Winter is coming. Getting winter gear ready for daycare
It might still be October, but the winter winds and snow will be here soon. It’s time to make sure the kids have their outdoor gear ready. Children need to go outside as often as weather permits, even during winter. In fact, at daycare, children from age one on up will go outside daily, weather permitting. Having a coat, snow pants, boots, hat and mittens that fit and don’t restrict too much movement can be difficult to find for young children. That’s why looking for them sooner rather than later is so important. So, when you do go out to get winter gear keep these things in mind.
Many parents think that getting gear that is a little too big will allow their child to grow into it during the season. Good thought, but not always the best. If the clothing is too big, then it will restrict a child’s ability to play making outside time more of a burden than fun.
Coats should fit well with the sleeves coming down just below their wrist. Too short and snow will get in behind the sleeve and the mitten, too long and hands/mittens can get lost in the sleeve. If the coat has a hood even better because it can always be pulled up over the hat to help keep warm.
Snowpants vs Snowsuits. Snowpants/bibs have adjustable straps that can be lengthened as a child grows. Some snowpants have side straps that also can adjust. Snowsuits are one piece and are great at keeping kids dry and warm. Both work depending on what you want. Personally, I like snowpants and a coat because they are two pieces and snowpants length can be adjusted. Snow suits cannot do that. Being only one piece there is not much wiggle room for when a child grows and can become too tight before the season ends. Snow suits are great if the child spends a lot of time outside in the cold and snow but a coat and snowpants work best for day care.
Boots are tricky. It can be difficult to find smaller sized boots and if your child has small feet, it is even worse. Boots should be warm and should be tall enough to fit under the snow pant leg. They also should be flexible enough for your child to comfortably walk. Well, as comfortable as boots can be. The best thing to do is to take your child shopping and have them walk around in the boots. Watch how they walk and run to determine if they fit well. Boots a little bit too big, maybe a half size, can work but boots that are too big will come off in the snow. There is nothing worse than a child whose boot has fallen off, and their foot is covered in snow.
On to hats. Hats that have ear flaps and attach tightly under the chin are best for staying on your child’s head and keeping their ears warm. Beyond that bit of advice, a hat is a hat.
Mittens, oh mittens. Most mittens are not made for very small hands and are a pain to keep on and there is always debate between small knit mittens and waterproof mittens. Knit mittens are fine if it is just cold but when it gets snowy the mittens get wet and no longer keep their hands warm. Waterproof mittens keep kids’ hands dry and warm but kids have a hard time picking anything up so they like to take them off, then cry because they have cold hands. Head brand mitten has proven to work well. They are smaller and easy to put on. They are slightly waterproof but are not as warm as the thicker mittens. They also do not have a high cuff that tucks into the coat sleeve so snow can get into the mitten from the wrist. Regardless of what type of mitten you can find, have your child try them on at home to see how they work.
The last bit of advice before winter is to have your child try on all their winter gear at home before bringing it to day care. Let them walk around and play so they know what it feels like and you know how it fits. When the snow flies and teachers have a class full of kids getting ready to go outside if the children don’t know what items are theirs, have never tried things on and they don’t like how things fit it makes for a difficult transition. And always, ALWAYS, put your child’s name in everything!
Thanks for reading.
Nora
