Dressing Children for Travel in the Winter

Getting small children to dress how you want can be a big challenge, but add in layers upon layers and uncomfortable clothes and the struggle can take a jump.

Even though the struggle to get kids dressed appropriately is a massive one, it is also painfully necessary when you get ready to go out in the cold for travel or otherwise.

Acting as the parent of the child, you know best what kinds of clothing they need to stay warm in different temperatures, as well as what kind of outing you can expect. Different variables to consider include where you are located and where you are traveling. If you are going south, depending upon the distance you are traveling, you can probably get away without packing too much in the way of winter clothes.

Childrens’ age and cold tolerance is also worth considering. If a kid is old enough to know better and still dresses inappropriately, there might not be too much you as a parent can do to make kids dress the way they should, especially if they are getting into their teen years.

When talking about especially young children, though, there is no reason you cannot dress them to be appropriate for the weather. Infants and toddlers do not have a lot of their own body energy and can succumb to hypothermia especially easily. According to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital of Michigan, kids can fall prey to hypothermia and frostbite. Frostbite is the freezing of skin and tissue directly below the skin. Frostbite impacts skin directly exposed to the cold air, and, as a result, can impact fingers, cheeks, chins, necks and faces of children.

Hypothermia begins when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it. Infants expressing symptoms of hypothermia will appear red, splotchy and low energy. Children experiencing hypothermia can experience shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness. If you suspect someone you know is experiencing hypothermia, it is imperative you take their temperature. If they register anything less than 95 degrees, they should be taken to the hospital, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital of Michigan said.

Dressing your children in multiple heavy layers, covering their face with a scarf and making them wear a hat can go a long way toward preventing these maladies.