4 replies to this topic

[Scottish Eilidh]

What is it with parents that don't dress their children properly for the cold winter months.

I have been walking Alison (7) to school all winter and she has been bundled up every day. She wears boots if its snowing and also a hat, scarf, gloves and a nice thick winter jacket which gets fastened up.

I have seen other kids, some younger than Alison, walking with just t-shirts and jumpers and kept saying to Alison "that poor kid must be freezing".

So, do you guys bundle up your kid(s) during winter?

[mouse]

Glad to see that your prior issue with your daughter not fastening up her coat is resolved. Maybe the other parents haven't figured a solution for their kids out yet.

[Saffy]

It depends but I live on the west coast so it's not really that cold. I did grow up in Winnipeg and I remember as a teenager we would leave the house in boots and then change into shoes a few doors down and hide our boots in someone's garage for the day. It was also cooler to have your jacket open rather than zipped up.
For me now if my daughter will let me I will bundle her up to go out and play or walk somewhere. By bundle I mean rain pants, winter or rain boots and a water resistant jacket that has a fleece lining. She generally won't agree to a hat or mitts. If she is resistant and it isn't too cold out I will sometimes let her go without a jacket and offer the jacket to her a few minutes later. If we are walking a short distance from the car to indoors sometimes I won't get her all bundled up to walk twenty feet and then have to manage her and her jacket and other things while we are inside. It's better to leave the jacket in the car. IDK, I tend to be a warm person and if I'm doing anything physical then I'm boiling. I see other people walking around in cool looking winter jackets and knee high boots and I know I would be sweltering in those clothes. I think everyone is different. There are probably only a few of those kids who's parents are neglectful. Most of them have probably given up trying to force their kids to bundle up.

[EverHopefull!]

My kid is a stubborn mule and this is one of those battles that I generally choose not to fight.  It's his body and he gets to be in charge of it.  If he makes a poor choice then he has to face the consequences, eg. a cold and uncomfortable walk to school.  It's also not worth it to me to spend 20 minutes fighting about it with him every morning.  I always pack all the clothes he needs so he doesn't have to freeze, but he makes the choice to put them on or not (within reason, if it's cold enough to do him damage I fight the fight, but I live on the west coast too, so it's rarely that cold). 

 

They learn fast.  He'll go out and be cold for about 10 minutes and then ask for his coat/hat/gloves.  Way easier than fighting over it.  And cold doesn't make you sick, germs make you sick, so a little cold won't hurt him! 

 

So yes, I let my kidlet out without a coat!

[Scottish Eilidh]

It was very blustery here this morning with high gale force winds so I layered Alison very warm, she had 3 layers, a school jumper with a fleece underneath that then over that was her thick winter jacket which was fully zipped up, same with her fleece.

I didn't care what other parents say or thought but I was just wanting my daughter fully bundled up which is understandable in that weather.