Living in San Diego – particularly the area I live in – I generally do buy cold or wet weather clothes for my kids because it is hardly worth the money to wear them the once or twice it rains each year. However, last Monday when the kids both came home with wet feet, I realized this makes me a Bad Mommy so we’ve been on a mission ever since.
Did you know that they don’t make galoshes for middle-sized kids? Or perhaps they do not bother selling them in San Diego since most of us are Bad Mommies. Either way, while it was easy to find some for the toddler-sized kid, we had to HUNT for a pair to fit the older child.
And did you know that mall store employees do not know what “galoshes” are? The conversations, inevitably, went something like this:
Me: Excuse me, but do you have any galoshes here?
Mall Store Employee: Um. What?
Me: Galoshes? Do you have galoshes?
MSE: Um. Can you tell me what those are?
Me: ……. *blinks* ……. You, um, don’t know what galoshes are?
What? Am I speaking 1940’s here?
In the end, the term “water boots” seemed to do the trick and we were even able to come home with a pair that (barely) fit her. Which, of course, means that it will not rain anymore until next year when she no longer fits the shoes. Naturally.
While we are on the subject, is the word “galoshes” starting to sound weird to anyone but me?
Z E B R A B E L L Y . C O M 
Galoshes galoshes galoshes. I think “galosh” is the sound you make when you jump into a puddle in your wellies.
In my expereince, “galoshes” is a very British term (along with wellies). Aound here they are called rain boots. And at this time of year rain boots are very easy to find in ALL sizes… damn, I hate out weather.
You fuddy-duddy, B, we just call them rain boots. (And Lands End has GREAT ones. Our Target did last year too… E-mail me if you want me to send you a pair (if they have them this year again.)
Hah “wellies” is what I’m asking for next time!
Anna, the ones at Target only *barely* fit her. I was hoping to find a better pair. In the end, we didn’t find one that fit better, but it WAS cheaper. Thanks for the offer!
I’ve never heard of the term, “Rain boots” and always called them galoshes myself! I’ve never bought a single pair for my kids. We just wear easy-to-dry flip flops when we puddle jump 😛
Every time I buy them something after the fact they don’t need them again until they don’t fit anymore. Hmmph.
LOL @ water boots.
We’ve found them at Target in the garden section…not the rain section but you know, for gardening. My kids wear them year-round. And we call them rain boots 😉
While I don’t use the term “galoshes” as much as just “rainboots” or wellies, I know exactly what you mean! Our stores here sell so many types of rainboots for both adults and kids. You can get them at Marshall’s and Target and all sorts of places. When i was a kid I remember I had these rain boots that went over my shoes. They went higher than my ankles, but below my knees. They closed with two separate elastics that hooked around buttons. I’m not sure if they even make them anymore, but that is what I always think of when I hear “galoshes”. And hey, if you’d like to come visit us (here in the cold), we’re expecting much rain so M can get much use out of her new rain wear.
Amazon, dude!
OMG. I was looking for the same thing for my 9 year old son. This blog made me go on a crazy google search and check it out–the old time galoshes exist!
http://www.gemplers.com/product/G86020/Onguard-PVC-Overboots-10
And they’re relatively cheap.
Wait, I posted the link to the single boot. Here’s the better one.
http://www.gemplers.com/category.aspx?cat=overboots&s_kwcid=over%20boots%7C971788465
Galoshes and Wellies (short for Wellington Boots) are in fact traditionally ‘British’ words, however, I have a big bug to bear over these mixed up terms.
Traditionally, wellies are the rain boots, sometimes called gum-boots that you would wear in the rain, or snow or other inclement weather, however, galoshes are a much older invention and pre-date wellies. Galoshes were like little plastic raincoats that you could put over your regular shoes when it rained in order to keep them dry and protect the leather.
I have hunted high and low for proper galoshes for my children as I think carrying little plastic overshoes in their school bags would be much kinder than lugging great, ginormous wellies with them. It rains here at the drop of a hat and walking to and fro from school in the winter can be a drenching affair. How I wish we could buy proper galoshes.
Every google search only yields results of sites that advertise galoshes but are actually selling wellingtons.
Ho-hum.
But I hope that clears it up
Mimi