Before you become a parent, you hear people say things to new and relatively new mums, and you just smile and nod. Things like “they learn so fast, don’t they!” and “she looks just like you.” And if you’re not really paying attention, it just sounds like standard stuff one woman says to another. Another example is “they get so big so soon!” and it’s easy to be cynical. Just looks like another tiny human to me, mate, honest.

Of course, these are things that all new mums hear so often that they kind of just let it wash over them. But when you are a mum you learn for yourself pretty swiftly that yes, the growth rate is like something from a sci-fi movie. It seems like only yesterday, a small pot of strained carrot was a meal for your little star. Now they’re eating you out of house and home. No wonder they’re getting bigger!

When you’re an adult, the time sometimes comes that you realise clothes wear out. Those trusty jeans that survived trips to the park, DIY and more, they no longer preserve warmth nor dignity. They need to be retired. For your kids, clothes often don’t get to that point.

Hand-me-downs often become hand-me-downs not because you don’t have the money to buy new. It’s more because when you buy them, they fit. A couple of months later? That cute summer dress might work as a summer top.

But when it comes to clothes for kids, the one area where you can’t skimp is in the winter wardrobe. A warm winter coat needs to be durable, waterproof and capable of holding a child who may well be a different size by the time spring has sprung. You might get a second winter out of it, but these are clothes that need to look good and perform a function. You need to be ready to pay what it takes to get the right ones.

Make Sure They’re Age Appropriate

As a parent, your first priority is always going to be practicality. If your child were given the family credit card and let loose in a clothes shop, they’d come back with a lot of things they liked the look of. When it came to actually keeping the rain out, or staying warm, it’d be a different story. But at the same time, there needs to be a balance.

Every child remembers their first parka. Even if they don’t want to.

Even if kids don’t realise it, they’re fashion conscious. They see what their friends are wearing, and they want to wear the same. A coat your little boy loved when he was six might be “so uncool” when he turns seven. And at that age, these small details matter all the more.

Kids are very visual little beings, so it is a good idea to involve them when looking for new clothes online. On a shopping site like Little Moppets or similar, you can show them the latest lines that are available and see what they like best.

Make Sure They’re Hard Wearing

Before they become more concerned with playing with their phones and hanging out, kids do like to play fairly rough. I’m not talking about wrestling or hitting each other here (although there’s always one). But they do like to run around, pick things up and in most cases, no child has ever seen a puddle they don’t want to stamp in.

Who are we kidding? It’s still fun when you’re 30.

Most kids – well, most people, really – would rather ask for forgiveness than seek permission. So by the time you would advise them to keep their good clothes good, it may already be too late. This is especially true for winter clothes, which may have to deal with heavy rain and snow. And where rain and snow come, mud and slush follow. Often on the coat you just spent a week’s wages on.

Make Sure They’re Easy To Wash

No matter how they’re spelt, follow washing instructions

If something is going to be worn often by a kid, then it is also going to spend a lot of time in a washing machine. Often, during the winter, it will also see some action in the tumble dryer. In a particularly cold winter, you may even want to put it through the dryer just before going out.

This means that your child’s winter clothes need to be ready for that kind of routine. It is not a good idea to buy a coat that needs to be washed on its own or one that can’t be tumble-dried. So before you buy it – certainly before you let children wear it outside – you need to check washing and drying instructions. That’s certainly something you don’t want to find out too late.

If It’s Small, Buy More Than One Of It

If you’re looking for your kids’ scarves, check local snowmen first

 

Every parent with kids of a certain age has had the following exchange, on picking their child up from school or playgroup.

“Did you have fun?”

“Yes, it was great, we built a snowman!”

“Did you? That’s amazing, you lo… Where’s your scarf?”

“I lost it!”

Bear in mind that both the answers your child gives in this little conversation are delivered with the same enthusiasm. Scarves, hats and gloves on a child in winter are like fur on a cat in summer. They will be shed, lost and scattered who knows where. So be prepared to need to replace these vital items. It’s hard, though not impossible, to lose a coat or a shoe. But don’t overspend on winter clothing accessories. They can be here today and also gone today.

Winter is often where the most fun of your children’s young lives will be had. Unlike Elsa, they will want to build a snowman. They will want to kick and lie down in piles of fallen leaves (if it’s dry enough). They’ll have the best time imaginable while doing this, and trying to stop them is pointless.

Once they deem they’re too old for such childish behaviour, you’ll miss it. So let kids be kids. Make sure they’re dressed in a way that allows them to be kids. And be prepared to wonder how a garment so small can contain so much mud!