Gumboots, or rain boots, are essential footwear for toddlers in any Australian household. Great for jumping in puddles and playing in the rain, it’s also good for keeping little feet warm when heading out-and-about in winter.
Light up toddler gumboots are great fun for little ones, and they also reduce safety hazards. It’s easy to spot the flashing light when it’s darker or raining outside.
Best of all, gumboots are the easiest types of enclosed shoes for little kids to put on by themselves. Some come with a drawstring design to tighten at the top so you don’t get water splashing into the boots, but they most commonly come with little handles or tabs on the sides for easy pull-on.
The best online shops in Australia to buy gumboots for kids:
1. Bloomingdales – Peppa Pig Gumboots
Peppa Pig gumboots by Hunter
As a high-end boutique store, you wouldn’t expect Bloomingdales to have kids wellies. Their Peppa Pig kids rainboots are so popular that at the time of writing this, two out of the three colours are already sold out.
Admittedly, their boots are the most expensive ones on this list, but you’d expect nothing less from the British heritage brand, Hunter.
2. Kidorable – Mermaid & Fairy Gumboots
Mermaid gumboots by Kidorable
Fairy gumboots by Kidorable
Although it is based in the US, Kidorable is now serving Australia via Amazon AU. Specialising in kids rain boots, raincoats, umbrellas and such, it offers delightful boots with cute details like fairy wings and mermaid tails.
For the wild at heart, they also have these shark gumboots and pirate gumboots that are sure to take your kids on an adventure.
3. Shoes & Sox – Unicorns, Dinos & Glitter Gumboots
Unicorn gumboots by Ciao
Dinosaur gumboots by Ciao
Butterfly gumboots by Kicks
As expected from one of Australia’s biggest shoe store, Shoes & Sox has a range of unique kids gumboots that I haven’t seen anywhere else.
They have a lovely range of toddler light-up gumboots by KICKS. It doesn’t explicitly say on the website that they light up, but we bought the Spider gumboots and it does indeed flash up. You can see the lightbox very faintly through the heels.
Their comprehensive kids’ shoe size conversion and measurement chart makes it a breeze to find the right size online. But the fact that they also have 71 brick-and-mortar stores located across Australia is even better if you want to try on sizes to be sure.
4. Seed Heritage – Light Up Gumboots
Flying Pegasus gumboots by Seed
Navy Tiger gumboots by Seed
Rainy days mean gloomy skies and dark days. Add a little sparkle and light to your little one’s outings with light-up gumboots from Seed Heritage.
Unlike other boots that usually only light up in one colour, these ones are rainbow coloured lights. However, their smallest shoe size is about 13cm (inner sole), or AU kids size 5.
The pegasus gumboots even have added glitter in them which adds a lovely shimmer. The small loop at the back makes it easy for young kids to wear the boots.
5. Best&Less – Emma Wiggles Gumboots
Best&Less is a great alternative to Kmart if you’re looking for affordable clothes and shoes with decent quality. Their Emma Wiggles rain boots are a big hit with little girls, with the toddler sizes already sold out at the time of writing.
This appears to be an exclusive design only available at Best&Less, so if you have a little Wiggles fan at your home, be sure to add it to your wishlist so you can be notified when it’s back in stock!
7. Clarks – Puddles
With more than 200 years of experience in shoe-making, Clarks is a household brand for high-quality children’s shoes. ‘Puddles’ is their signature kids gumboots in two striking designs.
Made with premium materials, these gumboots are made to last. Mid-calf length with a drawstring gusset to keep out splashbacks, it has a cotton breathable mesh lining inside and weather-resistant inner and upper rubber soles.
7. Cotton On Kids – Fashion & Classic Golly Gumboots
I always thought of Cotton On Kids as a clothing store for little ones, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have a nice range of gumboots too. Their Fashion Golly gumboots are absolutely gorgeous in earthy colours like blush pink and mustard yellow. Perfect for minimalistic mums who like neutral colours.
For a more Paddington Bear look and feel, their Classic Golly wellingtons are really striking in its colours and design.
Their kids’ footwear size chart is a bit confusing and for some strange reason, the gumboot sizes come in ranges, e.g. size 3-4, instead of simply size 3 or size 4. Fortunately, there is no lack of Cotton On stores across Australia, so you can easily find a store near you to try on sizes.
8. Upper Notch Club – Demar Kids Lightweight Gumboots
Designed and curated specifically for the outdoor lifestyle, Upper Notch Club is an Australian business that stocks beautiful, innovative products like this colour changing kids raincoat.
Their children’s gumboots are made from lightweight EVA, only half the weight of standard kids gumboots. It comes with a removable pair of thermal sock insert that is machine washable.
9. The Nile – Big City & Loopy Llama Gumboots
Big City by Penny Scallan
Loop Llama by Penny Scallan
Last but not least, Penny Scallan is an Australian kids brand known for its bright and colourful designs. For clothes and shoes, I like shopping at The Nile because they offer free returns, which is especially great on the rare occasion when I need a size exchange.
They also have an impressive 4.2 star rating on ProductReview, which is a solid effort for a fully online department store that relies on great customer service.
Why Kmart kids gumboots are not on this list
Yes, Kmart has amazing products at fantastic prices, but if you’ve read enough of my articles on this site, you’ll realise that I never recommend Kmart products. This is for one simple reason:
You get what you pay for – I personally love shopping at Kmart, it is my guilty pleasure, but it’s exactly because I’ve bought so much from Kmart that I am fully aware of its quality. 90% of the things I bought either don’t last very long or they have poor usability.
Kmart is great for buying short-lived, fairly cheap products that you won’t be too heartbroken if it breaks within a few months. But for more expensive things that you want to use for a considerable period of time, such as furniture, household appliances, and shoes, you really want to invest in quality products.