Zutano Booties Review & Shopping Guide

(Please note: Except for the grey booties, which I purchased myself and mentioned in this post, I received these booties courtesy of Zutano. I will explain why in this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.)

I had been on the hunt for some warm booties for Paloma to wear on our cool morning walks. After a quick search on Amazon, I came across the Cozie Baby Booties by Zutano. In general, when baby is in a stroller or car seat covered up with even a muslin blanket, you can't go wrong with any of the Zutano bootie styles, as they do a great job at keeping baby's toes cozy. For our walks, however, I wear Paloma in a baby carrier, so her legs and feet are dangling in the cool air. When I tried out the Cozie booties, I was a bit disappointed with the warmth factor. I even tried them inside out thinking the fleece being closer to her skin would be warmer. 

Another thing I had issue with was the sizing. I bought these when Paloma was 2.5 months old and ordered the size 6 months thinking they would last a few months and she would have some room to grow. That is not the case. They fit her perfectly now, but will probably only last a few more weeks. I reached out to Zutano with my feedback, and they wanted to make things right, so they sent me three more styles to try out in their next size up. 

Over several days and outings trying out different combinations of these booties with and without socks, I conducted a little "warmth test." I went out for walks in "cool" San Diego morning weather, which is in the high 50s or low 60s Fahrenheit. I will share my findings here, but let me talk a little about the material Zutano uses for its Cozie line.

One thing you should know about Zutano fleece is that it's 80% cotton and 20% polyester. The designers at Zutano believe in using natural fibers when creating children's clothing, so they created this unique fabric with just a bit of polyester. Most performance fleece garments are 100% polyester, which makes them warmer, but they also make baby sweaty after trapping all that heat. Zutano's Cozie fleece is actually breathable. With regard to wearing the booties with cotton socks, since cotton absorbs moisture rather than wicking it away, it does not make for a good layer underneath fleece. When warmth outdoors is a concern, I found in some cases the booties worked best without socks.

Outdoors Warmth Test

1. Cozie Baby Shaggy Booties: This pair is made with Cozie fleece on the outside and lined with 100% polyester faux fur. These ended up being the warmest booties when worn without socks. After my test, Paloma's feet were super toasty. Now for our cool morning walks, I reach for these booties.

2. Double Cozie Baby Booties: Just as the name suggests, Double Cozie booties are made with Cozie fleece on the outside and lined with more Cozie fleece. While not as toasty as the Shaggy booties, they provide moderate warmth, especially when worn with socks. These will be great for cooler days in spring and fall. 

3. Cozie Baby Booties: These are made with Cozie fleece on the outside and lined with 100% cotton interlock. During my outdoors test, I still found the baby's feet to be a bit cool. On the other hand, these are currently my day-to-day booties since Paloma is usually indoors or bundled up when it's chilly out. They are also good for outdoors when we have our warm winter days -- probably spring and fall, too.

4. Super Stripe Baby Booties: This 100% cotton pair is made with a striped cotton interlock on the outside and lined with pink cotton interlock. I tested these out on an afternoon walk during a warm day (70 F) rather than a cool morning walk. At the end of the walk, Paloma's feet were not cold but also not warm, which is perfect because when it's warmer out, I don't want her feet overheating. These will be great for spring and summer.

Sizing

I really wish that Zutano had a 9 months size between the 6 months and 12 months sizes they currently offer. The 12 months is huge on Paloma, but at least she can now use them for longer with lots of room to grow. Also, the booties feature two snap buttons to adjust the tightness around baby's ankle. Once you decide on your baby's size, there's no need to fasten and unfasten the booties each time you put them on the baby. Just slip them on and off as you would regular booties since there is elastic around the ankle.

I hope this review was helpful for anyone on the fence about trying out Zutano baby booties. They make a great hand-me-down, by the way. Stay tuned next week for a Zutano giveaway!