Muddy Buddy by Tuffo

“For when your little buddy is, you guessed it, muddy”

April showers bring May flowers, but those showers also bring puddles.  Lots and lots of puddles that are just begging to be jumped in, stomped on and splashed through.  If you have a little puddle jumper, you need a Muddy Buddy to get you through until those May rays slowly begin to heat things up.  And then after that, a Muddy Buddy is the perfect solution for all your Summer and Fall adventures – both indoors and out.

These super lightweight and waterproof zip-up coveralls keep your adorable tot’s togs free from all things filthy, all without restricting your little ones movement or weighing them down.  With their brimmed hoods and completely waterproof seams, Muddy Buddy’s make perfect rainsuits and are excellent mud barriers for gardening, biking, nature walks and more.  I hadn’t even thought of taking the Muddy Buddy indoors until the packaging suggested it, but I am really excited to try that out once baby is ready for legitimate arts and crafts and not just random mess making, which I know is a fine line, but I hope I recognize once she’s crossed it.  I’m picturing her “helping” paint the playroom – probably some horrible shade of pink – while wearing the Muddy Buddy and it’s almost enough for me to not care what color she picks.  Almost.

We tried the 2T Muddy Buddy on three kids ranging in age from 10 months to 3 ½ and although it was really large on the youngest, the oldest could still use it even though he’s in a 5T in other clothing, especially when paired with his low rubber boots to compensate for his longer legs.  I love that the Muddy Buddy isn’t form fitting and can be used over any number of clothing layers which makes it perfect for all seasons and all builds.  The only sizing issue I had was that my family breeds long-limbed children and I wish the sleeves had a bit more length.  Although I’m pretty sure I won’t wish that once we do use it for craft time where long sleeves are always avoided, it might be nice for rain use.

Speaking of sleeves, adding a Velcro-able wrist closure in addition to the elastic to accommodate different sized wrists would be my other suggestion to Tuffo on how to improve upon the design.  Since the sizing is generous, I found the wrist elastic to be a bit too loose on the younger kids and it would be nice to have the option of cinching them down when necessary.  I might regret that when trying to do a quick coverall change in muddy conditions, but it would be nice for inclement weather.   

Things I’m Raving About:

• Reinforced seat and knees are super strong and able to handle all sorts of high jinks, even the kind you warned them not to do.
• The double zipper action makes for easy and mess free changes – no over-the-head maneuvering required.
• Generous sizing means that baby’s going to have this Buddy for a while.
• Machine washable, because the Muddy Buddy was created by parents.  Real parents who hate laundry as much as you do.
• Ridiculously lightweight and portable.  It weighs just about nothing and even comes in a handy carrying bag, so even when your Buddy is Muddy, your car doesn’t have to be.
• Multiple uses means it actually will get used, which is so rare for children’s gear!

As Spring is finally here in the Northwest, I am so excited for my little gardening helper to have a completely waterproof and mess proof suit to trudge around in while Mama grows our groceries.  I might even let her hold the hose, providing there’s no one else within hose shot of her.  That is, unless Muddy Buddy makes suits in Mama and Daddy sizes.

Random Rave: I love the Muddy Buddy as a makeshift snowsuit during the winter months as well.  Just dress up your little one in layers of their non-waterproof cold weather gear and then top with the Muddy Buddy to keep them warm and dry without the huge ticket price of traditional snowsuits.  In a climate that gets only a small amount of snow each year, a designated snowsuit is not nearly as practical as wind stopping fleece topped with a Muddy Buddy.  And I’m all about practical.      

http://www.tuffo.com/ 
 
Price: $30, which is about what I would expect for a rainsuit, but seems low when you figure that it’s also incredibly useful for craft time, snow, mud and more.

Looks: Without a kid in it, it’s a horrible bright yellow rainsuit.  But once you get a kid all zipped up with just their grin peeking out, it is heart-meltingly adorable.  You know, from a completely unbiased Mom’s perspective. 

Overall:  Great multi-use and multi-seasonal suit for all sorts of shenanigans.