Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Choosing a Jacket

My daughter has been needing a winter coat now that the weather is starting to turn. I went to Kohl's today to get her some warm clothes and a winter jacket. I was completely unprepared for what a huge decision buying a winter coat can be and there were only two coats (that I would have considered) in the entire store.

Jacket #1: Osh'Kosh Purple Girl's Jacket

Mid-weight Jacket - Good for putting her in the car seat. Good for mild weather and limited exposure in extreme cold.

Would show stains - A big deal for a messy eater. She occasionally has snacks in the car. This could be a problem.

Purple - Means that if our next child were a boy, I would not be able to re-use it.

Difficult to put on - The fleece lining was baggy, while the cuffs were tight. Emma got her hands trapped in the jacket while I tugged it on.

Velcro - The velcro on the hood could be annoying, but it also covers Emma's face well.

Didn't cover her hands - She had full use of her hands, but would probably need gloves or mittens.

Removable hood - This would be nice for long car rides.



Jacket #2: Carter's Brown Puppy Jacket (for boys or girls)

Super warm - Probably not good for milder weather. The jacket is two layers of fleece with stuffing in between.

Very bulky - Hard to get her into the car seat. Would have to adjust straps.

Easy to put on - I slid this jacket on pretty easily.

Extremely soft - No annoying velcro around her face.

Covered her hands - The sleeves weren't cuffed which was nice. It provided good coverage of her
hands while still letting her use them.

Attached hood - Hood would have to be pulled up for long car rides. Soft enough to be a good pillow, but she might get over-warm.

Really long - This jacket easily went past Emma's knees. I tried it on and she was still able to walk in it. I wonder if this is a good or bad thing.

Wouldn't show stains - At least not without trying.


Unisex - Good for reuse if we were to have a boy in the future.


I ended up choosing Jacket #2. Which coat would you have chosen? Would you have cho
sen both?

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I would have chosen coat #2 as well. If coat #1 was difficult to put on Miss M's would get cranky after awhile! I don't like the velcro either, and I'm sure no one would like it around their face! Coat # 2 can be used again and that is a plus!! I have found at this age the rarely wear them out but when you start buying the toddler size and up they rarely make it through the cold weather to be used again, The coats usually look pretty ragged by season end! PLUS just look how happy Miss M's is in the the one you chose!! IT"S The ONE!!!

Anonymous said...

She looks so cute in the bear jacket - I think you made a great choice =)

Anonymous said...

Adorable! I would have chosen coat #1 because I'm a sucker for girlie clothes - that's what happens when you have 1 girl and 4 boys. ;) The boys clothes get used up just fine.

As a side note, I was told at one of those car seat safety checks that children should never wear coats in the car -- especially not bulky ones. Either warm up the car ahead of time or lay the jacket over chest after you get in. Just something I have learned along the way. ;)

Melissa Heigl said...

Thanks Jamie,

I did not know that! I have read a decent bit on the subject, but somehow that information eluded me.

Unknown said...

I was always a big fan of Once Upon a Child for coats. They usually have a large selection, and often they still have the tags on them!

Maybe it's just because I have a boy, but I had a hard time justifying paying full price for something that would only last 3-4 months out of the year. Donavin is so hard on clothes.

Good luck with the shopping -- sounds like you're doing a fantastic job. :-)