Kid's Fleece Jackets (Outerwear)

Fleece is knit polyester with the surface brushed into a pile, a raised fuzzy layer of fiber. That is why the fabric holds a thick cushion of still air at very little weight. That trapped air is the insulation; the fiber itself does almost nothing. Weight is quoted in grams per square meter, and 100, 200 and 300 are the usual steps from a light layer to a heavy one.

Because polyester absorbs almost no water, a fleece stays warm while damp and dries in about an hour on a radiator. It is the layer that survives a snowy afternoon. The same open knit lets wind through as though it were not there. This makes a fleece on a gusty day far colder than its thickness suggests. It also pills where a backpack rubs, and it collects every leaf and hair it touches.

A puffer has a woven shell sealing the fill in, so it beats fleece outdoors and is too bulky to wear beneath anything. A windbreaker is the missing half of a fleece: shell without warmth. Put the two together and you have roughly a light winter coat, which is exactly what a 3-in-1 parka sells as a single product. A vest is this same idea with the sleeves removed, warmer at the core and freer at the arms.

Days between about 40F and 55F, buildings a child walks between, and car journeys where a stiff coat is a nuisance all favor fleece. Children who overheat in a coat will keep a fleece on all day, which makes it the layer that actually gets worn. Never rely on it alone in wind or rain, and keep it away from campfires and fire pits, because polyester melts rather than smolders and sticks to skin.

A full zip earns the extra cost over a half zip, since it comes off without dragging over a face and lets a hot child open it by degrees. A fabric guard at the top of the zip prevents the chin pinch that gets a jacket refused for good. Wash fleece inside out on cool and tumble low or hang it, because high heat mats the pile flat and a matted fleece never traps air the same way again. Shave pills off with a fabric razor rather than pulling them, which drags the knit out of shape.