A child’s umbrella has three enemies: the wind, other children, and the school coat peg. Here’s how to choose one that survives.
From what age?
Around age 4 or 5, a child can hold an umbrella and keep it upright for a few hundred metres. Before that, they carry it crooked, let it drag and get just as wet: a hood or cape does the job better.
Around age 7 or 8, they can handle opening, closing and storing it. That’s the age at which an umbrella really becomes useful on the way to school.
The size
From 70 to 90 cm in diameter up to about 8 years old. Any bigger, and the child can no longer hold the handle straight; the umbrella catches the wind and becomes dangerous for them and for others.
Always manual, before age 6
An automatic mechanism springs open all at once and takes you by surprise. Worse: many children don’t have the strength to close an automatic, so the umbrella goes back into the school bag open. The manual is simpler and safer. Above all, check that your child can close it alone, not just open it.
The rib tips
This is safety point number one: a child’s umbrella travels at the face height of other children. The tips must be rounded, wide and well fixed. Pull on them when the parcel arrives: if they come off by hand, don’t give it to your child.
Why transparent often wins
With a transparent canopy, the child can see ahead. Result: they keep the umbrella well placed instead of tilting it to see where they’re going, and they cross with a view of the street. That’s the best safety argument, well before colour.
Being seen at the end of the day
In November, the school run is almost in the dark. A reflective strip on the canopy, or a bright colour, changes the distance at which a car spots the child. A dark umbrella in the rain at night is invisible.
The one that comes home again
A wrist strap and a cover prevent half of all forgotten umbrellas. Write the first name on the cover: in a classroom, five umbrellas look alike.
What we don’t sell
Umbrellas featuring cartoon characters require a licence. We prefer plain or transparent models, which a child keeps longer than a character they tire of in a year.
See the collection children’s umbrellas and the transparent models.