When I became a parent, I had no idea that half of the job would be trying to cram my kid into bulky clothes.
Honestly, I get it. There are so many snaps and buttons and layers that the whole process is complicated and uncomfortable. And once you finally zip them inside, odds are good that a bathroom break will be needed within 5 minutes.
That’s why I was stoked about the WeeDo OhDeer Deer Snowsuit; our daughter loves it so much that she dresses herself with zero complaints. And, she isn’t the only one. We live outside of Aspen, Colo., and ski at least two to three times per week. During our weekly ski laps near home, my husband, daughter, and I are often stopped by tourists in the lift lines, ski patrollers, or even ski schools. All of them want to smile and give our kiddo a high five while complimenting her epic antlers.
But there is more to love than an adorable design. As a parent, I’m blown away by the unique features that WeeDo wraps into the snowsuits, making it much easier for our daughter to function on the ski hill, and stay out longer.
In short: The WeeDo OhDeer Deer Snowsuit ($282) morphs your child’s ski hill attire into a fashion statement of their own making. With extra padding and durability added to high-use areas like the knees, elbows, and butt, the OhDeer is as comfortable and durable as it is cute. Functional features like internal suspenders, a built-in growth system, and a waist zipper make this ski kit our daughter’s top choice for shredding the corduroy.
Read our full GearJunkie Kids’ Snow Gear guide.
- Outer: Recycled polyester; polyester
- Lining: Polyester (body); nylon (sleeves)
- Insulation: Recycled synthetic HyperLoft
- Waterproof rating: 10,000mm
- Breathability rating: 5000g/m²
Pros
- Waist zipper for easier bathroom breaks
- Built-in mitten clips to attach gloves
- Growth system doesn’t involve cutting seams
- Internal suspenders means kids won’t drag the jacket around the ski lodge
Cons
- Selecting the size based on age is tricky
- Expensive
WeeDo Snowsuit Review
Weedo was first launched in 2018 in Germany by Antje Risau, a mom who is the creative mind behind everything from the design to the production process. But it wasn’t until February 2022 when the popular “Chasing Sage” Instagram account went viral with a video of a dad’s mic’d-up daughter wearing one of the WeeDo snowsuits. Her adorable “I’m a SHREDasaurus” comment took the internet by storm, throwing WeeDo snowsuits into the limelight and onto the radar for American parents.
Each year, WeeDo launches new designs in their snowsuits, personifying everything from deer to unicorns, dinosaurs, lions, and monsters. Due to their creativity and unique aesthetic, there is nothing else like them on the ski hill. At home in Aspen, we see a wide variety of attire, but have yet to see anyone else cruising around in the WeeDo OhDeer.
My daughter tested a size small of the Silver Unicorn for the 2022-23 winter season with a once-weekly ski lesson from the beginning of December to the end of March, plus 1-2 days per week of skiing with her parents. She also took it on a week-long skiing trip to Switzerland.
This season, our daughter began skiing in a size medium of the OhDeer around late November, testing during weekly full-day ski lessons. She used the suit in the high 40s in the spring and was too hot, but thrived if it was windy, blizzardy, or below 30 degrees in the core winter months.
She has also worn the snowsuit while sledding in our neighborhood, building a snowman in the backyard, and to our community’s wintry First Friday event, where temperatures dropped as low as 20 degrees.
Obviously, looks aren’t everything when it comes to outdoor gear. But WeeDo thought through everything to make this kit both adorable and functional. The helmet-compatible hood has two fluffy deer ears alongside a pair of small antlers. When wearing the hood, our daughter has no issues turning her head thanks to the slight give in the fabric. It’s cozy in there too thanks to a super-soft polyester tricot lining.
Essential Warmth
It doesn’t matter how cute a snowsuit is: if your kid’s cold, it is a nonstarter. Fortunately, the OhDeer Deer Snowsuit is warm.
WeeDo wraps this snowsuit in layers of weatherproofing with a high waterproof and breathability rating: 10,000 mm of waterproofing, which is about the industry standard for adults. The whole kit is finished with a plant-based coating called Teflon EcoLite that adds additional water repellency.
Packed with 100% recycled synthetic insulation, WeeDo added extra insulation to the butt because younger kids have a tendency to sit and fall in snow banks. Eventually, this soaks through snowsuits. I’ve watched our daughter do this a number of times to various ski kits, but it has yet to happen in the OhDeer.
She has an affinity for tree skiing, which is tons of fun on her tiny, butter knife-like skis, but less fun for her parents whose longer planks don’t fit through the tightly woven forest. During one memorable day last season, our kiddo skied out of sight. When she is a teenager, I’m sure this will be welcome. But as a 5-year-old, we were less than excited that she crushed us in the trees.
We eventually found her eating snow in a snowbank, patiently waiting for her parents to catch up. I was thrilled to see that she was still warm and dry — even while wallowing in a powdery drift.
Another day, she had to catch first chair to meet up with her ski school at Snowmass. Temperatures were hovering around 15 degrees. Everyone was cold. Yet, she remained perfectly warm in her OhDeer (and a midlayer), requesting to ski all day. Her instructor told me she was one of the lone kiddos who opted to shred instead of drinking hot cocoa.
Sold separately but worth a note, our daughter also has the matching OhDeer Mittens ($52). She wears them skiing, sledding, throwing snowballs, and building snowmen, and has never complained of cold hands.
Unique, Functional Snowsuit Features
Snowsuits are amazing for warmth but their day-to-day logistics are often cumbersome. The OhDeer solves a lot of the common problems with a few key features.
One of my favorites is the internal suspenders. Sewn into the interior of the top half of the snowsuit, these elastic suspenders tuck out of the way while skiing. Yet, when you take a break and settle in for lunch, they’re life savers. Instead of dragging her sleeves on the ground or tying them around her waist as she walks through the ski lodge, she pulls her arms through the suspenders. This means the top half of the snowsuit is out of the way … but also not dragging on the ground.
I’m also enamored with the waist zipper. One of the toughest parts about skiing with young children in a snowsuit is the bathroom since they have to remove the entire thing every time they need to use the toilet in the lodge — I’ve never seen one with a drop-seat like adult ski bibs have since it’s considered a potential failure point for warmth and adds to the overall cost.
But WeeDo addresses this problem with a waist zipper that runs from hip bone to hip bone around the back of the snowsuit. It acts just like a drop seat so she can leave the upper half on her body while freeing up her lower half for the toilet.
Bonus: This zipper makes peeing outside more bearable for kids, too. During one wintry hike, it was much easier to convince our then-5-year-old daughter to squat outside when she realized she wouldn’t need to expose her entire body to the chilly temps.
Kids snowsuits don’t usually have ventilation zippers but if your kid is really cooking, this waist zip could be used as such for a little airflow.
Durability receives high marks from our family, too. The outer of the snowsuit is polyester (with 55% as recycled polyester) but WeeDo added extra abrasion resistance on areas like the knees and butt. During snowy playtime building snowmen or having snowball fights, this came in handy as our daughter literally crawled through a bed of snow filled with stabby sticks.
Bonus: The OhDeer also has a ski pass pocket on the left wrist instead of the chest. For little kids who are so short that their chest doesn’t reach the RFD scanning gates to get on a chairlift, this is huge. Our daughter just lifts her arm in the air, scans through, and hops onto the lift. This combined with the adjustable pant cuffs (to fit over ski boots) make the OhDeer perfect for ski families.
Adjustable-Growth System
It’s not uncommon for kids’ winter apparel to have a growth system that lets out a little length in the arms and legs so that the snowsuit works as your child grows. However, most brands do this by including loose seams, designed for you to cut with scissors. While this is effective, it means that apparel item is now long forever. This is a bummer for families looking to hand down snowsuits to younger kiddos.
The OhDeer also has an adjustable-growth system. Instead of cutting seams, WeeDo designed it around a snap system. There are three snaps on each side of the interior of both arms and legs. These are connected to a strip of fabric that pulls the length longer or shorter. Because there are three snaps, you have three options for growth, adding up to 2.5 inches of length to the arms and legs.
The best part: Once your child completely outgrows the snowsuit, you can cinch it back to the smallest growth line for up-and-comin’ younger kids or siblings.
Keep in mind that the sizing runs a bit differently for WeeDo since the brand is a European company. And while it’s converted the sizing to American letter sizing, it’s best if you take your child’s measurements in centimeters for the best accuracy. For reference, the size range is:
- XS: 92-104 cm, or 36-40.9”
- S: 104-116 cm, or 41-45.7”
- M: 116-128 cm, or 45.7-50.4”
- L: 128-140 cm, or 50.4-55.1”
Follow the measurements to the decimal point to get the best fit. Pro tip: The measurements listed reflect the smallest size of the growth system. For example, if your kiddo is roughly 40 inches tall right now, the XS small size would technically fit, especially with the extended 2.5 inches with the growth system. However, in those on-the-border situations, we recommend sizing up. The snowsuit will be big at first, but it’s better than a suit that’s too tight or too short.
Room for Improvement
I’ll be honest: there isn’t much to dislike about the OhDeer snowsuit. Of course, it is expensive; the WeeDo OhDeer costs more than most children’s snowsuits. But that is often the tradeoff for higher quality and unique features.
Families should take note of the sizing chart before making a purchase. WeeDo has the sizes separated by measurements and age, but we haven’t had great luck estimating based on age. Be sure to measure your child to ensure a proper fit.
Finally, looks aren’t everything when it comes to outdoor gear. But WeeDo thought through everything to make this kit both adorable and functional. The helmet-compatible hood has two fluffy deer ears alongside a pair of small antlers. When wearing the hood, our daughter has no issues turning her head thanks to the slight give in the fabric. Depending on sizing, the hood could be an issue for the smallest of kiddos.
WeeDo OhDeer Snowsuit: Conclusion
Hands down, the WeeDo snowsuits are the cutest ones on the ski hill. Our daughter has both a WeeDo Silver Unicorn and now the OhDeer, and they are always the talk of the mountain.
If you spend a lot of time on a ski hill like my family, definitely consider the WeeDo Snowsuits. While I knew it was obviously adorable when we purchased it, I wasn’t expecting it to perform as well as it does.
As a mom, the unique, ski-specific features are crucial. The internal suspenders, the waist zipper, and the adjustable-growth system are essential for on-mountain logistics. Honestly, it boggles my mind that I haven’t seen these same features highlighted in more kids’ apparel brands. Maybe the only con? The price tag is high enough to make anyone pause, especially for a kid’s snowsuit.
But between the bombproof warmth, ski-specific features, adorable design, and all-around joy that it brings to our daughter, I think it’s worth it. Plus, with the adjustable-growth system, you may get a couple of seasons out of it — and it’s so durable that it will last.