What winter gear for 16 mo old?

[AJP]

I'm starting to look at winter outerwear for my girls to get an idea of what they will need this winter. They will be 16 months by the time cold December rolls in. I am specifically looking at everyday jackets & boots. I know they will need something else (snow gear, snow boots) if they ever do sledding etc.
What do you dress your 1yr old's in for outerwear? What kind of warm winter boots & jackets have you done for your DC at this age? I'd love some uggs/ugg type for them especially since they won't be walking much outside and they will stay nice looking, but the ones for their size don't look like they are made for walking on outside!
I was leaning toward fleece jackets as they could wear them right into the carseats, but wondering if I should even bother...with my luck they wont want to keep them on in the car. I know they shouldn't wear big jackets in the carseat...do you just keep taking them on/off every time??? I KNOW I'll be missing the infant seats and showercap covers this winter!!!
Hahaha..I just realized that it's July, our summer weather JUST started here and you'll all think I'm nuts! Thanks for any advice anyways!

[cono0507]

My DD was born in Aug 2007, so last year we were in the same time frame as you are now. She did spend a bit of time playing in the snow last year.
For the snow or extended times outside, she wore a Columbia winter coat and matching snow pants. She had a pair of Gore Tex Ecco boots like this:
http://www.amazon.com/ECCO-Toddler-Little-Mountain-Chalet/dp/B000VHI20W
I love the boots because they are great for the snow and outside but also are flexible enough to be their everyday winter shoes.

If it was just going to be a car ride, we did a thick fleece jacket with a hood from LL Bean.

[MontrealMum]

I also have a child with an Aug. birthday. For most days we did the fleece coveralls from LL Bean. The daycare required "real" outerwear for outdoor time, and we are avid skiers, so we also had the LE Arctic squall jacket and bibs. Boots were a bit harder, but we ended up with a pair of Merrells from HA. When we thought the Merrells might not be warm enough we looked at Sorels and Kamik but they were already sold out of his size :(

Accessories were harder, but we like the lined pilot cap and the warmer hats from LE. The mitts from HA weren't warm enough, and the LE ones were a PITA to get on, so we just picked up a few pairs at Zeller's which were fine (they needed the idiot strap as per daycare rules).

[a2mom]

My daughter will be 19 months in December and I just bought her snowgear from Lands End today. They have snow pants and coats and boots on sale. I got her the 4 in 1 Squall Parka b/c it looked warm enough to handle Michigan winters and would give us flexibility in warmer weather. Also bought snow blaster boots for $13 (cheaper than you can buy them used on ebay!). LE has some great sales in the overstocks department right now - the boots ($10-13) especially are a great deal since kids outerwear is CRAZY expensive, even used! Ebay also has some good deals right now, especially in the auctions.

I've heard that the one-piece snowsuits are easiest to get kids in and out of (and I think they're a little cheaper) but we went with separates since my daughter is long-waisted. Hope this helps.

[longamkl]

Thanks to the op for asking this question. My twins were born in Sept. '08. I'm looking at the Lands' End clothes and wonder if the size 2T might work for this winter. My little boy is 95%-ile and my little girl 65%-tile. He is 30.5" tall now and 23 lbs and she is 28.5" tall and 20 lbs.

Also, I don't see the snow blaster boots on Lands' End. Could they be sold out already?

[MontrealMum]

Thanks to the op for asking this question. My twins were born in Sept. '08. I'm looking at the Lands' End clothes and wonder if the size 2T might work for this winter. My little boy is 95%-ile and my little girl 65%-tile. He is 30.5" tall now and 23 lbs and she is 28.5" tall and 20 lbs.


We had the 2T squall pants last year (Aug. b-day), and bought the 3T for this year, but will use the same coat from last year (my son is mostly legs). They have adjustable straps which will allow for growth throughout the winter, and a belt for cinching the waist. My DS ranges between 95%-97% for height and 30% for weight, so, long and skinny. He was approx. 32.5in. tall at this time last year. So, I think the 2T might work for your son, but I would go with a smaller size for your DD. The LE squall line is great - reinforced elbows, butt, and knees, and elastic at wrists and ankles to keep out snow. We have the arctic version, not the regular one.

[longamkl]

I'm a Canadian now living in the US btw. I ordered the arctic squall parkas and bibs and I even found the snow blast boots. Don't know why the site wouldn't show them to me the first time. My credit card balance is getting way too high but I can't resist a good deal!

[a2mom]

Snow Blast boots don't pull up in a main search. I found them by going to lands end overstocks, then girls, then toddler (2T-4T) and outerwear. I think they showed up there, amidst the coats and snow pants. Hope this helps!

[AJP]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I just ordered squal jackets, snow pants, fleece jackets and boots - two of each for under $200. Any suggestions for everyday boots? I'm looking for something warm (duh) but not necessarily snow boot type boots. Something that's taller than ankle height and something cute as well as functional that doesn't scream snow boot. Like UGGs but not actual UGGs.
Thanks again!

[AJP]

Oh and a special thanks to MontrealMum and a2mom for the sizing help. I was afraid to order from LE b/c I was worried that they would just be too big. You helped me visualize that 2T might work afterall. If not, they'll still take em back!