Gearhead: Buntings for the adventurous baby

Bunting - one-piece snowsuits for infants - make it easy to bundle up your bundle of joy on an upcoming winter skiing getaway. A few major outdoor sportswear companies offer buntings in a variety of colors, styles and designs. Here's a look at a few:

Columbia Sportswear offers a dozen different bunting styles. The popular Snuggly Bunny - with 60 percent duck down / 40 percent feather insulation, a microfleece lining and fold-over hands and feet - is geared to cold environments. It comes in five colors, with sizes ranging from birth to 24 months. $65. The Foxy Baby II Fleece sports fox ears on the hood and paws at the feet. It's made of 100 percent polyester microfleece, comes in half a dozen colors and fits babies aged 3 to 24 months. $40. columbia.com.

Among Patagonia's snuggly offerings is the Baby Reversible Puff-Ball Bunting, with a wind-resistant outer shell and insulated with 100 percent polyester. Spandex at the hood, sleeves and legs keep the chill out, and fold-over covers protect hands and feet. Perhaps the best thing is that the garment is reversible, going from a handsome solid-color to a lively design. Comes in four colors, and each has a different reversible design. Sizes range from birth to 24 months. $99. patagonia.com.

L.L. Bean's Infants' Ultralight 650 Down Bunting is made for serious winter weather. The ripstop nylon outer shell is water resistant, the garment is filled with 650 DownTek, and it offers rollover mittens and feet. It comes in two colors and fits infants from birth to 18 months. $79. llbean.com.

Note: As of publication, Columbia and Patagonia are selling last year's buntings online at discounted prices. Stores in Sonoma County that carry Columbia products include Dick's Sporting Goods (Petaluma) and McCaulou's (Sonoma).