "T" will lean towards the next larger size. For example a size 3T might be similar to a size 4 and a size 4T might be comparable to size 5. The same may hold true when an item is described in months rather than years. For example a size 24M might be a fraction smaller than a size 2. These arbitrary variances between makers can be such a hinderance to determining size that we suggest using the size label only as a crude guide, and whenever possible go with actual measurements of the clothing to determine the true size. At megabrat.com accurate measurements are provided for each item to help you get a perfect fit for your winter outerwear.
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