Our summer clothes are well and truly packed away, and our laundry piles are suddenly filled with jeans, jumpers, jackets and various knitted things. If you’ve taken a look at what your children are wearing and think that they could do with some new threads this winter, here are the five wardrobe essentials you should be shopping for.
A durable school coat
First and foremost, you need to make sure you’re sending the kids off to school wearing a coat that’s going to keep them warm and dry. However, you should buy from a brand that will deliver you the best quality for the price tag, with practical features like multiple pockets, as well as a fun design so that children actually want to wear their new coat in the playground. Head to Mini Boden for something practical yet stylish, or try Marks and Spencer for quality you can rely on. Don’t be afraid to spend a little bit of money if you can afford to: it will doubtless be snapped up as a hand-me-down by a friend or family member next winter.
Wellington boots
What’s a childhood without collecting conkers, kicking up leaves and splashing in muddy puddles? Invest in a decent pair of wellies for your little ones if you want to get them off the computer screen and out in the fresh air this winter. Look for features like hard-wearing rubber, grippy soles and perhaps even top-handles if your kids sometimes struggle to take them off. A brand called muddy puddles offers a great range of wellies, including Puddleflexers with polar fleece linings, and Puddlestompers with reflective strips for high visibility in a dark, dreary winter.
A snuggly dressing gown
As well as outerwear, make sure loungewear is on your list of things to buy. A good dressing gown is essential if you want your kids to feel warm and cosy once they’ve had a bath, and it’s the perfect thing for them to slip into on a wintery weekend morning. Opt for something like this bunny dressing down for children under three years, or buy a cheap and cheerful number like this dinosaur dressing gown from George at Asda for older children.
A set of pyjamas
Continuing with the loungewear theme, new pyjamas are a good idea too – especially if your little ones are still wearing their lightweight, summer sets. Pyjamas made from materials like flannel are timeless, but best of all they’re warm and well-wearing. This set from The White Company is particularly lovely; just be sure to wash flannel at a low temperature as it can behave a bit like wool in the washing machine. Of course, you needn’t spend too much money if you’d prefer not to. 100% cotton pyjamas are available at plenty of supermarkets and will be soft, warm and cosy.
A warm (but definitely not itchy!) jumper
Finally, it can be hard to wrestle kids into winter jumpers – particularly if they’re a bit itchy! Skip the lambswool jumpers, as although they’re the warmest, they tend to irritate sensitive skin and fussy fashionistas. Cotton jumpers are durable and will wash well, and keep your eyes peeled for cotton jumpers that are blended with a small amount of Merino wool (the softest form of wool available) as this will make a jumper quite a lot warmer.
So, those are just five wardrobe essentials to buy your kids this winter. There are plenty more things they’ll need (hats, scarves and gloves to name but a few), but if you tick these five things of the list, you’ll be a long way towards kitting them out for the colder months.