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Keeping Warm in the Cold: Smittens Review

Keeping Warm in the Cold: Smittens Review

Keeping warm with smittens from January Baby

Daylight savings time is over, there’s frost on my lawn in the morning, and the leaves are falling from the trees. There’s no denying it – winter is on the way, and with it daily negotiations over mittens and hats and scarves with the children in your life. At this time of year, keeping warm is a mom’s number one priority. Unfortunately, kids don’t always agree. So when I had the chance to review smittens – billed as mittens kids can’t take off – I was intrigued.

Smittens are the brain child of Anna, a Toronto-area mom of four, whose second daughter Robyn refused to wear her mittens. Looking around, Anna noticed that Robyn wasn’t the only mitten-less child. What mom hasn’t struggled to keep accessories on her kids? Seeing a problem in need of a solution, Anna used her experience in fabric and design to create her no-escape mittens. She sells them, along with hats, scarves and neckwarmers, under her label January Baby. It’s winter gear for keeping warm in spite of your toddler’s ideas to the contrary.

The ConceptKeeping warm with smittens from January Baby

The two mittens in a pair of smittens are longer than average, so they extend well above your child’s wrist. They’re attached using a wide band of fleece that fits somewhat snugly across your child’s shoulders. Once you put a coat over the smittens, your child can’t get them off, because they’re just too high up in their sleeves, and there’s not enough give in the fleece band to allow them to pull the smittens off without removing their coat.

I tried a pair of waterproof smittens on my three-year-old son, and they really worked. Once they were on, he couldn’t get them off. To test them out, I let him play with my iPhone, which is a rare treat. He couldn’t get the iPhone to work with his hands in the smittens, so he tried really hard to get them off, and wasn’t able to succeed. He’s quite the Houdini when it comes to clothing he doesn’t like, so if he can’t get them off, I doubt that any kid can.

Keeping Warm with a Scarf

In Keeping warm with smittens from January Babyaddition to the smittens, I also had a chance to try one of the fleece scarves. Anna says, “The scarves are unique because of their tuck-in design. They can be worn inside or outside the jacket, and moms can relax not having to worry about any snags on playground equipment.” They are very warm but not bulky, and the tuck-in fleece stays in place without being tight. Plus, if you coordinate your scarf and mittens, you’re keeping warm in style.

My Verdict

I think smittens would be really great for a baby or toddler who won’t keep mittens on. I really wish I had a pair when my daughter was a baby, for instance. If you want to be outside with your little one in cold weather, keeping warm is important, and smittens could definitely help you do that. They totally eliminate any arguments about keeping mittens on once you’re out of the house.

For a preschooler, smittens do have a few downsides. Because you need to put the smittens on before you put on the coat, it can be harder to get your child’s hands through tight wristbands. Also, if you want to take them off for any reason, you’ll need to remove your little one’s coat completely to do it. Once children reach the age where they understand why keeping warm in winter is important, and they’re staring to put on their coats and mittens independently, I would move from smittens to a more traditional option.

If you’d like to try smittens yourself, you can receive 10% off your purchase by using code JB10.

January Baby

www.januarybaby.com | Twitter | Facebook

Have you ever struggled with keeping mittens, hats or shoes on your little ones? How did you get around it? Leave us a reply and tell us about it!

View Comment (1)
  • We love smittens at my house. They kept my youngest daughter’s hands really warm last year and she’s graduating to smittens with thumbs this year. I find it is pretty easy to get her hands out when her coat is on. When Rosalind wants her hand I just pull the tip of the mitten and pop her hand out and then I tuck it back into the mitten when she is done – eating usually.. The fleece has some give and this is no problem. Love ’em!

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