Don't you just love the colours at this time of year? It's a shame the weather isn't quite as beautiful. As we move towards winter it's time to start digging out those warm winter clothes and ditching the summer ones...though it doesn't feel like we really got to wear the summer ones does it?
Liz was lucky enough to be sent a new addition to Jonny's winter wardrobe from Cotswold Outdoor - Varberg Fleece Lined Rain Dungarees by Kozikidz. You can find her review below....
Just brilliant in their simplicity! I only
wish they had arrived a week earlier which would have avoided the situation of
turning around to change soaking trousers and pants after falling in a puddle
half way to nursery, and thus arriving at said nursery very late with a
slightly upset son.
Out of all the children’s products I have reviewed
this has to be one of the best. Someone very intelligent has designed these
dungarees and someone very clever has made them. Thank you to those people! You
make our lives easier and for this you deserve copious amounts of praise
lavished on you.
I aspire to be one of those mums who lets
her children jump in puddles and run in the rain without any thought for the
(ever-increasing) pile of washing it produces and the soaking wet children you
then have to somehow return home as the novelty of being wet and cold has worn
off, and the consequent colds and illness it produces, but I feel I fall short.
However, I do try to enforce fresh air into
Jonny and Sophie but, as we live in Scotland, outside often includes rain, wind
and cold. Jonny’s nursery is about a mile away from our home so the majority of
mornings (although I do confess to taking the car if the weather is terrible
and dad doesn’t need it for work) we don our coats, hats, scarves and gloves
and set out in the ever-darkening morning. This is then repeated two and a half
hours later (does anyone else think nurseries should give parents longer breaks
from their children? This is obviously their main focus rather than providing
an education to our little dears.)
The problem is obvious; how to drop off a
‘dry’ three-year-old boy who loves nothing better than jump (and fall over) in
puddles. The thing is, I like him to wear his winter coat rather than an
all-in-one waterproof suit so it’s just the bottom half that causes the
problem. I’ve bought a waterproof suit before but it didn’t provide any padding
or warmth and was pretty useless in anything other than a light shower. Plus it
wouldn’t fit over his coat so it worked slightly in the summer but that was
all.
These dungarees solve ALL the problems. The
quality is apparent immediately with a waterproof and wind proof outer layer (I
think the proper name is phthalate free polyester with a polyurethane coating,
but ‘water/windproof’ will do for me) in which the seams are welded into the
layer so there are no awkward ‘leaky’ bits. Plus, because they’re dungarees
Jonny can still wear his winter coat over them.
The inside is so soft and fleecy it provides
warmth and a little protection from falls. My only concern on seeing the
quality was that you wouldn’t be able to shove them in the washing machine, but
the creators have combated that one too ; 40 degrees! Glory be! Plus, the
colour; blue, just blue. Nothing garish and ridiculously patterned, but quite
normal really.
It’s only on closer inspection you start to
notice all the clever little bits that make parents lives easier and make the
difference between a good product and an excellent product:
- Foot
straps that hold the dungarees in place over wellies,
- Easy open
and shut braces that are adjustable
- Poppers
on the waistline
- Name
label
- It is
produced ethically
- And, my
favourite extra; reflective circles so even on dark winter mornings Jonny
can be seen.
I like to think these dungarees have saved
Jonny from future embarrassment as the other option I was considering was
long-johns to provide some warmth in the rain and snow...
Hand on heart, I can find nothing negative
about this product but I could ooze praise all day (I admit this may, however,
be a reflection on me).
Totally brilliant product – I will
definitely be looking into the other products in this range.
These dungarees retail for £25 and are available from Cotswold Outdoor.
