Test Results: The Best Waterproof Gloves and Mittens for Kids: 2024 Edition

Here’s some advice from one parent to another: Don’t skimp on gloves for your kids. 

Honestly, in the fall it’s tempting, to grab a pair of cute $20 gloves at your local sporting goods store or Costco.  Trust me, I’ve been there…and I have a bin full of worthless gloves to show for it. Thankfully, after 14 years of parenting, I finally learned my lesson and don’t buy cheap gloves anymore. 

You see, I’ve never had a pair of $20 gloves for my kids make it through an entire season of outdoor winter play, still waterproof and warm. So come February, when stores have been picked over of all their winter gear, I have to somehow find new winter gloves for my kids (which usually only last a few months as well).

So those $20 gloves that seemed like such a bargain in the fall, actually make me spend $40 and I only got one season of use out of them. For that same price, I could have bought amazing gloves that would last for YEARS!

The truth of the matter is that if your kid has cold or wet hands, they’ll be miserable, so cheap gloves just aren’t worth it – I promise!

On the flip side, I’ve had the same pair of mittens since college.  I remember totally splurging on them and blowing my meager budget on these $60 mitts…and now 15 years later they’re still waterproof and warm and are my go-to pair EVERY TIME we’re going to be spending some serious time in the snow (skiing, sledding, etc).

So why in the world was I blowing $40 a year on crappy gloves for my kids when if I spent that amount upfront, I could get great gloves that would last year after year?

Luckily, you get to learn from my mistakes.  I enlisted the help of my kids, and for the last several weeks, we’ve been testing the top 10 gloves and mittens from the best kids glove and mitten brands around.  No, these are not just the best deals or top-rated gloves on Amazon (because I’ve tried several top-rated gloves and been disappointed).

I turned to my most winter-obsessed outdoor friends to see what works best for them.  Friends who do things like take their kids on multi-day winter hiking trips in the Canadian Rockies, and others who ski 50+ days with kids in Alaska. These are the best kids gloves and mittens that you’re going to find. PERIOD.  

Best Kids Gloves and Mittens: QUICK PICKS

Don’t have time to read the full article? Here are our favorite kids mittens and gloves with some exclusive discounts from our favorite companies)

Best Kids Gloves Overall (jump to detailed reviews below):

Akova Elevated Kids Glove: Amazing quality for extreme outdoro conditions. Super warm and waterproof, extra long cuffs, and best of all, the grip is so much better than any other kids glove. Use code BRINGTHEKIDS for 20% off

Reima Skimba Gloves: Everything you could ever want in a kids glove and more – waterproof, warm, long cuffs, adjustable – you name it, these gloves have it. $49 (use code BRINGKIDS20 for 20% off)

Burton GoreTex Kids Waterproof Gloves: fantastic winter gloves for kids and surprisingly affordable at only $50

Reima Tartu Gloves: Sizes 2-14, Best budget gloves, comfortable, waterproof $45 (use code BRINGKIDS20 for 20% off)

Hestra All Mountain CZone Jr Glove: Super durable, waterproof, rugged, $95

Best Kids Mittens Overall (jump to detailed reviews below):

Chopper Mill Mittens: Sizes Toddler- Adult, hands down the best mittens we’ve found! Leather and performance fabric + every other feature imaginable. $59 (and worth every $)

Reima Snoukku Mittens: Sizes4-16, amazingly durable and super waterproof, $50 (use code BRINGKIDS20 for 20% off)

Stonz Kids Mitts: Sizes 2-8, super durable, love the cinchable elastic cuffs, $49 (use code bringthekids10 for 10% off)

WARMEST Mittens For COLD HANDS

If your kid’s hands just can’t ever get warm enough, OR if you’re in SUPER COLD TEMPS, you’ll likely need more than just warm mittens. We’ve found that pairing one of the mittens above with a pair of Aurora Heat Fur warmers is the absolute best combo for really warm hands. The warmers are made of beaver fur, are ethically made, reusable for years, and work amazingly well. Shop Aurora heat and use code BRINGTHEKIDS to save 10% off.

Note: these aren’t cheap, but we feel they’re absolutely worth the price! We use them to keep the kids feet warm too!

While you’re getting ready for winter, don’t forget to check out our other winter gear reviews for kids:
Best Waterproof Coats For Kids
Best Kids Base Layers
Best Snow Boots for Kids
Best Kids Ski Face Masks
Best Ski Harnesses for Kids
Best Kids Mid Layers

The Best Gloves for Kids: Warm & Waterproof

Glove	Best Features	Problems	Discount COde
Akova Gloves – BEST KIDS GLOVES!!	Great grip, super waterproof. longer cuff, wrist straps, great dexterity	None	20% off with code BRINGTHEKIDS
Reima Skimba	Warm, pretty waterproof, longer cuff	Grip is only moderate	20% off with code BRINGKIDS20
Burton Gore-Tex Gloves	Waterproof, very warm, medium cuff	Medium cuff still lets snow in
Reima Tartu	Water resistant – best budget/basic glove	Very basic, cuffs don’t cinch up
Hestra CZone	Very waterproof, warm, good dexterity with leather palm	short cuffs let snow in
Swany X Change	Very waterproof, super durable, warm, leather palm	cuffs are too short
Swany X-Over	water resistant, medium warmth	cuffs too short, loses waterproofing over time

As you read through these reviews below, you’ll notice that most of these gloves and mittens scored really high on our tests. This isn’t because we didn’t review them well, it’s because we are only testing the very best kid’s gloves and mittens available so they all should perform well. These are the best waterproof gloves for kids.

Akova Elevated Kids Gloves – Best Kids Gloves

We absolutely LOVE these gloves. We’ve been HUGE Akova/Shred Dog fans for several years, and have been patiently waiting for them to release their kid’s gloves. Akova is well known for making the top of the line kid’s ski clothing, so we were thrilled when they finally released these gloves.

I am pretty picky about the gloves that I buy for my kid’s, because we spend A LOT of time outside in the winter. These gloves for kids have everything I could have wanted and MORE! They have all of my favorite features like longer cuffs, a wrist leash, and of course warmth and excellent waterproofing, but the feature that really surprised me was the GRIP! Oh my goodness, I’ve never seen such a grippy glove, which makes a world of difference in the snow.

Unlike some of the big-name brand gloves we reviewed below, you can get these for right around $76 when you use my code BRINGTHEKIDS for 20% off.

Whether you’re going to be spending long snow days in the backyard, or you’ll be doing a lot of skiing or snowboarding this winter, we highly recommend these gloves. They’re a great investment in making sure that your kids hands stay warm and dry this winter.

The design of these is fantastic for keeping snow out and warmth in, so they quickly became our favorite. Created by professional skiers, we’re not surprised. but it’s incredible to see this type of glove quality available for kids.

Waterproofing: 5/5 – These gloves are so incredibly waterproof. When we did our ice water test, there was no wetting out of the fabric. These Akova kids gloves are made with HDry Technology so that you don’t get water trapped between the outer material and the lining, so they’ll stay in great shape for longer.

Warmth: 5/5 – These gloves came to us just in time for some really cold weather and we’ve been wearing them on single-digit days with no problems. There are 200g of insulation in the gloves, which is AMAZING, so we fully anticipate that they’ll serve us well all winter long, even when the temperature drops below 0.

Windproof: 5/5 – seriously, we didn’t even feel al thing in the wint test, They performed perfectly.

Reima Skimba Kids Gloves – Runner Up Best Kids Gloves Overall

These gloves are the best gloves you’ll find from Reima! We’ve been using them for a couple of years and they never disappoint. Best of all, it’s one of the most affordable kids’ gloves you can buy at only $49 (and you can use our code BRINGKIDS20 for an extra 20% off that).  

When we look for the best kids’ gloves, we want them to have all of the features of a well-built adult glove for kids, and this glove for children has it.  They’re super waterproof and warm down to -20F.  They also have a really long cuff to keep snow out and easily fit over kids’ coats or snowsuits.  At the bottom of the cuff, there’s an elastic band that can be cinched up, and at the top, there’s a wrist strap to trap heat. 

Best of all, there are wrist straps that the kids can wear so that even when they take their gloves off they still remain attached.  The kids are obsessed with the little zipper pocket on the cuff which is the perfect size for a ski pass, or in my kid’s case – treats for the ski chairlift! 

As a mom, I also love that the outer is dirt repellant since if there’s a muddy mess, my kids are always the first to find it, so I know these will last longer!  I couldn’t be happier with these kid’s gloves and I’m so obsessed, I’m telling everyone I know about them.  

Waterproof 5/5: The waterproofing on this is incredible.  They have a 10,000+ waterproofing rating and so far, we’ve been nothing but impressed in both our water bath test and while out in the snow playing and skiing.  These gloves have a Hipora insert which makes them both waterproof and breathable.  

Warmth 5/5: These gloves are rated warm down to -20F which is the best warmth rating that we’ve found for a pair of kid’s gloves.  So far we’ve only tested them in single digits, but they’ve been incredible so far.  The inside of the gloves are lined with soft fleece to kids hands stay cozy all day long!

Windproof 5/5:  These gloves for kids are fully windproof and perform amazingly well in windy conditions!

Burton Gore Tex Kids Waterproof Gloves – Runner Up Best Overall Kids Winter Gloves

We’ve tried just about every brand of waterproof kids gloves on the market, and I can’t say enough good things about these ones. They have all of the qualities we desire in a great glove for kids and cost only $50.

My 12-year-old daughter has been wearing and abusing these gloves all year, and they’ve kept functioning beautifully. It’s got all the features that I look for in the best kids winter glove. The build quality of these gloves is second to none. They are extremely warm and highly waterproof (due to the use of the Kids Goretex glove membrane). The longer wrist gaskets allow them to easily slide over your kids coat AND to be tightened to keep snow out. Both the actual wrist and the end of the glove tighten up to maximize comfort, warmth and dryness and to keep snow out.

Older kids will love them because they’re touchscreen compatible (so nice since my teen and tween ski with a phone now), and they have a soft thumb for wiping snot (a gross but necessary feature).

Of course, from a kid’s standpoint, they’re also amazing, because they look cool with lots of fun color options! The rainbow colors of this pair has my daughter telling everyone they’re the best girls gloves (even though they are a boys ski glove as well). We all consider these the best ski gloves for kids.

Waterproof 5/5: These gloves are amazing when it comes to waterproofing. Not only did they stsay dry after our soak test, but even when staying submerged significantly longer than our 5 minute test, they were incredible. Thanks to the Goretex membrane, these are the most waterproof kids gloves.

Warmth 5/5: We put these gloves on our toughest critic – my daughter who always has cold hands. In fact her hands get so cold that she almost exclusively skis in mittens…but not anymore. Even when spending a full day outside skiing in sub-zero temperatures, these gloves have kept her hands nice and toasty. These are the warmest kids ski gloves!

Windproof 5/5

Reima Tartu Glove Review – Best Budget Gloves for kids

If you’re looking for an amazing pair of gloves for your kids this winter, that doesn’t cost a fortune, the Reima Tartu gloves are AMAZING!!!

We love that they are incredibly waterproof, super warm, and cost under $50. This is the best deal on high quality kids gloves that you can find. While there are a lot of features that we like about this basic kids glove, the biggest drawback is that there is no way to cinch down the opening, so snow sometimes gets in here.

These kids winter ski gloves don’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but they do the just surprisingly well for a budget kids ski glove!

Waterproof 5/5: These did pass our 5 minute water submersion test without getting water in. I’m not sure if they would land much longer than that since they were starting to feel saturated.

Warmth 5/5: We are loving these gloves for really cold days. The wrist does need to be tightened to maintain warmth, and once it is, they stay toasty!

Windproof 5/5

Use code BRINGKIDS20 for 20% off your Reima order

Hestra All Mountain CZone Jr Glove Review

The Hestra All Mountain CZone Jr Glove is one of the top of the line kids gloves made by Hestra.  In many respects, they are incredibly similar to the Swany X-Change Glove, both in appearance and performance.  They are easy to pull on and the cuff is generous enough to be worn either under or over a coat.

These gloves also include a waterproof zipper pocket (perfect for hand warmers), and easy to adjust closures at the cuff and around the wrist for a secure fit.  I also really like the leather palm as well as the durable outer shell that the rest of the exterior is made of. These are some of the best kids snow gloves.

Waterproof:5/5

After being submerged for 5 minutes, the inside of these gloves was completely dry.  Water had started to soak into the fabric and I could wring extra water out of the gloves, but none of it soaked through.  These waterproof gloves kids feature a waterproof lining material, so this should not be an issue.  If you’re looking for kids waterproof winter gloves, these are a great option.

Warmth: 5/5 

These gloves were really warm and would be excellent for super cold winter days.  These are the warmest kids gloves that we tested. These are some of the best kids ski gloves available, and my son wears them almost every time he skis.

Windproof: 5/5

Overall:  

The Hestra All Mountain CZone gloves for kids are spectacular.  They have everything that I would look for in a high-end adult glove, yet are made in a miniature size for kids. 

Although we haven’t taken them out on a long ski day yet, I’m confident that they will perform well. Note: Hestra also makes this glove in a mitten style if you prefer mittens more.

Swany X-Change Jr Glove Review

The Swany X-Change Glove is one of the top-end best waterproof gloves for kids made by Swany.  They have all the bells and whistles that I would expect in a high-end adult glove but made for kids.  They are made of a softshell outer with a leather palm and trim and even have a little pocket for inserting a hand warmer. 

I also really like the easy Speed Draw closure on the bottom which allows you to adjust how tight or loose they are with the press of a button (and allows them to be worn both under or over a jacket cuff) If you’re looking for the best winter gloves for kids, you absolutely need to consider these.

Waterproof:5/5

After being submerged for 5 minutes, the inside of these gloves was completely dry.  These are the best waterproof kids gloves that we tested. Water had started to soak into the fabric and I could wring extra water out of the gloves, but none of it soaked through.  

These waterproof kids gloves performed about the same at the end of the season as they did at the beginning. Overall, these are some of the best waterproof kids gloves on the market.

Warmth: 5/5 

These gloves were really great kids warm gloves and would be excellent for super cold winter days.  These are the warmest gloves for kids that we’ve found.

Windproof: 5/5

Overall:  

The Swany X-Change gloves are amazing!  They are warm, waterproof and windproof.  These have become the go-to gloves for my teenage son and they always seem to do great. His hands are always warm and dry and even in extreme cold, his hands are comfortable.

Swany X-Over Jr Glove Review

The Swany X-Over Jr Glove looks a lot like its more technical counterpart the X-Change Glove.  However, there are a few differences that set the two gloves apart. One of the biggest things going for the X-Over is that they are touchscreen compatible.  The palms are synthetic material, have a hand warmer pocket, and have a nose wipe section (which all moms have a love-hate relationship with).

It also has a wrist closure similar to the X-Change, though the toggle is a bit more difficult to adjust on the X-Over.  

Waterproof: 2/5

After being submerged for 1 minute, the inside of the Swany X-Over gloves was getting wet.  After 5 minutes underwater, they were absolutely soaked. These kids waterproof gloves need some more work before we recommend them for wet conditions. These are not the best waterproof gloves at all.

Warmth: 3/5

My kids kept these gloves on for a full hour while they were playing outside, but when they came inside, their hands were cool to the touch.  It wasn’t enough for them to complain about, but I’m not sure they would last an entire day. Good enough for a recess, but probably not for longer or more intense outdoor time.

Windproof: 5/5

Overall:

The Swany X-Over glove looks pretty good on the outside, but the performance wasn’t as great as I had hoped.  It didn’t do very well on either our waterproof or warmth tests. While these could still work well for light outdoor play, I would recommend a higher quality Swany glove like the X-Change Glove.  

The Best Mittens for Kids: Warm & Waterproof

There are SO MANY wonderful mittens on the market for kids that we would recommend buying. Each one of the kids mittens that we reviewed is a little bit different, so think about your kids personal preferences (long or short cuffs, fluffy or streamlined, etc).

Mitten	Best Features	Problems	Discount
Chopper Mill – BEST KIDS MITTENS	Long cuffs keep snow out, great grip with leather palms. easy to clip together, they will send you a replacement if your child loses one!	NONE
Reima Snoukka	Long cuffs, waterproof, warm	Grip isn’t great	20% off with BRINGKIDS20
Stonz mittens	Extra long cuff, durable fabric, warm	only goes from size 2-8	10% off with BRINGTHEKIDS10
Swany Softy	Super warm and cozy	Short cuffs so snow gets in easy, not great waterproofing
Hestra C Zone	Very warm and waterproof	short cuffs must be worn under a coat not over
Outdoor Research Adrenaline	Waterproof, cuffs work both over or under a coat	Not warm

Chopper Mill Mitten Review

If I could design a mitten with EVERY important feature, I couldn’t do a better job than Chopper Mill has. They are quite literally my DREAM MITTEN (and they come in adult sizes too). The construction and quality is exceptional. Truthfully, it’s no wonder, since they’re made by an outdoor-loving mom in freezing cold Minnesota. She was sick of her kids hands never staying warm enough when they went out on adventures and after trying every mitten she could find, she finally decided to make her own. And we’re beyond thrilled that she did!

The construction is the perfect blend of leather and performance-waterproof fabric. This allows kids to keep their hands dry AND the leather gives them better grip and flexibility than most other mittens have. The cuffs are extra long to go over the outside of a coat and to keep snow out. They have an easy to cinch up cuff strap so everything stays snug, and a webbed wrist strap to keep the mittens comfortable and keep the warmth in.

Probably the most brilliant idea to enter the glove industry is the Chopper Mill Re-Pair Program. If your child has Chopper Mill mittens and loses one, they’ll send you a replacement pair FOR FREE! This is so amazing and will save so many families from having to buy a new pair of mittens when their child inevitably loses one.

Each pair has mini carabiners for attaching the mittens together, which seemed buky at first, but once I saw how easily my kids could clip them together, I was completely SOLD! These are the easiest mittens to hook together, which goes a long way for now losing them.

The personalization aspect is also FANTASTIC! Each pair of kid’s mittens has a removable patch area, where you can choose your child’s favorite color, get their name printed on the later patch, and you can easily see who the mittens belong to. We love that they are removable, so when your kids move up into the next size of mittens, they can take their name patch with them.

Waterproof 5/5: Between the leather and the performance fabric, the waterproofing is the best we’ve seen on any kids gloves. Nothing soaks in and the quality of the waterproofing is really fantastic. My kids wear these ones outside on cold mornings to water the pets and know that they’ll always have dry hands!

Warmth 5/5: These mittens are really warm, which was no surprise to me. Being made by a Minnesota Mom, I knew that they would be incredibly warm (without being too hot), and they are!

Windproof 5/5: These are super windproof! With high wind, you couldn’t feel anything on the inside!

Stonz Mitts Youth Mitten Review

I don’t know if I can possibly say enough good things about Stonz kids winter mittens.  They were the first mittens we got a few years ago, that were actually EXCEPTIONAL (and convinced me that the $20 gloves I kept buying were a rip-off!).  Over and over the are the warmest kids mittens we have ever owned, and also the most waterproof kids mittens we have had.

They’re entering their fourth season of almost daily winter use and are still going strong! They are warm and dry and do a great job of keeping the snow out with their extra-long cuffs. Overall, I think that these are the best kid mittens both in performance and value. They are the best ski mittens, and the best waterproof mittens for kids.

The feature that sets Stonz waterproof mittens for kids apart from regular mittens is the long cuff and stiffer material. While some people complain that the material is too stiff, we’ve found that it’s the secret to keeping the long cuff up on the arm and the snow out! This means that hands stay warmer and dryer with these kids ski mittens than with any other kids ski mitten.

Waterproof: 5/5

These kids waterproof mittens were the most waterproof mittens or gloves for kids that we tested.  After 5 minutes they were completely dry inside and the water hadn’t even soaked into the fabric at all.  I did notice with our older pair we own that while they are still waterproof, water does soak into the outer fabric some.

Warmth: 5/5

My daughter gets the coldest hands of anyone in our family and she said she’s never been cold wearing these (except for the day her brother put a snowball inside of them!!!) These are the warmest ski mittens we tested.

Windproof: 5/5

Use code BRINGTHEKIDS10 for 10% off your order when you buy directly through Stonz

Overall:

Stonz mittens are both excellent quality and excellent value.  They only cost about $40 and the performance is really incredible.  Personally, I love that these mittens have extra long cuffs since it helps keep the snow away from my kids’ wrists (the cuffs go about halfway up the forearm). 

However, I know that these can be difficult to put on and tighten independently, especially for younger kids. Truthfully though, my kids need help getting their mittens and gloves on and adjusted well until they’re 5 or 6, so it’s not too big of a deal.

 Swany Softy Jr Mitt, with Toaster Construction Review

The Swany Softy Jr mitten is a bit of a hybrid.  It performs like a mitten, but with the dexterity of a glove.  These are the kids’ versions of the mittens that I’ve had for 15 years that performed like a champ. 

Personally, I love that they keep hands warmer than gloves or mittens alone, and also that when you need to do something more detail-oriented (like answer a phone call or zip a coat), you can just slip your gloved fingers out of the zipper, so they’re never really getting too cold.

Waterproof: 2/5 

After submerging these mittens for 1 minute, they were pretty wet on the inside and after 5 minutes they were totally soaked.  I was really surprised by this, and I am assuming that these mittens didn’t do as well in the test because of the zipper on the side that could allow water in. These are not great waterproof mittens kids should get too wet.

Warmth: 5/5

These mittens may have been the warmest that we tested.  If you have a kid who gets really cold fingers, I highly recommend these.  These kids ski mittens are nice since you get the warmth of the mitten with the flexibility of a glove.

Windproof: 5/5 

Overall:  

While these mittens didn’t perform great in our waterproof test, I’m still going to highly recommend them.  Their unique design really suits kids who have extra cold hands or kids who normally would need to take their mittens off to do detailed tasks.  

Also, I swear these are the absolute best mittens for parents, so look into the adult version for yourself. I am constantly needing to use my fingers during the day when we’re out with the kids (zipping coats, getting into pockets, passing out treats) and these keep my fingers SO WARM!

Hestra CZone Primaloft Jr Mitten Review

The Hestra CZone Primaloft Mittens for kids are soft and lightweight and almost reminiscent of a stuffed animal, with their brushed lining.  I have one son who is incredibly particular about textures and how things feel and he instantly fell in love with them.

Having a mitten that’s this soft, but also a high performer was a major win in my book.  These mittens have a stretchy cuff that’s best suited for being worn underneath a coat. For us, we usually put our kids’ mittens on first and then put the coat over the top for a tight fit to keep snow out. They also happen to be very easy for younger kids to put on and take off alone (major parenting win!!)

Waterproof: 5/5

After 5 minutes of being soaked in the water, there was no water on the inside of these gloves.  However, I could feel that there was some water that had soaked into the gloves, but that’s not a problem because, with these mittens, the waterproofing isn’t on the outer material, but rather in an interior insert.  

Warmth: 5/5

These mittens are lacking nothing in the warmth category.  In fact, because the lining is brushed, I think that they feel softer and warmer than most other gloves. 

I was actually quite surprised by this as we’ve never had a pair of mittens that’s felt this soft AND been warm – usually mittens are either soft or warm, so having the CZone Primaloft mittens be both, is a huge benefit!

Windproof: 5/5

Overall:

I am really impressed with the Hestra CZone Primaloft mittens for kids.  At first appearance, they don’t look rugged or very durable (they’re kind of poofy).  However, they performed incredibly well in our tests. I think these are the best option I’ve ever seen for kids who are sensitive about materials or textures since they are incredibly soft, and their puffy construction actually makes them really easy to grab things while wearing them.

Outdoor Research Adrenaline Mittens for Kids Review

The Outdoor Research Adrenaline Mittens for kids are a simple design that works quite well.  They are more lightweight than any of the other mittens or gloves that we have tested, but they still seem to do the job quite well.  My absolute favorite feature of these mittens is the grab loop at the cuff that kids can easily grab to pull their mittens on more easily (I really believe all kids mittens and gloves should have these).

Waterproof: 5/5

After 5 minutes submerged in water, the interior of these mittens were completely dry.  I was surprised by how much water the exterior of the mittens absorbed, but since nothing got inside, it’s probably not an issue. 

Warmth: 3/5

My kids kept these mittens on for a full hour while they were playing outside, but when they came inside, their hands were a bit cool to the touch.  It wasn’t enough for them to complain about, but I’m not sure they would last an entire day. We’ll update this as winter progresses and we find out how they last on a long cold day. 

Windproof: 5/5

Overall:

The Outdoor Research Adrenaline Kids Mitten is a pretty good mitten overall.  It’s not the best we’ve tested, but I also think that it’s a lot better than anything that I have bought in this price range before (at the time of writing, these are the most inexpensive pair we tested).  We’ll update this as winter progresses and we get a better idea of if they stay warm for an entire day in the snow.  

The best waterproof mittens for toddlers

When it comes to buying the best mittens for your toddler, we have two brands that we really like, Veyo Kids and Stonz. One has thumbs and the other is a thumbless mitten, so your choice will be largely based on what mittens will work best for your toddlers thumbs.

People often ask us about buying the best gloves for toddlers. Truthfully, toddler winter gloves always seem to be a bit of a disaster. Not only are the best toddler gloves not as warm as the best toddler mittens, but they are almost impossible to get gloves on a toddlers hands.

If your toddler needs the flexibility of a glove, get them the toddler Veyo Mittyz, since they have the best mitten flexibility for toddlers. In the end, the best toddler winter gloves, are mittens!

Veyo Kids Mittyz Thumbless Mitten Review

The Veyo Kids Mittyz toddler snow gloves have been recommended to me over and over again, by winter-loving outdoor families as some of the best winter mittens for toddlers, so I was excited to try them out.  These mittens are thumbless and are designed generously so that kids can still grab things while wearing them.

Obviously designed for younger kids, all of their mittens have fun designs that kids will love.  As a mom, I love that they are adjustable at both the wrist and the end of the cuff, so I can really cinch them down so that they stay on well.  They come in a variety of fun designs that kids will absolutely LOVE.

The best part about these warm mittens for toddlers is that they allow the best hand flexibility that we’ve ever found. We highly recommend these toddler winter mittens for kids who won’t wear mittens, as they are the best things we found for our own anti-mitten toddler.

Waterproof: 5/5

After being submerged in water for 5 minutes, the inside of these mittens was completely dry.  The exterior seemed to have more water soaking into it at the one minute mark than any of the others, but since nothing ever got inside, I’m not worried about it. 

These mittens claim to be 100% waterproof, and they actually have a sort of a crinkly feel in the lining, so I suspect there is a lot of waterproofing material inside the mittens.  At the end of the season, we still had the same opinion that water seemed to soak into the gloves really fast and these toddler mittens were always soaked on the outside. However, the inside of these toddler waterproof mittens always stayed dry.

Warmth:  4/5

This is a bit of a hard one for me to gauge since my toddler is wearing them (and he doesn’t give the best feedback), but whenever he came inside from playing while wearing these, his hands were cool.  As it’s difficult to tell with a toddler, I’ll update this throughout the year when we get a better idea of how warm these are.

Windproof: 5/5

For an extra discount on Veyo Kids Mittyz, head here and get an extra 20% off your purchase by using the code BRINGTHEKIDS.

Overall:

I love the unique design of the Veyo Kids Mittyz since they really do eliminate a lot of the mitten battles created by trying to get the thumb in the right place.  They still provide a lot of hand movement (significantly more than any other thumbless mitten we’ve tried), but if your kids want to do a lot of things that require fine motor skills in the winter, these might be difficult for them (see my other recommendation below). 

These make great ski mittens for toddlers. The quality appears pretty good, but we will need to test them a bit more to see how the warmth works out in the long run. While I think that these mittens are best suited to toddlers, I do want to note that they fit up to age 6 if you have an older child who prefers thumbless mittens.  

Our 2-year-old is pretty obsessed with these mittens and thinks they’re the best mittens for toddlers, and even wants to wear them around the house to play, since they look so cool, so that’s a HUGE WIN! If you want toddler mittens that stay on, these are a great choice.

Stonz Mitts Toddler Mitten Review

Like I mentioned earlier, I really like Stonz mittens, and we’ve had great experiences with them over the years. They are warm and dry and do a great job of keeping the snow out with their extra-long cuffs. This is our first time trying out their toddler mittens and they did just as great as their youth mittens.

Waterproof: 5/5

These were the most waterproof mittens or gloves that we tested.  After 5 minutes they were completely dry inside and the water hadn’t even soaked into the fabric at all.  I did notice with our older pair we own that while they are still waterproof, water does soak into the outer fabric some. We absolutely love these waterproof toddler mittens. If you want an amazing pair of waterproof mittens toddlers can wear, I highly recommend these.

Warmth: 5/5

These mittens are very warm and after a couple of hours of snow play, the kids’ hands are still warm.  These make excellent toddler snow mittens.

Windproof: 5/5

Overall:

Stonz mittens are both excellent quality and excellent value.  They only cost about $40 and the performance is really incredible.  Personally, I love that these mittens have extra long cuffs since it helps keep the snow away from my kids’ wrists (the cuffs go about halfway up the forearm). 

Overall they are probably the best winter mittens for toddlers. Toddlers will need help putting them on and tightening the cuffs, but they need help with just about any mitten so it’s not a big issue.  They are a stiffer mitten than the Veyo kids toddler mitten, but these toddler waterproof mittens are much stiffer, so keep that in mind.

The best waterproof mittens for baby

When it comes to the best baby mittens, there is only one brand that I’ll recommend…

Stonz Mitts Baby Mitten Review

These baby snow mittens are the absolute best and the design is incredibly simple. They’re winter baby gloves that are super simple to put on, and they actually stay put once they’re on. Yes, these baby mittens stay on, and don’t fall off!

We’ve had a pair of these for the last few years, and finally, with my 5th baby, I can truthfully say that I have found a pair of mittens that are perfect for babies!  The Stonz Baby Mittz are a thumbless mitten that go on super easy and are easy to tighten.

We’ve never had these mittens for babies fall off, and our little guys hands always stayed super warm, making these the warmest mittens for babies around.  These are also the only waterproof baby mittens we’ve ever found. These aren’t cheap baby mittens like most stores sell, but are a high quality piece of gear that’s made in baby size.

If you’re planning on adventuring with a baby in the winter, these mittens are a must have for infants, up to about age 2-3. These warm baby mittens will keep your little one’s fingers toasty, and the elastic closure around the wrist and cuff helps them to stay on well.

These are the mittens that I tell all my friends to buy as soon as they have a baby, because I simply love them so much!

While our baby waterproof mittens from Stonz are several years old, they still work amazingly well. They are more stiff than the Veyo Kids mittens so there isn’t a lot of flexibility and I noticed as our son got close to age 2, he started getting frustrated that he couldn’t grab things while wearing them, but for a baby that’s not really a problem. 

Should kids wear Mittens or Gloves??

Should kids wear mittens or gloves?  In our home, it’s a longstanding debate.  Two of my kids insist on wearing gloves, and two of my kids always wear mittens.  

Honestly, when my kids wear mittens, their hands are always significantly warmer.  Factually, mittens are always warmer than mittens (though not because your fingers are closer together).  Mittens are warmer than gloves because they have less surface area, which means less area to get COLD.  

If you need warmth, or maybe you’re teaching your kids to ski, I recommend mittens.  If you’re going to be doing activities that require a lot of grabbing and manual dexterity, like playing with snow toys or having a snowball fight, gloves are your best option. 

If you really can’t decide, go for the Swany Toaster (my go-to adult gloves). They are a mitten with an inner glove liner, and you can unzip the entire side so that your fingers can stick out and you can grab things more easily.  

How to choose the best kid’s mittens and the best kid’s gloves

Whether your kids are wearing mittens or gloves, there are a few key features that you need to look for BEFORE you buy, and these are the main criteria that we are evaluating each pair of gloves on.  

Waterproof:  The best gloves for kids are always WATERPROOF.  Don’t buy something that’s merely water-resistant, because eventually, your kids are going to get them completely soaked.  With younger kids, it will be faster than you can imagine since they’ll probably be licking the snow off of them, and will eventually grab something out of a puddle while wearing them!

Not all waterproofing is created equally as we learned pretty quickly in our testing.  To see how waterproof gloves and mittens were, we soaked them in water and checked for leaks at 1 minute and again at 5 minutes.  A few pairs didn’t even make it past the one minute mark, while others were struggling a lot by the 5-minute mark.

Keep reading below to see what gloves were the most waterproof. Childrens waterproof gloves are used more than adults waterproof gloves, since kids are always exploring with their hands and get much wetter than adults do.

Warmth:  Cold fingers will instantly ruin any kids’ day, so choosing a warm glove or warm mitten is really important.  While it’s great to have kids mittens or gloves that will keep hands warm during a 15 minute recess, make sure that you choose something that will keep them warm for 4 hours while skiing or out sledding with their friends (even if you aren’t skiers, choosing a kids ski glove instead of a fashion glove will get you much higher quality).  

We’ve spent an entire winter putting kids gloves and mittens to the test so that we can share with you what the warmest gloves and warmest mittens for kids are.  For us, one of the biggest things we look for is the best ski gloves for kids, since we spend a lot of time in the snow and our kids are always wearing their gloves skiing.

All of these kids’ mittens and gloves have been thoroughly used (and abused) by our kids and we are so excited to be able to help you find the absolute best kid’s mittens and the best kid’s gloves so that your kids stay warm and dry this winter.

Windproof:  When it’s really cold and windy outside, you’re going to want your gloves to be windproof, or else your kids’ hands will get cold really fast.  Typically, thin gloves are less windproof and thick gloves are more windproof. To test how windproof they were, the kids decided that they would stick their hands out the window while we were driving down the highway on a cold day (their idea, not mine).  I figure if anything would test to see how windproof gloves were, that would be it.

*We’ve got lots of winter gear reviews on our site right now if you’re looking for good winter clothing for your kids. We’ve reviewed the best winter snow boots, the best coats for kids, and the best base layers for kids.

How do I make old gloves waterproof again?

If you’ve invested in good quality gloves or mittens for your kids and they just aren’t feeling waterproof enough anymore, consider re-waterproofing them. We find that after the first season, most kid’s gloves or mittens need a waterproofing refresh about every 4-6 weeks in the winter. Keeping them clean with a good quality outdoor-focused detergent is important as well. Read all about waterproofing kid’s outdoor gear here, where we dive deep into the products we recommend and the steps you need to waterproof your kid’s gloves again.

How do I keep snow out of kids gloves?

 The best way to keep snow out of kids’ gloves is to buy a pair that can tighten well around the child’s wrist.  We find that there are a lot of gloves and mittens on the market with a really short cuff, which means that they have to be worn UNDER a child’s coat in order for them to keep the snow out of their mitten or wrist.  Honestly, this is just kind of a pain since it almost always requires adult help.  The gloves and mittens we recommend most, all have longer cuffs so that kids can take them off if they need to, and then easily slide them over the top of their coat, and tighten the cuff.  

How do I get my child to keep their mittens on?

This can be especially challenging with toddlers and young kids, who don’t understand the logic of keeping their mittens on.  One school of thought is that they eventually will get cold and put them back on.  

However, I’m guessing if you’re asking, you’ve got a stubborn child, like one of mine, who doesn’t care how cold their hands get…

The best option for kids who struggle to keep their gloves on, is to wear a long cuffed glove or mitten UNDER their coat, and then tighten the wrist of the coat down.  This makes is REALLY HARD for them to get their mittens off, and this was what worked best for our stubborn mitten wearer!