Childrens winter wardrobes

At last it has arrived in real style, winter that is. It kind of lulled us into a false sense of security as it was so mild in September and early October but the arrival of snow in late October certainly awakened our senses, and numbed our fingers and our toes. When my children return to school in September I take the opportunity to kit them out with their school uniforms and their winter clothes. For my family this shopping trip includes the purchase of the essentials of uniform, winter coat, school shoes, wellies, hat, scarf and gloves, a few long sleeved tops and warmer trousers. I also purchase new underwear for the children, including thermal vests and socks.

Because we normally have a relatively mild but usually very wet Autumn I usually buy my children their school shoes and a new pair of wellies. This allows them to enjoy the wet weather by being able to jump and splash in puddles but still keeping dry. I always buy them a good quality Winter coat, warm and waterproof so they can run around outside but stay warm and dry. I encourage my children to play outside as much as possible even in the cooler and wet weather, if they are well wrapped up they will not feel the cold.

As the winter draws in I update my children’s’ wardrobes and buy them warmer clothing and perhaps a pair of winter boots to keep they warm going to and from school. With the present economic climate I try very hard to buy good quality but reasonably priced clothing. I must admit I have been able to buy reasonably priced children’s clothing by avoiding brand names and shopping more in the supermarkets and less upmarket retailers. I have been able to buy very good and fashionable clothes, my daughter is now seven and is becoming more fashion conscious so I at least have to buy good looking replicas of the more expensive styles.

All things considered we have a relatively mild Winter, we get a few very frosty periods and perhaps the occasional few days of snow so overall we don not need really expensive Winter clothing. We can purchase clothing that is perhaps a little warmer for certain times of the year but I find that layering the clothes works best. I do buy a few heavier jumpers and cardigans but the children usually wear t-shirts or lighter tops under the jumpers. Because we are now more financially aware I am trying to get as much wear out of all the clothing I buy and usually adapt it to the weather conditions, I can no longer afford to buy my children clothes because I would like nice new clothes for them, I try to extend the life of the clothing and only buy when they have grown out of the item or it can no longer be worn. However I have not cut back on the essentials, I have just reduced the number of essentials to the absolutely necessary.