Bonfire Night style for children with House of Fraser

I love it when we change seasons, not so much for myself (as none of my clothes fit and I’m still trying to lose weight to fit into all the clothes in my wardrobe), but for N.  It’s great to see all the new clothes in the shops, and I’m going to be sad next year when he’s into school uniform and therefore doesn’t need as many clothes.

I don’t buy that much online for him, but when I was given the chance to look out some suitable Bonfire Night style for him from House of Fraser, I was interested to check out what was available.  I have to admit I don’t usually shop in House of Fraser, mostly because the nearest one to us is in Milton Keynes.  Although I get their email newsletters, I’ve never bought online from them.  First time for anything, and it could be dangerous given the breadth of brands they sell.

N is easy to buy for at the moment; he is usually happy to wear what I put out for him with only the occasion moan that he wants a different t shirt on on a specific day.  For Bonfire Night, we’re planning to go to our local school and village firework display at the nearby gliding club.  Last year was the first time we went; it really reminded me of the village bonfire night I went to as a child (albeit on a much smaller scale), where you see everyone you know and it’s a really sociable occasion…oh and cold so it’s really hard to keep children warm without making them look like Michelin Man!

So there were key attributes I was looking for in the clothes I was choosing for N.  I think these apply to girls and boys.

Bonfire Night clothing essentials

1. Clothes have to be warm.  N does like wearing a hat and gloves so that’s easy, although having a drink when we first arrive (and potentially a hot dog) does mean a need for lots of pockets or an easy to access bag to hold the little bits while he eats or drinks.

2. Think feet.  My wellies are lovely and warm as they’re neoprene lined, but N’s are just bog standard wellington boots.  So we double up on socks in the hope of keeping toes warm.

3. Layers are essential.  Our bonfire night display offers a bar and food inside, so if you’re too wrapped up you’ll overheat.  So having layers means you can take the top layer off and possible an additional layer off, rather than having just one or two thick layers and being unable to unwrap if required.

4. Children’s clothes don’t have to be scruffy.  Ok, so they’re mostly hidden under coats, but the layers might come off, and I don’t really want N to be in his scruffiest gear.

So with those thoughts in mind, I set to choosing a few items.  He already has a warm winter coat, hat and gloves so I didn’t need to worry about those bits.

The House of Fraser website is really easy to use as you’d expect; I was able to filter size and type of clothes so could see what items weren’t in stock for our size.  That’s my bugbear when online shopping – if I filter but it still brings up clothes in that size which are out of stock, it defeats the object of filtering.  But not a problem in this case. There was also a sale on…result!

Our choice:

Mango jean style trousers in a khaki colour. N has some long johns so he can always add those underneath if it gets really chilly over the next couple of weeks.  I quite like different colour trousers as they’re a bit more interesting than jeans or navy/black the whole time, and these are still quite versatile.  The colour also turned out spot on with his Startrite shoes.  I  really like that they’re popper ‘button’ which is easier for N.

A Pumpkin Patch stripy shawl collar jumper.  I love this as it’s so much smarter than a normal round neck jumper.  It’s warm, but not so thick it won’t fit under a coat.  I used to love Pumpkin Patch clothes when we had a shop in town, so it’s nice to find them online.  It’s a brand that I usually forget about as I don’t see it everyday.

A long-sleeved top is really handy for layering, either alone, or with another t shirt underneath and jumper on top.  This one’s quite unusual for N, but I thought the pocket made it a bit smarter than it might have been without.  I did buy it big so he’ll get lots of wear out of it.

Then to try and keep his feet warm I picked up some Hunter welly socks.  I’ve always lusted after welly socks, and think they’re a great idea for children for winter and being out later on chilly nights like Bonfire Night.  These are a little ‘girly’ as the pink is quite prominent, but N’s not worried, and they do look cool with his wellies.  I’m sure they’ll make his toes really toasty as they’re fleecy.

N seemed to like the clothes he has, and got dressed in the morning with no issues or requests to change.  Always a sign that’s he’s happy.  And he’ll definitely be set for our bonfire night outing.

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Disclosure: We were provided with clothes of our choice from House of Fraser to write this post. All opinions and words are my own.