As autumn rains begin in Finland and waterproof overalls are pulled out from closets, why do they stir up such strong feelings? Researchers at the University of Oulu, Finland, reveal that mud pants represent much more than just protection from dirt and wetness.

What exactly are mud pants? In Finland, every preschooler owns a pair of mud pants — waterproof overalls that keep kids dry during outdoor play in the rain. They’re such an everyday sight in Finnish daycare centers that locals barely notice them — yet they spark strong feelings among teachers, parents, and kids alike.

Since the 1950s they have kept children dry, but children rarely like wearing them, and educators find them cumbersome.

University of Oulu researchers Virve Keränen and Susanna Kinnunen wanted to explore what role mud pants play in everyday preschool life, and what they reveal about early childhood education, childhood itself, and societal expectations. They investigate how mud pants have shaped Finnish childhood and what the daily dressing routines in preschools tell us about our values.

According to the researchers, children in mud pants symbolize a happy, clean, and healthy outdoor life. At the same time, the pants restrict children’s movement and cause discomfort, which complicates the idealized image of a happy childhood.

“Mud pants enable the ideal of a healthy outdoor life, but it is contradictory if they must be forced on children. They are not only difficult for children, but also for preschool staff and parents who struggle with them. Around a child in mud pants, there is the whole surrounding community,” says Virve Keränen.

The researchers highlight a paradox: how can a garment meant to support children’s wellbeing be so uncomfortable for many?

“Mud pants sparked our interest in examining how objects and rules dictated from positions of authority shape childhood: what kind of childhood these rules produce, on what grounds they are created, and whether children themselves have a chance to participate in shaping them.”

Mud pants play a bigger role than we might think

The research shows that preschools are full of material actors, like mud pants, that shape practices, rules, and routines. Children themselves often have little agency in relation to these. According to the researchers, mud pants are not merely practical rainwear – they also influence relationships between children and adults, daily schedules, and even the very image of what a “good childhood” looks like.

“Our aim is not to criticize mud pants, but to examine and shake up the practices and rules surrounding them,” says Susanna Kinnunen.

The researchers remind us that early childhood education is not only about curricula and pedagogical philosophies. Material things – zippers, hair ties, bows, mud pants, and puddles – also shape what childhood and preschool life become.

They do not provide a direct answer on whether mud pants should be abandoned. Instead, they encourage critical reflection on early education practices. “Mud pants can reveal a great deal about the expectations society places on children, and about the significant role even small objects play in everyday life.”

The research supports earlier childhood studies that highlight the importance of material relations in education, while adding a new perspective to the debate on children’s agency. Through materiality, children also carry with them the socioeconomic status of their parents.

The findings can be applied in preschools by reflecting on whose rules and norms are being followed, and whether children themselves can participate in shaping them. The results encourage considering material relations in preschool life from many angles, beyond conventional views and in dialogue with children.

The study is a neomaterialist discourse research analysis, drawing on the researchers’ memories and experiences as well as news articles, guidelines, and public discussions.

The research is published in Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education:
Virve Keränen & Susanna Kinnunen, 2025: Do I have to wear mud pants? Mud pants as material agent in Finnish preschool

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01596306.2025.2452398