Long gone are the days of throwing on a pair of flip flops and running out the door. Leaving the house in the winter takes a bit more preparation, and if you aren't careful, your kids may walk out the door looking a bit, shall we say, homeless. My own children are absolutely famous for leaving the house in 30 degree weather wearing a sleeveless shirt, a tutu and flowery sandals. When they are called on it, the protestations of "But this is what I want to wear - and I'm not cold!" seem to fill my ears forever.
How to get the kids to dress appropriately for the weather is a constant discussion in my house - and I'd venture to say, in yours as well. Short of holding them down and forcing the correct weather apparel on their bodies, how do you do it?
- Make it fun - there's a reason that there is a proliferation of character gear available - kids are more apt to wear a Hello, Kitty hat than a plain black hone - so take advantage of it. Maybe your boy loves MInecraft; there are a ton of Minecraft winter apparel opportunities. Maybe your daughter goes gaga for Barbie - buy some Barbie gloves and watch her refuse to take them off.
- Make some of it non negotiable - In our house, a hat is an absolute after a certain temperature drop, and because my children are asthmatics, scarves are also required (on the recommendation of their allergist). I allow more wiggle room on gloves. Pick what your battle area is and let the rest go. For my own mom, we always had to have a coat that covered our bottoms.
- Let them pick out their gear - Especially as your child gets a bit older, giving her a bit of money and some guidelines to buy winter gear may work in your favor. It's less work for you, she gets to feel like a big shot, and the odds are better that she will wear it.
- Model good behavior - Um, how good are you at wearing your winter hat? Kids aren't dummies, and no matter how important you say it is to wear a hat - if you don't do so, you don't have much credibility.
How do you get your kids to dress appropriately for the winter weather?
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My dd doesn't give me a hard time. She likes to be warm.
They dress in what I give them as they are still young, but my youngest has not been wanting to put on his mittens and hat lately. Little struggle there LOL
right now she wants to wear it so i don't have an issue yet
Pajama Styles
- Carmen S
on Dec. 24, 2012 at 7:35 AM