Kid's Raincoats & Rain Suits (Outerwear)

A raincoat carries no insulation at all. Stopping water is its only job, and it arrives in two shapes: a jacket on its own, or a rain suit. That adds bib pants that come up over the chest on shoulder straps, or covers legs and seat as one piece, for children who kneel and sit in puddles.

Two things make it waterproof rather than merely damp-resistant. The fabric is coated or laminated so water cannot pass through the weave, and the seams are taped, which means a strip of film is heat sealed over the stitching so water cannot enter through the needle holes. Untaped seams leak at the shoulders first, right under backpack straps. The trade is breathability, since a sealed shell holds sweat in. A running child comes home damp anyway unless there is a mesh lining or vents under the arms. A hood needs a stiff brim to keep rain off the face and should turn when the head turns instead of staying put.

A windbreaker looks nearly identical on the rack and is a different garment: it blocks wind and sheds five minutes of drizzle. But its seams are open and it wets through in real rain. Feel inside the shoulder seam for the tape strip and you will know which one you are holding. A snowsuit is also a sealed shell, with insulation added and a cut made for snow, so in a mild wet climate a raincoat over a fleece covers the same ground for less money. Fleece supplies the warmth a raincoat has none of.

Wet climates, daily school walks and daycare that goes outdoors in any weather make the case for a real one. Full rain suits fit children under about five, who sit, kneel and crawl through water. Older children who dress themselves tend to refuse bib pants, so a jacket plus rain boots is the realistic version. In a dry climate, a water-resistant windbreaker handles the few showers a year for less money.

Reflective trim earns its place, since rain arrives with dark afternoons and even a bright yellow coat vanishes at dusk. Cuffs should close over the wrist so water cannot run up a raised arm. Rinse mud off with a hose rather than running coated fabric through a machine, and dry a raincoat on a hanger well away from a radiator, because direct heat stiffens the coating and it then cracks along the fold lines.