Getting out and exploring the countryside is one of my favourite activities to do as a family. Max isn’t a child who likes to be indoors - he’s much happier running around outside, exploring nature, and that’s something that I want to encourage in him as he grows older. However he’s also not a fan of the cold, so it’s important that he has the right clothing as winter sets in. So I was thrilled when the lovely folk at Lighthouse Clothing got in touch to offer to introduce us to their Autumn/Winter 2016 range of coats.

Lighthouse Clothing is a new Belfast based brand, launched in March 2016, and their philosophy is to inspire your inner adventurer to get outside and enjoy the countryside. Their coats pride themselves on being highly waterproof, as well as cosy, and the AW16 collection has a great range of fun prints to choose from.

I chose the Siena Waterproof Hooded Jacket for myself, and the Ollie Waterproof Shark Print coat for Max. Now, I should say straight off the bat that Max is often not a fan of wearing a coat, but the cute shark print on this one seems to have won him over! As soon as he saw it he exclaimed ‘More coat!’ and so far has been really keen to put it on every time, which makes my life so much easier.

 

 

I’m a big fan of the prints myself - the fern leaf print on my jacket is really fun and I love the pops of pink that give it a bit of a feminine touch. It’s the perfect match for my hot pink wellingtons from Joules! So often when it comes to functional clothing like raincoats, they’re pretty boring design-wise, but I love that this jacket manages to be stylish and feminine, while still being really practical. The little details are really nice too - the leather zip on my coat and the little puffin bird on Max’s zip are just little things that make a big impact.

 

 

To really test out the waterproofing abilities of the jackets, we took them down to Cornwall with us on our recent trip - after all, it’s pretty much guaranteed to rain at some point on a week’s holiday in Cornwall in November! And they were certainly put to the test - we had wind, rain, and some pretty cold weather, as well as some sunshine sprinkled in.

 

 

I was so impressed with how warm the coats were - the material isn’t thick, in fact, it’s so lightweight to wear that you barely notice it, so my expectations weren’t too high. But they are lined with a super soft fleece (including the hood) which does a great job at insulating and I found it warmer than my usual winter coat!

And in terms of it’s waterproof abilities, I can’t fault it at all. Any rain was instantly repelled and you’d see the little droplets of water just sat on top. I love how cute Max looks with his little hood up!

 

 

Both coats are fully machine washable, which really is a must when it comes to kids clothes - it means I can relax a little bit when Max nears a huge muddy puddle! And the fact that Max will put it on willingly (and keep it on!) means that it’s a big hit with us both!

 

I really can’t recommend the Lighthouse Clothing range enough for anyone who loves to get outside and enjoy everything our beautiful country has to offer - practical but stylish too, what more could a little (or big!) explorer want?

 

Disclosure: We were gifted these coats by Lighthouse Clothing - all words and opinions are my own.