The Ultimate Guide to Kids Snow Gear, Plus Budget Tips

There’s no bad weather, only bad gear.

That is definitely true when you’re spending time outside in the fall and winter. There is really nothing more miserable than shivering your way through some outdoor activity. If you enjoy nature, and you want your kids to like spending time outside in all seasons, it’s important to get them warm and quick-drying outdoor gear.

This guide will help you find high quality cold-weather gear for your kids without spending your next mortgage payment.

 

This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase an item from one of the links in this post, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please visit my Terms & Conditions  for more information. 

Base Layers

Layering is key to being comfortable. Not only will a base layer keep your kids warmer, it will wick sweat to keep the skin dryer when your kids are active.

REI

We have a pair of REI brand lightweight long underwear and have been very happy with it. The knees of the pants were a bit worn by the end of the second year of use, but our daughter wore them as pajamas as well as base layers. They are super soft! Kids sizes range from 4T to 18.

Patagonia

Patagonia makes my favorite base layers for kids. Patagonia’s capilene fabric is soft, warm and wicks moisture like a champ. Better yet, Patagonia fully backs all of its clothing, and allows you to return an item or bring it in for repair if the item is damaged. You can even trade in old Patagonia clothes for credit towards a new Patagonia item. Kind of awesome.

Patagonia is the only company I’ve found that makes base layers for infants. Its infant base layer sets are available in sizes newborn through 24 months. This set includes pants and a onesie. The baby & toddler base layers are a top and pants that come in sizes 3 months to 5T. Older girls and boys can choose from a crew neck or quarter-zip top and bottoms in sizes XS to XXL.

Icebreaker

If you prefer natural fibers, you cannot beat Ice Breaker’s base layers. Ice Breaker’s New Zealand Merino wool garments help you regulate your body temperature like nothing else. They’re not itchy – promise – and they hold up well. We have bought a few long underwear tops from them, and they look so nice that the kids will wear them as regular shirts or as part of a long underwear set.

Icebreaker runs small in kids’ sizes (although I’ve found the adult clothing true to size), so I suggest sizing up for kids. Base layers are available in sizes 2 (roughly equivalent to 2T by my math, but check the sizing chart) up to 14.

Base Layers Budget Tips

Check out the REI Outlet for occasional great deals on closeout products. You might just get lucky on Patagonia or REI gear.

Moosejaw generally has an excellent selection of kids’ Patagonia apparel at a discount. Backcountry also has a few kids’ Patagonia items on sale from time to time. You might have to buy a weird color, but these are base layers! If you’re willing to buy lightly used gear, Poshmark also has a ton of choices. This is solid gear that lasts, and kids items especially probably won’t have been worn for years and years.

Icebreaker’s website has limited colors. If you can catch their late-summer sale, snap up the deals on base layers for the upcoming winter. Otherwise, Amazon has a wider array of Icebreaker base layer colors and some are up to 50% off retail price, depending on the color and size you choose.

Warm Socks

Toes get cold before almost anything else. To keep your kid’s feet toasty warm, pick up some wool socks.

Smartwool

Smartwool is pretty much the gold standard in wool socks and also one of the few makers of baby and toddler wool socks! These socks will keep even the littlest feet warm and toasty, which is key when you spend more than a couple of minutes outside in the cold. For older kids, Smartwool offers lightweight and medium weight hiking socks. They also have taller socks for winter sports, which are perfect to wear with snow boots or ski boots. Smartwool socks wear well and are not scratchy. We have had many pairs over the years and have never been disappointed!

Darn Tough

Made in Vermont, Darn Tough makes awesome wool socks. They’re incredibly durable and backed by a full warranty. Darn Tough offers kids hiking and winter sports socks in sizes S-L, but they seem to run large. Definitely look at the sizing chart and be prepared to experiment with sizes a bit. Still, these socks are very durable and come in beautiful colors. They’re worth checking out for older kids.

Ice Breaker

Ice Breaker makes Merino wool socks for kids. They offer ultralight and lightweight hiking socks and medium weight over-the-calf winter sports socks. Sizing runs from S (little kids shoe size 8) to XXL (big kids shoe size 6.5). We have not personally tried these socks, but we do love Ice Breaker’s clothing and I imagine their socks will be of the same high quality.

Wool Socks Budget Tips

Sierra Trading Post has some good deals on Smartwool kids socks, as well as low prices on Bridgedales and other brands of kids wool socks. Campmor has kids Darn Tough and Wigwam socks.

Snow Boots

Snow boots are really, really nice to have in snow and slush. They’ll keep kids’ feet warm and dry. More importantly, they provide better traction for kids on slippery surfaces.

We’ve had a couple of pairs of Bogs boots that have been….ok. The baby and toddler sizes are ankle boots. They’re fuzzy inside and neoprene outside. They seem warm and dry enough, and have little handles to help your child pull the boots on.

A negative is that baby Bogs are too short to keep snow out when the snow is more than a couple of inches deep, so for that reason, I strongly do NOT recommend baby and toddler Bogs if you live in a climate with a ton of snow. That being said, they can usually be found on sale and are workable for more mild climates.

The older kids’ Bogs are taller and we’ve been happier with them. I would definitely size up because they seem narrow already, and they may not fit as well over thicker wool socks.

If you live in a snowy climate, I highly recommend Kamik insulated kids boots. They come in toddler and older kid sizes and are insulated on the inside. The waterproof outer material is flexible and the sole is beefy. These are solid cold-weather boots for kids.

Snow Boots Budget Tips

Amazon has a wide selection of Kamik boots, most of which are reasonably priced and Prime-eligible. I’d go straight to Amazon in this case.

Cozy Hats

If your kid will tolerate it, I highly highly recommend getting a warm hat with a chin strap. This has two benefits: first, it keeps the hat firmly in place on your kid’s head and second, it keeps their ears warm.

My girls both strongly prefer soft fleece hats. We have a few hats that are wool on the outside and fleece on the inside. Even though the inner fleece is soft, they still complain about the wool hats being scratchy. Because of that, we steer clear of wool hats, even if they’re lined, and stick with all-fleece hats.

For babies and toddlers, Columbia has a few adorable and reasonably priced fleece hats with chin straps. If your kids are older, Obermeyer’s Orbit Fleece Hat comes in an array of colors (14!) has ear flaps and an adjustable chin strap and comes in two sizes. Based on the sizing chart, it looks like this hat can cover older toddlers to elementary schoolers. At just $20, I’m putting this one on my list for our winter.

Hats Budget Tip

Etsy seems like a great source for fleece hats with ear straps. Most of the choices are very low-cost! If you’re crafty, you could also probably DIY a fleece hat for your kid.

Outerwear for Snow Play

When our kids were babies, we loved our waterproof, fleece-lined bunting from Columbia. Make sure to find a bunting with fold-over hands and feet. This will really keep your kids warm and dry all over, and you won’t need to worry about socks, booties and mittens that would be bound to fall off. The Columbia Snuggly Bunny Bunting comes in sizes 0 – 24 months. The two piece Columbia Double Flake Set comes with snow bibs and a coat and is available in infant and toddler sizes (up to 4T).

For older kids, we’ve had really good luck buying random brands from discount outdoor sites like Sierra Trading Post and Campmor. We’ll buy whatever is available in our kids’ current size and is reasonably priced, even if it’s a weird color. Typically, we buy snow bibs. They’re waterproof and have internal gaiters to keep the snow out. Bibs have adjustable shoulder straps usually so we’ve been able to wear them for multiple seasons.

When you’re looking for coats, make sure to buy one that’s waterproof and well-insulated. Hoods are great for additional wind protection, too. In the past, we’ve bought coats and snow bibs from REI and Columbia with good results. Overall, Columbia makes solid, well-priced outdoor clothing for kids.

Snow Outerwear Budget Tip

Check out discount outdoor sites like Sierra Trading Post and Campmor for gear in your kids’ size. Make sure to double check last year’s pants and coats before buying anything new. Because the sizing doesn’t have to be just right to be functional, you may be able to use snow pants and coats for multiple years. Poshmark or ThredUp might also be good options for used snow gear. Many people buy kids snow clothes and only use them a few times a year.

Everyday Outerwear

On regular winter days, my kids wear fleece or imitation down coats. They usually won’t wear their waterproof winter coats unless it’s raining or snowing, which doesn’t happen much where we live. We’ve loved our fleece coats from Patagonia and LL Bean. Both have stood up to many seasons of wear with my kids and have then been handed down to friends’ kids.

Down is also a great option that’s slightly warmer than fleece. However, down coats usually aren’t water resistant and you want to avoid getting the down inside wet. For that reason, down is generally best in dry conditions.

Some down coats do have an outer waterproof or water resistant layer, but definitely be aware of that and check it out before purchasing if you want a down jacket to be multi-use. Patagonia’s down jacket look nice, but they’re pricey. Both of my kids have imitation down coats from Columbia that we’ve been very happy with.

In either case, I definitely recommend getting a coat with a hood. That will allow you to skip the hat unless it’s really cold, and my kids also both complain about the end of the zipper on hoodless jackets poking their neck.

Gloves & Mittens

Stick with mittens for as long as your kids will tolerate them! Not only do mittens keep little fingers warmer, they also are much MUCH easier to put on. For everyday warmth, fleece mittens with a wrist strap are easy to put on – even for toddlers – and keep hands nice and warm.

We typically only wear waterproof mittens in the snow. These are much more bulky and make it harder for kids to use their hands for anything so they’re not great for everyday wear. With any mittens, a strap at the wrist is a must to help keep them from falling off. It’s also really helpful to have a longer mitten with a gaiter that tightens further up the arm. This can be tucked into your child’s coat or go over the wrist of the coat to keep snow from falling into the mitten when they’re playing.

REI has a solid selection of baby, toddler and kids mittens – both fleecy and waterproof. We love Outdoor Research Adrenaline Mitts in both the toddler and kids versions. We’ve tried a few other brands and they weren’t very waterproof or very warm. The Outdoor Research mittens are high quality, waterproof and have warm fleece lining.

To avoid losing mittens, don’t forget to pick up some mitten clips. It’s much cheaper than buying new mittens or gloves! Kids love to take off their mittens and sometimes they just fall off in the snow. We’ve used the version that clip on to the coat sleeve, but friends have used and liked the ones that go on a string through the coat itself.

Snow Outerwear Budget Tip

Check out discount outdoor sites like Sierra Trading Post and Campmor or Moosejaw.

Warm Kids are Happy Kids

Follow these tips and you’ll acquire a set of cold-weather clothing that will get you through most conditions. You’ll be able to spend more time outside with your kids, even if it’s rainy, snowy or cold. Here’s to beating cabin fever!

Want to come back to this guide? Pin it for later!