Muddy Puddles in the Snow
It is no secret that my little boy has an obsession with a fondness of muddy puddles. Water in any form is his favourite thing, be it a puddle, a stream or showering my entire kitchen with the kitchen tap attachment. The window blind, walls, cook books and all. It happened. Parenting fail.
Wellies are our staple footwear in winter but sometimes I find that no matter how many pairs of socks he wears, little man’s toes are always cold.
Snow boots are a must, even without snow but he’s outgrown the hand me down pair he was given last winter.
In August, when my mind wasn’t on snow, we we’re asked if we would like to review a pair of Snow Boots from Muddy Puddles. Even though it was warm and sunny, I immediately said yes and couldn’t believe my luck. Whatever the winter weather that was in store, we could certainly put them through their paces!
The day that they arrived in November, provided sooooo much excitement in our house. They were unwrapped and little man had no idea what was inside. He saw them and audibly gasped. ‘Wow’!
He put them on and that was that.
He wore them all day. I demanded that they came off at bedtime. He climbed out of bed and put them back on. See exhibit A.
Exhibit A.
The next day was no different.
I was really happy with the fit. His professionally fitted shoes are a 10.5 (yes, he has massive feet for a not quite 4 year old) and we had requested a size 11. I am no fitting expert but they were certainly not too tight and he didn’t once trip or stumble as if they were too big. They will definitely see him through the winter.
I also put my hand inside after he wore them and they were so warm and toasty. There is a thick layer of warm padding above the toes and top of the feet and the sole is a very good thickness to stop the cold rising up.
‘A’ is so desperate for some snow this year. We live in North Yorkshire and so it isn’t outside the realms of possibility but little man obviously can’t remember the snow just before his second birthday. All he wants to do is make a snow angel, after seeing it on tv and the grips on the Muddy Puddles Snow Boots are deep and impressive and would handle climbing up a snowy hill for sledging, with ease. They’d also give a bit of ice a run for its money as well, I guess, although with an unseasonably mild winter, we’ve not had chance to check 100%.
The boots have a zip at the front which my son was able to do himself and then two long Velcro straps that close on top of the zip for extra protection and closure. ‘A’ was more than capable of putting them on independently which is always a bonus.
It’s hard to say anything negative about these boots. The rubber sole is molded to continue a good inch or two up the side of the boots and over the toes which means slush wouldn’t cause a problem. The boots are definitely waterproof, even on the canvas areas but just remind your child that they are not wellies. My son, of course, went hell for leather in a deep puddle and pushed the boots slightly beyond their waterproofing capabilities by allowing the lining to absorb the puddle, meaning that they took a day stuffed with newspaper, drying out, upside down on a radiator! Knowing that the boots are machine washable does take a bit of future stress away though…..! We have this problem with even wellies though so don’t let that put you off buying these boots.
All in all, I would whole heartedly recommend these boots. I am so pleased with them. Little man had no rubbing or even red marks on his feet after wearing them for full days at a time. They keep feet warm and toasty and I know they would in the ‘real’ winter cold but you could always put an extra pair of socks on if you were worried in artic conditions!
The design that we had was perfect. They are subtle and stylish and perfectly matched his winter coat. Navy and yellow is a classic for little boys in wet or cold weather if you ask me. However, they have lots of other colour options for boys and girls.