Gear Up For Winter with Stonz and Baby Footprint

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

I received these items at no cost in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own.

Based on the weather forecast for this weekend, there’s simply no denying that winter is coming here. That’s right. It’s supposed to snow this weekend. Brrr. Although the icy cold white stuff is far from my favourite thing about winter, it’s easily The Heir’s favourite thing about the season. The moment that snow starts falling, you can see the extra twinkle in his eyes when he peeks outside and then asks to go out and play. This also marks the beginning of my quest for the perfect winter gear for him. I always question whether the boots and mitts I’ve picked for him will be warm enough, dry enough, comfortable enough, and perhaps most importantly, easy enough for him to put on himself. This year I don’t have to hope I’ve made the right choice, this year I know I’ve made the right choice.How do I know? Because this year The Heir is rocking Stonz thanks to Natasha at Baby Footprint. If you haven’t checked out Baby Footprint yet, you really need to get on that! Baby Footprint has been a go to retailer for all things baby since 2010, and Natasha has been at the helm since April 2015. Now when you think of Baby Footprint your mind might immediately go to cloth diapers, but there’s so much more in store at Baby Footprint! Case in point, Stonz winter gear

Winters here in Calgary are two things: cold and long. Winter usually kicks in sometime in October, and if we’re lucky it’s over by the end of April. It almost always snows on the May long weekend too. When it comes to gearing up for winter, the boots and mittens have to be built to last for seven to eight months. That’s the first requirement. The second requirement is that they need to be warm, and by warm I mean super warm. Staying warm is a two part problem. First, the boots and mitts have to keep toes and fingers cozy in temperatures well below freezing. It’s not unheard of for it to be 40 degrees below freezing some days. Although those aren’t the days The Heir is spending frolicking in the snow for hours on end, life does still go on and school still happens when it’s that cold out. The second part of staying warm is staying dry. Winter gear can be rated to temperatures well below freezing, but if it doesn’t keep the snow and water out, it’s not going to keep those fingers and toes warm. On top of all of those expectations of The Heir’s winter gear, it has to be functional! An excellent tread on the boots and good grips on the mittens are a must. Do Stonz really measure up to all that? Oh yeah, they absolutely do!

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

Stonz Trek Bootz are easily the best winter boots for cold snowy winters. Stonz Trek Bootz are available in size Toddler 10 to Youth 6. The first thing I noticed about these boots is how incredibly lightweight they are. In fact, Stonz Trek Bootz are the lightest high-performance winter boot for kids available. The soles of these boots are what keeps them so light. It’s a lightweight XFS sole that’s waterproof and slip resistant. On top of being so lightweight, they are also a high-performance boot with the best temperature ratings and materials. They have twice the industry standard for skid resistance, and nineteen times the industry standard for sole abrasion. Stonz Trek Bootz are also made in Canada. Are these going to last? Oh yeah they are.

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

Stonz Trek Bootz are rated to -50°C (that’s -48°F), so they are sure to keep your child’s feet cozy warm even on those ultra cold days. The upper portion of this boot is a 600D nylon that is both water and wind-resistant. At the very top of the boot is a built in drawstring that adjusts with a toggle at the back. This allows you to tighten the top of the boot up around your child’s pants to keep snow from falling into the boots when your little one is jumping around in deep piles of snow. There’s a velcro closure at the top and a buckle at the ankle of the boot. These two elements allow for a really customizable fit. If your child prefers the boot loose around their calf, you can make sure it won’t slip off by tightening the buckle at the ankle. Or maybe you’re going for a winter hike and need to keep those boots on in heavy snow? Then you can tighten up the drawstring, do the velcro closure up snugly, and tighten the buckle. There’s no way those boots will be going anywhere! When you open up the velcro closure at the top of the boot you’ll find that there’s a nylon gusset at the front. What that means is that there’s no gap or opening at the front of boot where snow could creep in from the wrap around closure. That’s key to keeping those feet warm and dry!

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

Inside the Stonz Trek Bootz is a felt Radiantex inner lining. This lining is moisture wicking, so as your child’s feet stay toasty warm inside, it pulls any moisture from their feet away to keep them from getting cold. The lining is fully removable from the boot which means you can slide it out and let them dry (from all that moisture wicking).

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

Just like the Stonz Trek Bootz, Stonz Youth Mittz are ideal for snowy winters. These mittens are specially designed to keep your child’s hands warm and dry, and block the snow out. Stonz Youth Mittz are available is two sizes: 2-4 years and 4-8+ years. New this year, Stonz Youth Mittz are 100% waterproof thanks to a breathable waterproof lining that’s been added to these mittens. Stonz Youth Mittz are over the arm mittens. That means they don’t stop at the wrist. These mittens have a nice long cuff that covers the child’s entire forearm. This helps them stay on your child and helps prevent snow from getting inside. Stonz Youth Mittz are made of a wind resistant 600D nylon shell with a PSI of 5000. If you’re not familiar with a PSI rating for winter gear, it means the material is rainproof and waterproof under very high pressure making it optimal for heavy rain, wet snow, and high pressure (think of it as being great for the pressure they might encounter while skiing or snowboarding). The portion of the mitten that covers the hands is filled with 150g of 3M Thinsulate, so you know these are going to keep those hands toasty warm. They are also lined with fleece all the way up the cuffs/arm coverings. Stonz Youth Mittz have two toggles for tightening the mittens around your child’s arm. The first toggle is at the wrist, and this keeps those mittens in place securely. The second toggle is at the top of the arm covering, and this keeps snow out of the mittens and also keeps them from slipping down the child’s arm.

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

One of my favourite features of the Stonz Youth Mittz is the fleece backed thumbs. I don’t know about your kids, but when The Heir gets out in freezing temperatures, his nose starts to run just a little bit. He’s forever wiping his nose with his jacket sleeve or his gloves, but that can be pretty rough on his face. The fleece backed thumb on Stonz Youth Mittz is specifically designed for wiping noses. It’s super soft and large enough to catch those drips. The palm of these mittens has a skid-resistant coated grip that’s perfect for kids that love to climb even in the winter! Worried about losing a mitten? Stonz Youth Mittz have a clip inside so you can connect the mittens together when they’re not being worn. No more running all over the house or digging through the hall closet to find the elusive missing left mitten.

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

How do Stonz Trek Boots and Youth Mittz work for The Heir? So well! Let me just describe a pretty typical snow adventure from winters past. The Heir asks to go outside to build a snow fort and snow man. He gets geared up in his winter boots and mittens and away he goes. Within minutes his mittens are slipping off his hands and he’s bringing one or both to me to put back on or pull up over his jacket sleeve. Not only that, but his fingers feel cold and damp inside his gloves. When he’s finished building in the snow, and I take his boots off, his socks are damp and sometimes even caked with snow inside the top of the boot. This year things will be different. I don’t foresee myself spending my winter days pulling up mittens or shaking snow out of his boots. When the Stonz Youth Mittz are on The Heir’s hands, they are ON. He can put them on himself, and I tighten up the toggles for him. Those gloves aren’t going anywhere (as demonstrated by his inability to pull them off when he tried without loosening the toggles). That 100% waterproof lining means he can dig through the snow, roll up balls of snow for a snow man’s body, and create endless piles of snowballs for an epic post-work battle with King Dad without that moisture seeping through to his hands. As The Heir turned four years old in August, I opted to get him the 4-8+ year size Youth Mittz. Are they a bit big right now? Yes, but these mittens are built to last. He will be wearing them for years to come and I don’t have to worry that he’ll outgrow them before April (or May) arrives. The arm covering goes over his elbow now, but by next year I’m sure they’ll just cover his forearm. Despite their covering his elbow, they don’t inhibit his movement at all as they are still super flexible. If I didn’t want them covering his elbow, I could just tighten the toggle below his elbow and they’d still stay on and function well.

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

The Heir currently wears a size 10 (toddler) shoe and I went with a size 11 in the Stonz Trek Bootz. Years ago when I was shopping for The Heir’s first pair of winter boots, a friend suggested I order one size up from his current size for winter boots. The idea is that you can start with a thicker sock at the start of winter, and as his foot inevitably grows over those seven to eight months of snowy weather he won’t outgrow his boots before the season ends. So far, The Heir has never outgrown a pair of boots through the winter! Sage advice indeed. The fit of the Stonz Trek Bootz is great. He has lots of room to grow into them over the season, and the closure options on this boot allow for a really snug fit around his ankle and leg. The Heir can easily slide these boots onto his own feet without my help. He can even do up the buckle at the ankle and the velcro closure at the top of the boot all on his own. I keep the buckle strap tightened at the ankle, so The Heir doesn’t have to tackle that adjustment on his own each time he puts the boots on (he can still buckle it closed without needing the strap lengthened). For those occasions when he’s going to be building forts and snowmen, the toggle at the top of the boot is perfect for keeping the snow out. The 100% waterproof sole and foot of the Stonz Trek Bootz means his socks are going to stay dry and his toes will be warm and cozy. The felt Radiantex liner means his foot is well supported and cushioned in the boot, so they’ll be comfortable for long periods of wear (snowy walks through the zoo, anyone?). Since it really does get super cold here (I’m talking -40°C/F cold some days), I know The Heir will be able to play outside after preschool without getting cold feet!

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

There’s no better feeling than knowing you’ve picked the very best in winter gear for your child. I love that I don’t have to hope the boots and mittens I’ve chosen will be sufficiently warm and waterproof for The Heir. I am confident that Stonz are the answer. I definitely see a lot more pairs of Stonz Trek Bootz in The Heir’s future as the years roll on! I absolutely love that the Trek Bootz are made in Canada! Stonz Trek Bootz and Youth Mittz are durable, functional, and easy for littles to put on for themselves. They’ve really thought of everything when they designed this winter gear, right down to tackling the perpetual runny nose problem!

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

Stonz Trek Bootz start at $59.99 CAD and Stonz Youth Mittz retail for $39.99 CAD. Both are available to purchase now from Baby Footprint.

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

Planning a winter getaway this season or maybe you’ll be trekking around in the snow at home? How would you like a chance to do a little shopping for winter gear for baby at Baby Footprint? One lucky reader will win one $25 CAD gift card from Baby Footprint! Just scroll down to the giveaway and get your entries in for a chance to win. This giveaway is open to Canadian & US residents, 18+, and closes on October 21st, 2016. Sponsor is responsible for prize fulfillment. Don’t forget to follow the Travelin’ With Baby giveaway “hop” and enter the other awesome giveaways linked up below!

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

Welcome to the Travelin’ with Baby Giveaway Hop Event, hosted by Lindsey Blogs and Viva Veltoro.

We all know that traveling with babies can sometimes be hard, but we’re here to help! We’ve got a fabulous group of bloggers that have come together to offer giveaways on the best products that make traveling with baby a success – so be sure to hop around to them all below! While you’re hopping, don’t miss that amazing Grand Prize Giveaway from the hosts too!

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint

Gear Up For Winter with Stonz & Baby Footprint



TheMonarchMommy.com

DISCLOSURE: So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro, and the Travelin’ with Baby all participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. Open to Canadian & US residents 18 years of age and older. Confirmed winner(s) will be contacted via email and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Prize fulfillment is the responsibility of the sponsor(s). Canadian winners must successfully complete a skill testing question. For questions or to see your product featured on The Monarch Mommy blog contact Stefanie at https://themonarchmommy.com/work-with-me/.

32 Comments on “Gear Up For Winter with Stonz and Baby Footprint

  1. Thank you for the awesome review! I had heard of the brand, but didn’t know much about them. I am definitely going to be looking into these for this coming winter as boots that will actually stay on are a must!

  2. I would probably spend it on Silikids Siliskin Universal Cup , Goodbyn Dipper, Cookie Safe , EduShape Easy Grip Flexies , EduShape Tub Art Crayons..
    @tisonlyme143

  3. I would put it toward a pair of boots — I like the Stonz Rain Bootz with liner

  4. There are so many great things to choose from! I think I would pick the Nuggles! Hanging Wet Bag

  5. I would put the g/c towards stonz polar bear booties for our 12month old

  6. I would love to gift this to my daughter and let her shop for my grandson. Maybe an AppleCheeks diaper, wet bag, teething accessory – or whatever she needs/wants.

  7. I would like to spend the gc on the Goodbyn hero lunch tray and also the Star kids snack n play Travel Tray

  8. I love to order from Baby Footprint! Plus her shop is worth the drive! Currently on my wish list are stonz booties and the new Grovia prints.

  9. Baby Footprint carries so many items we would love! I think we would order some grovia prefolds.

  10. I would use the gift card to order the Stonz infant mitts for my 8 month old! I just got a pair of the Stonz booties and fleece liner and love them so far! The toggles keep them on her feet when she tends to kick off all her other shoes. So I know the mitts would be great with the toggles to keep them on her hands

  11. I would put it towards a Peapod Mat! Would be great for my potty training toddler.

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