8 best kids’ wellies for rainy walks and jumping in puddles

Marks and Spencer has taken its perfectly decent striped contrast wellies – a staple among British kids – and given them an overhaul this year, deploying a fleece lining to winning effect. We’re told they’re as cosy as can be, and there were no complaints that they were “ouchie” five minutes into our hour-long walk. Our mini tester also liked the fact there’s a little thundercloud tread that leaves a cool footprint in the mud. We liked that these wellies are well made, coming up to mid calf, therefore covering most of the danger zone, without inhibiting our tester’s stride.

If there’s any knowledge we’ve garnered from parenting, it’s that kids absolutely go wild for flashing shoes. We can see the appeal. These flashing wellies were therefore the absolute dream for our tester, who marched around the house in them on sunny days (before they got muddy and this was banned). The animal-print design and pink colourway just added to the appeal.

The outer on these wellies is quite rigid, which did restrict movement somewhat but they were very easy to hose off. No fur lining here, so they’re not the warmest, but did we mention the lights? These will be easy for even the laziest kid to find in a chaotic school cloakroom.

Our four-year-old tester loved these wellies, picking them for a lengthy session of stomping around the woods. These boots are extra tall, making them perfect for even the muddiest of days – they got our forest school seal of approval. While these wellies are not fur-lined, our tester said they were comfortable, and this is perhaps because they have a soft, padded inner sole. Our mini tester found these wellies to be pretty grippy over the slippiest of wet tree roots – a slight heel on the back gave some purchase as well as looking stylish.

Ticking pretty much every box, these Spotty Otter wellies had us thoroughly impressed. They were brilliant for our very splashy seven-year-old tester, as the drawstring pulls the top snug on their calves, keeping out any water. The said seven-year-old is extremely fussy about how clothes and shoes feel, and they said these were “great” comfort wise. This is perhaps thanks to the fleece lining, which kept our tester’s feet snug, and the flexible outer that moved with them as they jumped in and out of puddles. The soles have good grip, as do the toes, which is handy if you have a kid who loves climbing trees.

Our four-year-old tester took to these wellies immediately. They’re short and great for those days where it’s damp or cold but full wellies aren’t required. The fur lining will keep little trotters as cosy as can be. We found that, because these wellies are shorter in style, our preschool tester could easily slip into them independently – and, more importantly, they could get out of them without getting mud everywhere. They’re cute as a button, to boot.

We love the Scandi style of these wellies, complete with contrasting stripes. This pair is practical, too, as the soles have a good tread and there are good grips around the edges, for scrambling around woods and over slippery terrain.

These boots are great for warmer days when the weather catches you out, as they’re not fleece-lined, so they aren’t going to keep feet quite as warm. They’re cotton lined, though, which makes them slightly more breathable.

Our little dinosaur fanatic loved these boots, and it was a struggle to get them off him – if there’s ever a mark of a good product, it’s that, right? We loved that the handles make it easy for independent dressing, and for the days when they are wearing extra-thick socks. The fur lining was nice and cosy for our tester, while the outer is quite flexible, which meant our mini tester was able to run around and flex their feet freely.

These clever wellies feature a raindrops design that changes from white to rainbow hues when wet. Our tester was obsessed. Anything to make the rainy days a bit brighter, right? On a practical level, they’re very well made, meaning you’ll get some hand-me-down milage out of them, too. The fleece lining kept our sensitive tester warm during a long forest school session, while the outer is nice and flexible, giving our tester good range of movement. We love that there are so many colourways, too.

It’s worth noting there are older-kid versions (£21, Grassandair.com) of these wellies, too, if you’re looking for larger sizes. You can even get adult pairs (£32, Grassandair.com), so the whole family can match.