The transitional seasons of spring and fall can be a confusing time here in New England. I usually cope by just throwing everything we own into the car – sneakers, rain boots, snow boots, rain coat, sweatshirt, parka, check, check, check. The one thing that is my ally in unknown weather is good and proper rain gear. In these shoulder seasons, getting wet usually means the adventure is over. My tried and true go-to’s for the best rain gear for kids are Oaki suits for littles and Reima gear for school-aged kiddos.
Best Rain Gear for Kids: The Oaki Suit
First, the Oaki suit. I recommend a one-piece suit for the five & under crowd specifically because of their height. If a little person’s legs are in something, really their whole body is in it, right? The full coverage of this style suit is the way to go. If it is a temperate day and I was to put a three year old in just rain bib pants over a sweatshirt to jump in some puddles, that sweatshirt would be soaked in minutes and there would be no benefit to wearing the bib pants. Having a one piece shell keeps them all put together and free to play.
The Oaki Suit is better for New England weather than the lower cost alternatives
There are lower cost rain suits, like Tuffo for example, that function perfectly fine. However, the difference is that these are truly rain suits and will keep your kiddo dry but not warm. The suits are thin and lightweight – you can often see through them. You get more function for your money with Oaki because it serves as a waterproof shell that also has insulation value. In that wet March snow slush, snow pants get soaked through and thin rain suits leave your kiddo cold. With warm base layers, a zipped up Oaki is going to keep in their body heat and hold off that chill.
Stretch your dollar
The star of the Oaki suit show is the waist drawstring that other rain suits don’t have. Paired with velcro around the wrists and ankles, the drawstring allows you to really cinch in a larger suit and make it comfortably fit for years. For my oldest’s third birthday, I got her a size 5T Oaki suit. She wore it all the way to six years old and the only reason it stopped working was height. It was no longer long enough to hold onto her boots properly so her legs kept getting wet. I bought one suit for three years of use and it will pass down to the next kiddo.
Proper Care of your Oaki Suit
I have heard casual advice to wash the Oaki suit a few times to make it softer. Don’t do this! I reached out to Oaki for direct-from-them advice: “To prolong the waterproof capabilities of the suit, the softness of the fabric and seam tape – hand washing combined with air drying is highly recommended. If you need to machine wash the suit, please follow instructions on the interior suit tag, but know that repeated machine washing may cause fabric and seam tape stiffness over time and hardened seam tape may cause rips/tears along seam lines.”
Best Rain Gear for Kids: Reima Rain Jacket and Pants
When it was time to replace my oldest’s Oaki suit I went down the internet rabbit hole and spent what was probably entirely too much time thinking and reading about rain pants. Putting a kindergartner or first grader into a full suit on a rainy day felt like overkill. I fairly quickly settled on the bib-style rain pants for the extra coverage they provide versus just pants.
Then came brand comparisons! Oaki, Reima and Polarn O. Pyret were all on my shortlist and I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. Ultimately, I went with Reima’s Lammikko pants after much consideration. A few things that swayed me were the buckle on the shoulder straps looked easier for a kiddo to manage by themselves and I liked the snaps on the side for an adjustable fit ensuring they fit properly for a long time. I also went for the matching Lampi rain jacket. Together they make a rain suit and we are good to go!
Other things to consider when buying the best rain gear for kids
- Have a runner? Go with an orange or yellow Oaki suit so you can spot them easy.
- Have more than one kid? Purchase gender neutral colors. All this gear lasts for more than one child and has good resale value.
- If you are buying an Oaki suit used: Inspect the seams around the zippers and the stickiness of the velcro.
- If you are buying Reima rain pants used: If they are missing boot straps, no problem! Reima and other brands with a similar style pant sell replacement straps separately so you can start fresh.
Adventure awaits!
Test out your new rain gear at a fun waterfall hike: Tucker Brook Falls or the cool Worcester Mills Historical site are both easy and engaging spots!
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