Keeping your baby warm in winter is easy when you wrap yourselves up inside a baby carrier and a double coat. When your child is starting to walk and ready to test out independence, though, you will need to make some changes. How will you keep your toddler warm without stifling that desire to explore on their own?
Dress your toddler for winter success.
1. Connect mittens to coats. My mother just knitted a long string between my two mittens, but we have quicker solutions now. Mitten clips make it easy to keep track of toddlers’ mittens.
2. Choose two-piece snowsuits to make diaper changes easier. A toddler has places to go and less patience for a diaper change. Set the stage for the quickest change possible.
3. Cover your toddler’s legs. Tights can cover your baby’s legs, but they also add time to diaper changes. Baby Legs stockings don’t go up as far as the diaper, so add warmth without adding time to pit stops.
4. Make sure beginning walkers have good traction on their footwear whether indoor shoes or heavier, outdoor boots.
5. Have a handkerchief ready to wipe noses. Toddlers don’t seem to care so much if their noses run, and, left unwiped, this can lead to freezing, chappy patches on the face. Worse, they will lick at the running nose and add chappy lips to the mix. Chase, wipe, repeat.
6. Put a sunscreen stick in your pocket to cover exposed nose, ears, or backs of hands. A sunscreen stick is quick and very easy to apply. While you have your hand in your pocket, reapply lip balm and wipe noses.
7. Keep a change of socks in the diaper bag. After sledding or playing in the snow, your toddler may have cold, wet feet. A nice, dry pair of socks can go a long way toward comforting a cold child.
Image © Daniel Dupuis | Dreamstime.com
Re: point no. 1. The long mittens are fabulous – especially if you find some that will open all the way down to the wrist so you can get the thumb aligned.
The clip-on mitten tip is a great one. I can’t tell you how many mittens and gloves we lost when my son was younger. We’ve still got a box of single gloves somewhere in the basement 🙂