Got Kids? Game-Changing Rain Pants + Introducing Scandi Class
A guide to Scandinavian parenting & lifestyle solutions to add ease to your life anywhere. First up: where & how to buy rain clothes for kids & you!
Hi old and new friends! If you are here from TikTok, hi! Scroll down for all the links to the best kids’ rain pants and more!
If you don’t know me yet, I’m a Scandinavian mom based in Westport, CT, in the US, and a writer and entrepreneur; I started this Substack when I moved my family (my American husband and our three boys under 9) to my native Finland—the happiest country in the world—for the last fall semester, to see how I could do #momlife without anxiety, overwhelm and burn-out.
It changed my life. Why hadn’t anyone told me you could live like this before?! The simple skills, and just a way to do life, made me not only the happiest I had ever been as a mom, but helped me clear my head, and discover who I really was, after kids.
Today, I’m so excited to introduce you to my Master Class series into Scandinavian parenting, wellness and lifestyle—solutions to easier and happier life anywhere you live: Scandi Class.
“Scandinavian” or, in short, “Scandi” = balance, high quality of life and things, happiness, minimalism, modernism, functionality and beauty
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“Masterclass” = a special class taught by someone who has an expert knowledge or skill in a particular area
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Scandi Class
Scandi Class will soon be a special add-on to each of my free weekly newsletters!
I have heard from a lot of you: here, on social, and in person and while you love the Scandinavian-inspired solutions, you also want a how-to and links.
When I teased my newsletter “Got a Kid Under 9? You Need This” on TikTok, the comment section was flooded with requests on where to buy kids’ rain pants, 69 people saved the post, and 103 shared it—but, there was nowhere to post the links. What’s more, you also need to know where to get waterproof sneakers and a rain hat!
Scandi Class will give you all that: the how-to and the links. It’s a unique tutorial to each weekly newsletter topic, information that’s next to impossible to find anywhere.
Your feedback is priceless: if you have ever benefited in any way from the Scandi ideas I have shared, please let me know in comments or message me:-)
As I perfect the Scandi Class with your feedback, it will become the paid offering of this newsletter—as if you and I sat down for coffee once a month—it will simply be the price of an oat-milk latte at my fave Scandi coffee shop, which is $6.10 with 5/23 currency conversion. This will enable me to not only devote the time to create these newsletters & guides (and at least cover childcare:-), but also to recommend authentically what I know to be tried & true and amazing—while keeping the Scandi class free of sponsors and affiliate links. Now, let’s me introduce you to the first add-on to my popular recent newsletter: “Got a Kid Under 9? You Need This”
The first complimentary edition of Scandi Class: Outdoor Pants
1.How to buy outdoor pants & suits, and rain gear
Just like with any outdoor great—and especially kids’s outdoor gear—quality and fit make a massive difference. Without top-notch quality and fit, this type of clothing is useless, and the kids (and you) will get wet, cold and uncomfortable. You need things like wind- and waterproof zippers and seams, and adjustable foot straps, and if the fit is not perfectly adjusted to not only the size and proportions of your child, but to how a child of a certain age moves, it will end up unused.
Good outdoor gear is worth paying for as your kid will not only use it countless times; younger siblings will be able to reuse the clothing, and after that you can resell or donate it.
For kids 4 years old and up: get one size up. This way you can get 2-3 years =out of it. For kids younger than that, sizing up could hinder their movements, so stick to their actual size: it still might work for two seasons.
Add a name tag (and even a phone number) to each piece: Scandi brands tend to have name tags ready in each outdoor piece)
Wash them with care: actually look at the labels and follow the directions which are usually to wash them zippers and buttons closed, inside out, and often hang to dry. I always skip the drier and sometimes even put them in a mesh clothing bag to wash
Its often less expensive to buy these brands in Europe: whenever you or a friend is traveling there, stock up!
Don’t make my mistake and buy American outdoor brands’ kids wear: they are not experts in kids clothing: they are mini versions of grownup wear and not sufficiently well adjusted to kids’ proportions or movements
You can see this video on my brand new TikTok, or on my more established Insta.
2.Where to buy:
Here are the best Scandinavian companies for kids outdoor wear—that you can shop in the US and elsewhere. I personally only buy Reima for the best-in-class functionality and Molo for the cool, but I do know Polarn O.Pyret as a great brand that is easily available in the US, so I added it too.
The best & the most functional: Reima
Cute & effective: Molo
Back-up option: Polarn O. Pyret
3.Rain Gear I Swear By
I vouch for these because I have bought all of these for my 3 active boys, have used Reima pieces for years with multiple kids, and because it’s what every kid wears on rainy days at daycare playgrounds in Finland. Molo is a slightly higher price, functional fashion option we also love and use on the daily.
Tap on the blue, bold words: those are links to the items!
Get these for kids for everyday rain play:
Rain pants with bib, only buy rain pants with a bib and foot straps
Rain jacket or, if you rarely use rain pants, get this jacket with a longer back
Rain hat, it should have a long lid on the back and a tie below the chin
Rain mittens, for even cooler days, get these with the knit lining
Rainboots, we have the long ones, but shorter ones are better for being active
Get these for older kids for when they want something “cooler” i.e. for school
Cool waterproof pants & jacket for rainy and wet weather
Cool water-resistant pants & jacket for misty and sprinkling or just cool weather
Cool water-resistant one-piece suit for tots, we have used this all spring daily
More options of waterproof wear for girls
Water-resistant sneakers, you need these for active, sporty kids as you can’t do much in rubber boots. However, even waterproof sneakers get wet in puddles, so each of my kids has two pairs: when one is drying when the other is in use. We went through several brands as most just get too wet: Viking is the best.
Stylish, Modern Rain Wear for Moms
*see above!*
chic rain pants, I have these in “dark shadow”
chic long rain coat forget useless short rain coats, long ones are best! I love this, but in white and it gets dirty-looking fast: get this fun yellow shade or a darker one
chic rain boots, I have and love these: skip long boots as they are always too heavy. When I get my next pair, I’ll get these by Stutterheim.
Cool Rain Wear for Dads
*my hubs didn’t model for me, but he bought these*
Cool rain coats like these from Stutterheim and, for a more high-end choice Samsoe.
x Annabella
Let me know what you think below!
And here’s how you can share this with other parents who want simpler parenting: