The chilly season is upon us and I have six active outdoorsy kiddos to keep warm, cozy and stylin’. When they’re not hitting the slopes or playing hockey, my offspring can be found skating on our backyard ice rink or tobogganing around the neighbourhood. I don’t let a bit of cold weather keep us inside. So how do I keep them out in the winter wonderland as long as humanly possible? These are my top picks for winter gear this season:

Snowsuits:

I have one child wearing a Jupa snowsuit this season and she is the FOURTH child to wear it—and it’s worth noting that a couple of her predecessors wore it for two seasons. These snowsuits are like winter armour, keeping kids warm and dry. The garments are safe, fabrics are washable and their trendy, fresh and colourful styles make it easy to spot your kid coming down the ski hills. Plus, they clearly make good hand-me-downs.

Mittens:

Like you, I spent my childhood with frostbite on my wrists. You remember that feeling – snow numbing that spot between where your mitts end and your coat sleeve does not yet begin. ONS GEAR has solved this problem by creating MITT-ONS™, which feature a sleeve to the elbow and a zipper at the wrist for optional wearing of the mitt with or without the sleeve. Every child in my family has a pair of these, and let me assure you, the “I’m cold” whining has decreased 100%.

My organizational guru friend, Clare Kumar  has one big winter pet peeve—lost mittens. She suggests Smittens for your babies and toddlers because they can’t whip them off as you push those little ones along in the stroller. Smittens are basically attached mittens that are worn under the child’s jacket, making the famous toddler mitten toss an impossibility.

Hats:

OK, I’m a sucker for hats. About 3 years ago, I was walking through an airport and spotted some sock monkey hats. So taken by the cuteness, I bought one for every member of our family, myself included. Knitwits is a Canadian company specializing in high quality knitwear.

Another hat I couldn’t resist was a Brown Bear Hood, bought recently for my little nature girl from my friends at Shop Belle. It’s a bear—and a scarf—and has paws! It brings cozy to a whole new level.

My kiddo fashion go-to gal pal, Joanne, owner of JetBaby says the Hockey Sockey or Hockey Floppy is the hat to have this season! Madefrom actual fleece-lined hockey socks in your favourite team's colours and logo, these are very popular with the hockey crowd. They’re super warm, super fun and best of all, made in Canada.

Finally, though they’re not exactly hats, Tail-Wags Helmet Covers are so darn cute they have to be included. When my kids are skiing with these, I can quickly identify them on the slopes—plus, with 40 creative designs, the kiddos love them too.

Boots:

 I have to say, I was a little skeptical when I bought our first pair of Bogs but we’re into our 3^rd or 4^th season with those things, and I’m a believer. Doubling as a rain boot in the spring and fall makes them great value. One caveat: in extreme temperatures, little tootsies will get chilly if outside too long, but for the “average” Canadian winter temperatures, these will certainly do the trick! I have a pair myself—which complement my sock monkey hat perfectly.

C’mon folks—don’t lose this stuff:

And for goodness’ sake people, once you put out all that cash for these wonderful items, don’t lose them. Head over to Mabel’s Labels and get this gear labelled, stat!