No Hat, No Mittens...Sorry But You Are Going Outside

[daycarediva]

I think this is an issue for many (NOT just Canadians) and it should absolutely be addressed.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also recommends that 'to keep your baby the safest, always remove bulky clothing or blankets before you place the child in the seat. Then, put the blanket or coat over the baby. You should never place anything thick underneath the baby, unless that item came with the car seat originally — which tells you it's been tested by the manufacturer. When a child is wearing a thick coat, it's hard to tell if you have a good harness fit, which is crucial. A coat can add a lot of slack, reducing the level of protection for your child in a crash.' (http://pediatrics.about.com/od/carse...wintercoat.htm)

Here is a fantastic link (with photos) showing how to properly secure your child in their seat with a winter coat on. http://www.car-seat.org/showthread.php?t=29772

Country Mom- I am a HUGE car seat safety advocate. I advise all of my parents of this. How I always solved this is- walk kiddo to car, take off coat, strap in seat, put coat on in reverse over straps (like a blanket with sleeves!) it works GREAT and helps keep them warm AND we get to keep our coats warm for when they get out of the car. I have 1/2 my dcp's using this technique now.

[Lilbutterflie]

I just gave up on parents dressing their kids warmly for the winter.

I keep a small backup stock of hats, gloves, and warm jackets for those parents who forget or dress them in light jackets only. I remove the borrowed clothing from the kids before they leave- they are not allowed to leave with my stuff on! It was actually no extra expense for me since I just saved some of my kids' stuff that they outgrew. I am so glad I do it this way- it takes all of my stress away about the issue!!

[BumbleBee]

I'm with you! We're from Florida. When it's cold or raining Floridians in general just stay inside. We can always wait a few hours for nicer weather to play outdoors. My daughter (born here) runs back inside for a fleece hoodie if it drops below 70* (literally - she was tired of "winter" after we had two mornings in the upper 60's :. It's made it really hard to dress her this month because it's been cold in the mornings (50-60*) but warm in the afternoons (70-80*) so I've had to try to make outfits with layers that can easily be removed and even so my provider and I have been trading clothes back and forth so she can change mid-day.

Sadly enough, I seriously had to ask my mom what scarves were really for. I didn't realize up north they wrapped them around their necks and faces. I could not figure out how a dangling strip of fabric kept anybody warm! I'm still not quite sure what rainboots are for. For the longest time I thought maybe people put them on to walk across parking lots...seemed like too much effort to me when you could just walk around the puddles.

Lol I have family in FL & when my son was a few weeks old (he was an October baby) my FL family called to let me know that they had sent a box of clothes for him. They also told me a big poofy thing was in there & that it looked warm but they didn't know what it was called. When the box arrived I saw the "big poofy thing" & had to call & let them know it was called a snowsuit.

[Sunshine74]

I just had to write a note to remind our parents (preschoolers) that we will still be going outside every day so they need to leave a hat and a pair of gloves at day care. I can't wait till it snows. We had very little snow last year which is extremely unusual. I am in western New York, about 15 mins from Canada.

[countrymom]

I just had to write a note to remind our parents (preschoolers) that we will still be going outside every day so they need to leave a hat and a pair of gloves at day care. I can't wait till it snows. We had very little snow last year which is extremely unusual. I am in western New York, about 15 mins from Canada.

do you mean buffalo new york. A couple of years ago, we went to naigra falls and crossed over to new york (buffalo) and i have the kids standing under the sign that says welcome to new york. My kids told me that, that wasn't the real new york ::