Once your children get to nursery or school age, they suddenly require all sorts of accessories for outdoors, kids hats, scarves, gloves, sun hats, waterproof trousers, rain coats, wellies and more. Getting out on time in the morning takes a great deal of planning and preparation, it’s worth looking at the weather forecast the night before so you have an idea of what you are going to need.

It can also be a bit of a nightmare keeping track of all their accessories. Kids hats, gloves and scarves are the standard winter requirements. Often having matching items makes it easier for your child to recognise their stuff when they are getting ready for playtime. Labels with their name on are crucial for keeping track of your children’s stuff, especially if it ends up in lost property. I have found several companies that print names on stickers and are suitable for everything. I have used them on the kids hats, scarves, gloves, wellies, lunchbox, school bags, shoes and all of their clothing. They are much quicker than sewing on labels and they can go on things that are not fabric. I have used them on my children’s water bottles at school and Tupperware boxes that are sent into school with cakes in for the school fete.

Waterproof trousers are fantastic for snowy or wet weather and my children were involved with the forest school scheme at school and they were a requirement if your child took part.

As far as storage goes it is crucial to have an easy way for the kids to be able to get their own accessories and put them away, I have a basket that is next to the coat hooks where we store all the kids hats, gloves and scarves. It makes it really easy for the children to find their own stuff when we are going out and to put it away again when we get home.

I realised early on that particularly gloves go missing and I found buying several cheap pairs meant that we could always find some when we needed them. If they are all the same colour then you will always be able to find a pair.

I also found that having two pairs of wellies one at home and one at the school made life much easier than trying to remember to take them home and then back to school, as again they were needed for forest school. I bought green wellies so they could be handed down from child to child.

Remember when you consider kids hats, you will need summer and winter versions for each child. It is really important to keep your children warm in the winter, but sun protection is also crucial. If you can get a legionnaire style which has a flap at the back, it will protect their neck and shoulders. It is also a good idea to give your children tops with long sleeves to protect their arms.