Dressing my 5-year old for school in the snow (live in, bus)

[tailg8r22]

Greetings to my helpful Montana friends on this forum...

For those who I haven't spoken with: I live in California but my step daughter lives in Southwestern Montana. We are visiting during the week of Thanksgiving and will be taking her to school. There is a good chance of snow and temps will be low. I am clueless as to the best way to dress her for school. Does she need snow boots AND tennis shoes,etc. Any help is appreciated. She is in kindergarten.

[cedar_bluff_tree_farm]

It's been a while since I've been in kindergarten, but I'll try my best.

She will need:
1) Hat
2) Mittens (not gloves in my opinion)
3) Winter coat
4) Snowpants (only worn if she wants to sled or play in snow)
5) Snow boots (if she wants to play in snow)

I'm not sure if kindergarteners wear snow boots that pull over their shoes or not.....

I think the hat, mittens, and winter jacket are the most important.

[StilltheSame]

Here in MN - when there is snow the kids wear their classroom clothes, have a sweatshirt or long sleeve shirt for class and when outside at the bus stop or recess wear their snow boots and snow coveralls. In our school the kids can leave snow pants and sneakers at school and use them interchangeably. The school probably can assist in providing guidance in that respect. As for general dressing - layers. My kids have an undershirt, a short or long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt or sweater and their jacket - the weather is so unpredictable.

[Reziac]

Much as kids hate overshoes, they're probably the best solution for growing feet, being relatively cheap and durable. A little batting in the oversize space, and felt soles, will make them warm even with just plain shoes inside.

Roald Amundsen used ordinary overshoes for his Arctic and Antarctic expeditions -- he found plain shoes inside big overshoes stuffed with straw was the warmest thing for your feet.

[Fodderman]

Originally Posted by Reziac

he found plain shoes inside big overshoes stuffed with straw was the warmest thing for your feet.

As the old saying goes, "If your feet are cold, put on a hat!" Seriously. You lose so much heat from your head that keeping it covered will go a significant way to keeping your whole body warm.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by Fodderman

As the old saying goes, "If your feet are cold, put on a hat!" Seriously. You lose so much heat from your head that keeping it covered will go a significant way to keeping your whole body warm.

Yep -- lot of blood supply means a lot of body heat being carried through the head and scalp.

And long underwear covering the arms and legs makes a huge difference in keeping your hands and feet warm, due to the relatively large surface area of limbs compared to your torso -- lot of skin to lose heat through, but less core to retain it, and your blood is losing heat all the way to your fingers and toes.

The material used makes a difference too. Cotton is slightly warmer than wool when dry, but wool retains MOST of its insulation value even when soaking wet. Which is why cotton is not recommended for cold-weather insulation. If you're active and sweating, or if you get dunked in the creek, you can find yourself a lot more chilled afterward than you expected.

We had a presentation at GFHS one year that made this clear as day: the presenter had four cans of hot water with thermometers, and "dressed" the four cans in dry cotton, wet cotton, dry wool, and wet wool. At the end of this "winter safety" presentation (mainly how to recognise and avoid hypothermia), the temperatures were compared: The dry cotton kept the water a couple degrees warmer than the dry wool did, but the wet wool had only lost a few degrees, while the wet cotton had lost something like 20 degrees more.

And goes to show how educational the presentation was, since I remember it this well almost 40 years later!!

[Timberwolf232]

I'm getting visions of Ralphies younger brother in "A Christmas Story"...

[ElkHunter]

If the child already lives there, chances are they have the clothes needed. Just have to figure out what to put on, based on that days weather.

Don't overdress. Kids have a lot more energy then you do.

[Reziac]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

Don't overdress. Kids have a lot more energy then you do.

That's a good point. I can't remember ever being really cold as a kid -- not until I was in Junior High did I really notice the cold, and then only my feet and ears -- this was after overshoes went out of style but before lightweight warm boots, and those rubber snow boots we had in the late '60s just didn't cut it. Once I discovered woolley hats (I found one in the trash when I was in the 9th grade!), no more cold ears. I don't know why we didn't wear 'em in the '60s in MN and MT, but we didn't.

I still have that hat, and it's still my warmest hat!!

[Ghost of the Desert]

Originally Posted by timberwolf232

i'm getting visions of ralphies younger brother in "a christmas story"... :d

lol!


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