Talk to me about living in a very cold climate with kids

[BlueTaelon]

Where were moving it can get to -20F, I need to start budgeting for winter clothes now. The only thing I know for sure is both kids are getting down Baxter state parka's from LL bean which are rated down to -50F (I've had one since high school and LOVE it, I'm warm no matter how cold it gets).

 

So what do I need to be thinking about? It snows a lot, freezing cold wet winters and we will be on a farm so there will be mud to deal with when going to feed animals and such.

[Dory]

We hit -40 up here regularly in the winter and have hit -50 a couple times. Those coats that are rated for -50 keep us warm no problem. Mind you I don't let the kids go out to play past -30C. In the cold it's not the coats that are the biggest thing, it's the feet. If they have good boots, and good hats, than the legs and body will stay warm easier. Also, in the cold weather, check every once in awhile to make sure their socks are dry. Usually the feet get cold here because the feet will sweat if they step inside a store for awhile, or the house, or something like that, and then the feet will freeze when they go back out.

Good scarves or full face toques are a good idea too.

[AdventureMoms]

Good wool socks and boots! Easily as important as the coats.

[Seeker of Schole]

Also, in the cold weather, check every once in awhile to make sure their socks are dry. Usually the feet get cold here because the feet will sweat if they step inside a store for awhile, or the house, or something like that, and then the feet will freeze when they go back out.

Good scarves or full face toques are a good idea too.

 

:iagree:

 

Make sure the ears and fingers are well insulated to avoid frost bite. Full face toques will also protect their cheeks (the only place I've ever been frost bitten). Good, thermal, sweat wicking socks with warm, water-proof boots are a must. For dealing with the mud, maybe just the covers to go over the good boots.

[mom4him]

It can get -20 to -30 here. I try to make sure they have good boots, coat, gloves, snow pants. My kids live outside in the winter as they do in the summer. When it get to -5 I generally cut it off as we almost always have wind with our cold.

[BlueTaelon]

I've never bought boots, what should I be looking for?

[gardenmom5]

for boots - we, love, love, love, steger mukluks - they are VERY comfortable, warm (they outfit iditarod teams and arctic expeditions) and they're so durable you'll be handing them down to the next kid next year.

 

My girls had them at college in upstate NY - and wore them all four years and they still have lots of life.

[elfgivas]

We hit -40 up here regularly in the winter and have hit -50 a couple times. Those coats that are rated for -50 keep us warm no problem. Mind you I don't let the kids go out to play past -30C. In the cold it's not the coats that are the biggest thing, it's the feet. If they have good boots, and good hats, than the legs and body will stay warm easier. Also, in the cold weather, check every once in awhile to make sure their socks are dry. Usually the feet get cold here because the feet will sweat if they step inside a store for awhile, or the house, or something like that, and then the feet will freeze when they go back out.

Good scarves or full face toques are a good idea too.

 

:iagree: when our dsil moved to edmonton from san francisco, we also suggested expedition weight long underwear. we rarely wear them, but it helped him thru the first winter a lot. by spring, he posted on facebook that -7C (about 22F) in the Fall had been freezing, and now it was a nice almost-Spring day for a walk :001_smile:. we also double sock and double mitt our dc... but superwarm and waterproof winter boots are the thing. we've also found when we move that the place we are moving to carries the clothing that works best for their climate.

 

hth,

ann

[AdventureMoms]

Also consider a boot dryer if it is wet, especially if farm chores or play will bring the kids outside more than once a day in wet, cold weather. Wet boots will chill you fast.

 

I also second something with cheek coverage. It is also the only place I've ever been frostbitten.

[Dory]

I've never bought boots, what should I be looking for?

 

Best brands for small kids that I've found are Baffin and Sorel. Make sure you don't get anything that's made from a cheaper, stiff plastic type rubber as when they get cold, they get hard and slide on the ice and slush. The kid will be constantly falling.

 

This last year I bought my ds8 some Bogs from LLBean (the insulated rubber boots), they are rated to about -30 I think, he stayed warm in them just fine. Although for the really cold weather I was putting extra socks on him.

 

Get your winter boots a little bigger than you would other footwear to allow for more socks.

Edited July 25, 2012 by Dory

[kalanamak]

 

So what do I need to be thinking about? It snows a lot, freezing cold wet winters and we will be on a farm so there will be mud to deal with when going to feed animals and such.

 

If it is that cold, the mud will be frozen, and while rough to walk on, doesn't stick to the boots. I recall working with horses one very cold winter.

[SkateLeft]

We moved from California to Minnesota a few years ago, and went through that cold weather shift. We get a lot of snow, and a whole lot of cold. :D

 

Like you, the first thing I did was buy parkas for the lowest rated temps I could find. I also bought bib-style snow pants.

 

I discovered that the stores here carry all of this stuff for pretty good deals, so keep in mind that it might be best to wait. Also, we were offered a lot of hand-me-downs from friends whose kids had outgrown their winter stuff. Other families pass a lot of this stuff around since everyone has it and everyone else needs it.

 

I bought good quality waterproof snow boots from Lands End.

 

Probably our biggest cold weather clothing staple is polypropylene long underwear. It's warm and lasts forever. We wear it under everything during the winter. Originally, we were buying it at Cabela's and REI, but then discovered that Target here carries it much cheaper. We have a whole bin full. My kids are speedskaters, so they wear it under their skin-suits as well.

 

Generally, as long as I have long underwear bottoms on under my pants when it gets really, really cold (well below zero), then I'm fine.

 

Mittens are warmer than gloves, and we use glove liners too. Everyone has balaclavas for the "nose-hair freezing" days. We use those rather than scarves. Between that and a fleece hat, we're pretty good.

 

If it's that cold, you probably won't be dealing much with mud until the spring. In really cold climates, the snow isn't wet. It's more.... fluffy. We do get carpet stains from the chemicals in melting ice that ends up on our boots, so everyone comes in the garage door and takes everything off on the tile downstairs. We have a drying rack near the door and a plastic crate to keep everything in one spot.

 

Since we hadn't lived in a cold weather climate before, the biggest challenge was getting my kids used to gearing up to go out and making sure they kept everything organized so we weren't looking for hats and gloves and boots every time we left the house. My son's special ed preschool sent home a little chart for him to put on the wall that showed the steps to getting ready to go out. For a while, all of my kids had to use it. :D

[Caitilin]

Waterproof, well insulated, sealed seams, low temp ratings. I have some LLbean boots, as does dh, and while not stylin', they are warm.

[redsquirrel]

I grew up in cold like that. I can't say that I miss it. What I remember is bread bags over the socks and in the boots. That was how we kept our feet dry for school. We ALL had bread bags in our boots. It sound so weird now. I guess that was before the days of goretex.

 

And I love me some long johns. I remember there was a local singer (sang in coffee houses and stuff) and he had a song called "North Country Woman" I can only remember one line: She's a north country woman, she keeps her long johns on til June...

 

Oh gosh, it's a way of life. You'll figure it out! :001_smile: and people always pass on coats and stuff. Oh, and buy extra mittens for friends etc. That I also remember as a kid. Friend's moms always seemed to have lots of extra mittens and hats for when you (of course) lost yours at their house while out skating or whatever.

 

Gosh, I miss coming home after school and going out back to ice skate for hours with my friends. Now, even when I go home during the winter the lake doesn't freeze. My kids think I am lying about how cold it got up there.

[LostSurprise]

There's quite a large difference between -30...occasionally, at night, with wind from the Arctic, during bad storms, etc...then there is of normal daytime winter weather in cold climates. I'm not sure where you're moving but most places in the far northern US/southern Canada are not that cold generally, and when they are that cold we're almost always at home. Forays into that cold depend more on under-layers (long underwear, multiple layers, gloves under mittens) then parkas (which might make a playing child sweaty in normal cold weather).

 

I've never owned a parka. We do always choose quality coats (with button or zips up to the chin, wool or well padded, large enough to layer underneath if necessary). Hats are a necessity (that may have to enforced at first). Good, super thick gloves (multiple pairs per season) and sound tall boots are vital. Snow pants should have reinforced knees and bibs.

 

On super cold days I walk the dog in my extra long coat, my MUCK boots, long underwear, thick wool mittens, a scarf (it has to be very, very cold to wear this), and large hat pulled far down over my ears. :001_smile: