gear for outdoor play

In the wise words of Daniel Tiger, "think about what you're going to do and pick the clothes that are right for you!"

Investing in outdoor clothing and gear is a priority for our family. Kids are much more willing to play outside, in all the elements, if they have the right clothes/shoes/gear. We live in New England and experience the full range of seasons. Daily outside time, regardless of the weather, is a priority in our family.

Today I'm sharing our go-to fall and winter gear. Our gear looks pretty much the same for preschoolers and kids. At the end of summer, I pull out all our fall gear and have the kids try things on. We can usually get two seasons out of many of our pieces. I typically buy big. I also try to buy neutral colors when possible so that there is less complaining about hand-me-downs and then let the hand-me-down receiver pick out new accessories (like hats). Once I find a brand/article of clothing that we like, I just stick with the same item, so I don't have to research again year to year. We tend to stick with Patagonia for our main items because of their lifetime warranty and commitment to environmental sustainability and fair trade. Patagonia items are great items to purchase second hand and have great resell value.

Fall Gear for Kids:

1. Fleece Jacket: We use the Patagonia Micro D Snap-T fleece jackets (baby/toddler and kids) .

2. Raincoat: We use the Patagonia Torrentshell raincoats (baby/toddler and kids).

3. Waterproof Pants: We use Celavi bibs.

4. Rain Boots: We use Bogs rain boots.

5. Beanie: The ones pictured are from Childhoods Clothing.

6. Mittens: The ones pictured are Patagonia Pita Pocket mittens.

7. Waterproof Mittens: The ones pictured are Celavi waterproof over mittens.

8. Kids Hiking Backpack: We like the REI Tarn 12 Pack. I’m a big fan of kids carrying their own things.

9. Baby Carrier and Weather Cover: I like the ergobaby Omni 360 and weather cover.

Winter Gear for Kids:

1. Carseat Safe Jacket: We use Patagonia Down Sweaters (baby/toddler and kids),

2. Snow Pants: This is the one area that we bounce around with. For babies/toddlers, we use Patagonia buntings (fleece bunting for non-walking baby, snow bunting for walking toddler). For kids, I like snow bibs. Right now we are using a neutral color LL Bean bib for C1. C2 picked a pair of snow pants to go with her hand-me-down jacket.

3. Snow Boots: We use Bogs.

4. Mittens: The ones pictured are Patagonia Pita Pocket mittens.

5. Snow Mittens: We usually get something from REI.

6. Balaclava: We’ve used the same REI balaclavas for 5 years now.

7. Winter Hat: The ones pictured are from The Blueberry Hull and Briar Baby

Nice to Have Extras:

1. Gear Bag: We use Patagonia Black Hole totes to haul things to and from the car.

2. Dirty Gear Bag: We use a collapsable tote for muddy/snowy gear in the car.

3. Outdoor Mat: We have a Gathre mat for picnics and general outdoor sitting.

4. Binoculars: We have these.

5. Giant Water Jug: We use this jug to refill personally water bottles.

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