What temperature does have to be for you to let your kids play outside in the winter?

[rafiki]

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[OHGrandma]

Chores need to be done even in sub zero weather. But playing outside loses its appeal below 15 degrees.

[Melinda in VT]

Chores need to be done even in sub zero weather. But playing outside loses its appeal below 15 degrees.

 

This sounds about right. It's 21 degrees here, and my son's preschool class was playing outside this morning.

[WishboneDawn]

Probably 10 (I had to look at my thermometer and convert to F for you. :)) but it would really depend more on them simply bundling up properly then on the outside temperature.

[LauraGB]

I have a 20 degree standing temp rule. There or above, they can decide when they are too cold and come back inside. 0-20, its 20 min max. Below zero (or when snot freezes :lol:) is a no-go.

 

I have no rhyme or reason for this reason, its just how we do it.

[In The Great White North]

About -10 F. No one really wanted to go out below that.

 

We did buy facemasks for skiing that came out when it got really cold, added layers and wore lots of wool. The important thing is to make sure everything is dry. The only kids I knew who got frostbite, got it on the bottom of their feet because their boots were wet.

[Amira]

I've rarely dealt with temps below 0 F, but I'd send my kids, properly dressed, outside in anything that wasn't a negative number. They come in if they get cold, and that usually takes a while because they're not holding still if they're playing outside.

[Tracy in Ky]

Mine went skiing yesterday in 13 degree weather. Farm chores have to be done no matter what, but for playing outside at home, I suspect single digits would be pushing it--I'd probably want them inside. But for the most part, I generally let them decide! ha.

[Jayne J]

I let mine go out in anything above 20, properly dressed, and for a much shorter time. 32ish and up and they can stay out til they are ready to come in (or frostbite looks immanent).

[forty-two]

The area ps have recess if it is above 20 degrees F. Honestly, I hadn't thought about it - the colder it is, the more layers I add, but that's about it. This morning I let dd3 go outside for 15-20 min while dh shovelled the driveway and brushed off his car, and it was probably around 10 deg F. She's pretty good about asking to come in when she is cold, though.

[Punks in Ontario]

I don't expect them to go out for anything unnecessary below -15C (5F). Below -10C (15F) I don't expect them to be out for more than a few minutes. Temperatures vary depending on the wind, so if it's windy, it could be warmer

[nevergiveup]

My kids are older but they go out and play or work in all temperatures. Last year my son rebuilt his brakes in the unheated garage when it was 20 degrees. They took the dogs for a walk a couple of days ago and it was 2 degrees. They are always a lot warmer than I am!

[KJB]

In Fairbanks, AK the kids go outside for recess unless it's colder than 20 below. If they didn't, they wouldn't go outside for weeks at a time.

 

If you're dressed for the weather, and you're playing hard, you usually keep pretty warm to around -20, even though I never would have believed that before I lived in AK.

 

Also, wind has a huge impact on comfort. If it's windy, it can feel a lot colder than the temp on the thermometer.

 

Generally, I let my kids decide. If they want to go out, I let them. They come in when they're cold.

[MamaT]

I don't have a hard and fast rule, but my kids rarely go outside just to play if it is colder than 15 or so.

[Parrothead]

If it is too cold for me to be outside without snow/ski pants then it is too cold for dd to be rolling around in it with her's on. I've never really checked the thermometer.

[Ottakee]

26 is actually quite balmy.

 

Last year we were out horseback riding and I thought it was a bit cold. We got in the car and it said windchill of 11 BELOW. OK, that was a bit cold.

 

I would say if the windchills are above zero, they are FINE. Below that, make sure they are well bundled and check on them every once in a while.

 

We do chores as well as we are out in the weather no matter what it is 3-4 times a day.

[abreakfromlife]

if the windchill is below 0 I won't let them out, but that's not too terribly common here. People way farther north than I am have to go out in much colder weather. I can't imagine limiting it to 20 degrees - they would rarely get to go outside, LOL. If they're bundled up, they're fine. They come in when they're cold.

[LibraryLover]

The wind chill factor can make or break playing outside here. It can be 10 degrees, but as long as the wind is still they are fine outside. My car registered 24 degrees. The kids went sledding for a couple of hours and were fine. No big winds.

[Miss Peregrine]

The lowest it gets here is the '20s.

If they want to go out I leave it up to them to decide when they are too cold.

[WishboneDawn]

26 is actually quite balmy.

 

I was thinking this. 26 in the middle of winter is one of those days you go grab the newspaper in your jeans and t-shirt and think, "What a warm day!" :D

[LibraryLover]

LOL Have you been reading my FB? I said the exact same thing the other day. Once the wind stops, 26 is balmy. :001_smile:

 

 

26 is actually quite balmy.

 

Last year we were out horseback riding and I thought it was a bit cold. We got in the car and it said windchill of 11 BELOW. OK, that was a bit cold.

 

I would say if the windchills are above zero, they are FINE. Below that, make sure they are well bundled and check on them every once in a while.

 

We do chores as well as we are out in the weather no matter what it is 3-4 times a day.

[prairie rose]

We just moved to a place where the highs in winter often don't get above 20. We simply don't have enough winter gear yet. They have nice coats but no boots or snow pants. My rule is 26 degrees until we have more/better winter gear. Once they have all the right gear, I think anything above 10 will be fine.

[Tea 4 Three]

Here it is all about the wind chill. Right now it is -45 F when you factor that in. With ski masks, I will let mine be outside when it is 0 and if there is very little wind.

[Joanne]

Properly outfitted, I encourage and let my kids play outside all times of the year, regardless of temp.

 

I haven't lived in cold as a parent, but I don't remember my parents ever restricting me from going outside growing up in the NE.

 

I have lived in Houston and near Phoenix and I believe kids need to play outside in the hot also.

 

Edited to add: I am a "go outside and play" mom.

[LMA]

My kids are so anxious to get out in the snow, but it's been so cold. The wear LE snow boots, snow pants, jackets, and a hat. However, what is your rule of thumb when it comes to temperature and how long they can stay out? Today we have 26 degree windchill and it's the warmest it's been in awhile.

 

Alrighty, they are preparing to go out as I type and thank you all. I do not handle cold well and am sitting inside with purple finger nails. My boys are 9, 8, and 6 and have never come inside on their own will, which I why I asked how others handle this.

 

My children go out every day and they stay out until they are too cold. Even in wind chill below 0, they will run outside for 30 minutes. Today is very warm - 36 degrees - and they are outside in just sweatshirts and gloves. I usually make hot chocolate or hot soup for them to drink outside and they stay outside even longer. We live in Massachusetts, BTW.

[Tammyla]

If that's a 26 degree positive, we'd be out celebrating:party:. Now -26' here is hard to handle, but we go out in temperatures well below 0 if the wind isn't howling. Like others mentioned, we'd be indoors for days and weeks on end if we didn't.

 

Today we've all been out shoveling and snow-blowing the drive and side walks; our temperature is 14' and the windchill is 2'. I'm so happy to have a positive temp above zero.

 

Enjoy, or at least grin and bear it for the kids. My ds gets wacky when he can't go out, I feel your pain.

 

My kids are so anxious to get out in the snow, but it's been so cold. The wear LE snow boots, snow pants, jackets, and a hat. However, what is your rule of thumb when it comes to temperature and how long they can stay out? Today we have 26 degree windchill and it's the warmest it's been in awhile.

 

Alrighty, they are preparing to go out as I type and thank you all. I do not handle cold well and am sitting inside with purple finger nails. My boys are 9, 8, and 6 and have never come inside on their own will, which I why I asked how others handle this.

[chanda7]

We rarely go outside for very long if it is under 60 degrees *runs and hides*

 

In all seriousness, my oldest doesn't have a cm of body fat on her and cannot tolerate cold weather for very long, even with layers.

 

I'm such a bad mom...

[Jen in PA]

I have a 20 degree standing temp rule. There or above, they can decide when they are too cold and come back inside. 0-20, its 20 min max. Below zero (or when snot freezes :lol:) is a no-go.

 

I have no rhyme or reason for this reason, its just how we do it.

 

:iagree: This is pretty much what I do. If it's in the high teens with sun and no wind, I'm also pretty lenient. As long as it is at least 20 degrees, they tend to stay out for a couple of hours at a time with no problem -- it was 21 when I sent them out today.

[Cera]

When we are home they go out if it is above 0 (and above -10 with the wind chill). As long as they are dressed properly I don't think it is an issue but we have invested in quite a bit of specialty outdoor clothing to keep them warm.

[Audrey]

Chores need to be done even in sub zero weather. But playing outside loses its appeal below 15 degrees.

 

Yup. I'll let ds play outside at -15°C but if it pushes any closer to -20°C, then I would prefer he didn't. Usually he's been out for chores and isn't interested in playing outside if it's too cold anyway.

 

I'm not too much of a weiner about the cold anymore. If I didn't let ds outside in the cold, he'd be cooped up for months on end. All this week, for example, we've had -30°C regularly. Ds isn't playing out in that, but we have all been out for chores.

[Meriwether]

Yesterday when I called my husband at work he asked me if I had sent our kids (6, 5, and 3) outside yet. He said it was pretty warm - at 10 degrees and snow coming down. Tomorrow it will be around -40 with the wind chill. Today it is blizzard like conditions so I'm not sending them out.

 

When I went to school in Michigan, we had mandatory recess unless the temp was -10 or below. Parents were told not to send their kids to school if they were too sick for recess.

 

I don't have a hard and fast rule for outside play. I won't let them go out tomorrow. Generally if it is too cold, they don't stay out long. A lot of what is considered normal depends on where you live. A friend of mine from Alaska moved to Kansas in the wintertime. He wore tank tops when it was 50 degrees outside. By the next winter he was more acclimated to Kansas and wore coats when everyone else did. The rule when I was a kid in Michigan was you couldn't wear shorts until it hit 60 degrees.

[elise1mds]

We simply don't have enough winter gear yet. They have nice coats but no boots or snow pants.

 

That's my limiting factor. Anything below freezing here and the kids just can't go out because we don't NEED snow pants/snowsuits/boots very often, and as quickly as my kids grow, there's no sense in buying all the gear every year if it may not be needed. We have gloves, scarves, and coats, but that's about it. Right now it's 16 degrees outside with a windchill ranging between 0 and 5, and it's bitter. Okies aren't used to this kind of weather! :001_smile:

[joannqn]

Wow! I guess we aren't used to cold weather.

 

If there is snow to play in outside, we'll go out a play for a while...maybe half an hour at a time. If it is just our normal, wet weather, we don't play outside because none of us likes to be wet. If it is our normal, dry weather, we'll go to the park when it hits 60 degrees. We went to an outdoor living history of Bethlehem/Christ's birth in below freezing (20s I think) windy weather wearing 3-4 layers each and I was freaking out in worry for my infant being in the cold.

 

Of course, we don't have proper clothing either...just a basic coat and thin knit gloves/hats for each person.

[mama2cntrykids]

Honestly, I don't think about it. When they get too cold, they come in. Which is usually after 10-30 min unless we're somewhere sledding or snowmobiling. Then, they would rather be human popsicles than come in!

[Peek a Boo]

About -10 F. No one really wanted to go out below that.

 

We did buy facemasks for skiing that came out when it got really cold, added layers and wore lots of wool. The important thing is to make sure everything is dry. The only kids I knew who got frostbite, got it on the bottom of their feet because their boots were wet.

 

:iagree:

 

I took my [then 3] younger dc [under 10yo] to the Syracuse Zoo w/ a friend once when it was below 0. we bundled well, divided our time into outdoor/indoor segments [they have a large indoor component to their zoo], and had a blast watching the Tigers up close to the observation window.

 

 

granted, i still much prefer 100 to zero, lol!

[Mabeline]

:iagree: I don't like to be outside for very long if it is under 50 degrees. I guess I am just wimpy in cold weather. My excuse is that I grew up in CA.:D

[Audrey]

 

 

granted, i still much prefer 100 to zero, lol!

 

 

No. As harsh as our winters can be, I wouldn't trade them for 100°F or higher summers. You couldn't pay me enough. :lol:

[Ritsumei]

I don't take the Monkey outside when it gets nasty - around here that starts around 0F, and I definitely keep an eye on those windchills! I'd hoped to find some affordable snowpants for ME this year, but so far, I'm still looking. Monkey would get outside much more often if I didn't have to be cold to take him, but there you go. We don't have farm chores, so when it's too cold - or Monkey's got his sniffles & coughs again (I simply can't keep the child healthy!) we play in the basement or go to the "mall park" - a playground the food court has, and he gets some activity. It's not enough, but I'm NOT taking a sick child out in the cold. He's still too little to go outside by himself. The way we keep hearing more and more sirens around the neighborhood, I'm thinking he may never be "big enough" to go! Hopefully the move we've been working on will happen soon and we can find a nicer place to live. Hopefully I'll be able to get the right gear soon, and we can spend some more time outside. We both miss it. And it looks like he's going to finally be over his cold, so we could think more seriously about it more often.

[Peek a Boo]

No. As harsh as our winters can be, I wouldn't trade them for 100°F or higher summers. You couldn't pay me enough. :lol:

 

hee hee.... that's ok.

It's probably best that we prefer different environments....;)

[Spy Car]

When it drops much below 70 I start to think about putting the little man in something other than shorts and a T-shirt :D

 

But we're in the mid-70's, so no worries.

 

Bill

[Peek a Boo]

...the little man .....

 

((that's not a euphemism, is it??))

 

 

:tongue_smilie::lol:

 

:: still got That Other Thread on the brain.....::

[Spy Car]

((that's not a euphemism, is it??))

 

 

:tongue_smilie::lol:

 

:: still got That Other Thread on the brain.....::

 

You're on to me :lol::lol::lol:

 

Kidding :tongue_smilie:

 

Disclaimer inserted for the benefit of the humorless

 

Bill

[LittleIzumi]

My kids were out playing happily in 25 degree weather this week. Heck, dd2 was in just a jacket for one of their play sessions (but she's crazy like that and didn't mind a bit. She'd go outside nekkid if I let her :001_huh:).