A quality sun hat for your child is one of the most important and useful things you need for summer apparel.

Chaco is making sandals for kids again! After a couple summers with nothing to offer in kids sizes, Chaco has their popular Z/1 and ZX/1 styles in kids sizes 10-13 and 1-6. If you are looking for a great open toe water sandal for children then either of these is a great choice. Just like the adult styles, the Chaco kids sandals have continues straps that make them fully adjustable for different shape feet. The Z/1 in Forest is one of our favorite choices for boys and there is also a great print in the Z/1 for girls called Tweet. Girls also get the ZX/1 which has a double thin strap which is a little more work when initially adjusting the strap but looks really cute. The Rockstar blue strap is our favorite color.

Whether it’s fleece or insulated, a one piece baby bunting is the best way for keeping babies warm in cold weather. Given the same materials, a once piece outfit will keep a child warmer than a jacket and pants. With the baby bunting there is no chance of the jacket riding up or pant legs scrunching to expose baby’s skin. A good quality baby bunting will have a hood and

Wanna outfit your toddler in great looking and functional outerwear for the winter? Check out the latest from the North Face Toddler collection. For the first time ever, North Face has expanded their clothing down to toddler sizes in 2T, 3T, and 4T. You’ll find some of the same popular styles as there are for big kids as well as a few unique offerings just for toddlers. The Nuptse Down Jacket for toddler boys is sure to be a popular pick for a warm winter jacket. Girls get their own down jacket with the Toddler Girls Aconcagua Jacket which is adorably cute in Pink, Blue or Black. If you need a toddler ski jacket then North Face has got several options for boys and girls that are all waterproof, insulated, and perfect for playing in the snow, sledding, or a full day ski lesson. They’ve also done a great job with their toddler snow pant, the Snowdrift Bib. It’s got a full fleece bib, adjustable shoulders, snow gaiters, and of course is totally waterproof and insulated.

The North Face is now making kids outerwear all the way down to a 3 month size for babies.  The North Face for Infants collection has the full range of classic styles such as the Denali Fleece Jacket and the Nuptse Down Jacket as well as some great baby buntings in fleece and synthetic insulation. For a baby winter jacket you should definitely check out the Infant Nuptse Jacket for boys and girls. The classic Nuptse Down Jacket in baby and infant sizes is ridiculously cute. If you don’t need as much warmth as a down jacket for your little one then check out the Infant Perrito Jacket. This lightweight jacket has synthetic insulation but isn’t bulky. It’s hooded, water & wind resistant. Sound familiar? That’s because it’s a lot like  just like the Patagonia Baby Puff-Ball Jacket.

It’s never too early to instill good safety habits in kids.  For winter snow sports that has to include a helmet.  For some parents this may seem silly since your child is probably not hucking any cliffs or carving through the trees.  Much of the head injury risk is probably not coming from gnarly terrain but from other skiers and simple falls to the ground.  Even if you are just putting your child on a sled and sending him down the local hill we strongly encourage you to put a helmet on your child.   Helmets range in price from $40-$80 and many offer easy fit adjustability so they will last form multiple seasons.  Fits are comfortable and styles are cool.

Shop kids helmets

For more information on kids helmets for winter sports check out this great site, Lids On Kids, which is dedicated to providing information on helmet safety and answers many questions about helmet use.

Early winter specials have begun at Little Mountain outfitters.  Stop by our Boulder store or check them out online in the Winter Sale section.

Little Mountain Outfitters has kids ski goggles for snow sports online at LittleMountainOutfitters.com.  Check out the great selection of winter goggles for kids from Smith, Giro, and Julbo.  All these brands make top qulaity snow goggles for kids that are helmet compatible and have double lenses to reduce the chance of fogging.  There are also some goggles that will accommodate prescription eyeglasses.  There are a range of goggle sizes for kids age 2 to 12.

The new Patagonia Baby Buntings are in and available online at Little Mountain Outfitters.  There are two fleece baby buntings that Patagonia makes for ages newborn up to 12 months of age.  There is the lightweight Hi-Plush Synchilla bunting which is irresistibly soft and fuzzy.  It comes in two colors, blue or pink.  There is also the classic Synchilla Fleece bunting which comes in 3 solid colors, pink, blue, and green or in an animal print with blue background.  Patagonia offers it with a pink background but we just weren’t as excited about it for girls as we were for boys.  All the Patagonia fleece buntings are able to be used with the legs zippered together to form a bunting bag or by themselves to keep the legs separate with the feet enclosed.

There is also the Patagonia Baby Puff-Ball Bunting which is a great insulated bunting for babies or toddlers that are going to be spending more time outdoors or live in a colder climate.   The Puff Ball bunting is available in pink or blue and comes in sizes up to 24 months.

Patagonia Baby Buntings from Little Mountain Outfitters.

The latest Patagonia Jackets for babies, infants and toddlers are mostly the same styles as have been popular in past years but with some great new colors.

The Patagonia Baby Down Sweater is back in 4 great new colors.

The Patagonia Baby Reversible Puff-Ball Jacket is back in 3 new solid colors and 2 new prints.

All Patagonia baby jackets are offered in infant sizes starting at 3 months and going up to a toddler size 3T.

Patagonia Baby Jackets at Little Mountain Outfitters.