The Best Children’s Rain Gear

It only stopped snowing here in Detroit a week ago, before that the snow fell and killed all the May flowers April was trying to bloom. See as evidence, my tulip. Yes, just one tulip. Eight years ago we planted 50 bulbs and we usually see at least 20 tulips, in a bad year maybe 8. This year, we have tulip. No one told me Global Warming was going to kill all the flowers, now I’m mad. It looks like May will be our rainy month this year, this means we should look at rain gear.

Every year I got a new raincoat in the spring and although I wore it for a brief period each season, it was one of my prized possessions. This Lollipop Raincoat at Olliebollen is so cute I want to fold it into a tiny square and put it in my pocket just because it makes me smile. It’s made of laminated cotton with a soft cotton lining. How many raincoats did I have as a child which were not lined and felt like i was wearing a shower curtain liner? A Lot.

When my kids were little I had a big thing about dressing them up as animals. What was this strange compulsion about? I’m not sure but I brought my daughter home from the hospital wearing a fleece outfit which made her look a little like a puppy. (She is obsessed with dogs to this day….hmmm). I think this is why I am tickled by this cow print rain coat. The only thing it needs is ears on the hood….I’m pretty sure I could add those.

I’m sure Curious George is ‘passé’ with the preschool set but I’m a traditionalist and I think it’s easy to make a young child wear what you want them to wear. Which you should take advantage of for as long as possible because one day your daughter will be wearing gauchos (which you loathe) with striped socks and running shoes and you’ll die a little inside. Put your child in this Curious George coat while you still can!

Rain boots are maybe the best reason to have a little kid, there are so many different rain boots and splashing in puddles is so much fun. It’s win/win. Also, if you live somewhere you actually have to “walk” to do anything, rain boots are practical as well. Where we live we walk from our door to our car and then from the car to another door…..so rain boots are less functional. But cute!

Plueys has these really cute red and white striped classic rain boots. A nylon splash guard means even greater splash potential.  Puddle stomping burns lots of calories.

I think the world would be a better place if little girls were born with mary janes on their feet. Fine, that’s a little weird, I just really love the classic look of buckled mary janes on little girls. If you can get them in red the angels in heaven start singing. These mary jane rain boots give you that look for puddle jumping without the soaking of those fabulous party shoes.

My son wore a dinosaur costume for three months straight a few years ago. I loved the costume because his little face stuck out of the dinosaurs mouth so that it looked as he was being consumed by the dinosaur. This principal leads me to love these dinosaur rain boots….”Look out! Those dinosaurs are EATING YOUR FEET! JUMP IN A PUDDLE!!!!!” Look, sometimes being a mother means amusing yourself.

I need new umbrellas for the kids because we lost one and that Barbie one Madison thought was a great idea 5 years ago is now the stupidest thing ever.

These wooden handled umbrellas from the French company Vilac are so adorable I can’t pick just one.  I love this colorful bee and this fish makes me smile.

I mentioned earlier my daughter is obsessed with dogs, so this blue dog print umbrella might be the best choice for her. You know it’s raining cats and dogs and all that, clever.

The MoMA store offers this color spectrum umbrella for kids because on a gray rainy day what you really need is a rainbow over your head. As a plus this umbrella has a clipless design so your child won’t be harmed trying to put it down, in the 80’s they didn’t do this. You pinched yourself everytime you closed your umbrella and that was that. Spoiled kids.

Most importantly, you’ll need these umbrellas because I swear summer will come and you’ll want to sit outside and enjoy the weather while it lasts.

(edited: some of these products are no longer available.)