Imagine the rolling waves of the beach, the crisp smell of salt water, and the gusty breeze as you spend time at the beach. Now imagine it in the winter time. Maybe your first reaction to visiting the beach in the winter time is to recoil in discomfort and disgust?
But what if I told you that cold weather beach going can be just as fun, and definitely educational?! What if I explained our process to layer clothes properly and effectively to stay warm for hours during the winter months?
We are currently creeping into late fall as I sit down to jot down these ideas, but I fully plan on continuing to go to New England beaches throughout the winter as our kids are learning about Oceans in homeschool. As we dive deeper into the ocean unit, we will stay on these topics until the kids lose interest. So being prepared for cold weather is vital when planning winter trips to the water or for checking out tide pools or hiking along a coastline.
What you need for efficient layering of clothes to play outside in any weather
Everyone can layer their clothes.
And anyone can stay warm by layering with things they already have and without rushing to a local store or buying the latest and greatest cold weather gear online.
Back in December of ’17, our family went on a small trip to NYC from Boston. We had it planned for months. It happened to be a record-setting cold snap that even though we brought a gazillion layers with us, we grabbed more at a thrift store after our first night to ensure that no one was miserable for the rest of the trip. So when I say you don’t need anything fancy, I do mean it. But also, thrift shops can sometimes be a treasure trove of great items you can’t snag anywhere else.
Then a year later, we happened to be traveling during an arctic blast. Apparently we are terrible at choosing when to visit fun destinations. But that time we were prepared, we just didn’t have space for bulky clothes. So again, you can do this method even without a huge parka!
Here are some basic guidelines on staying warm outside in really frigid temperatures.
- Start with a base layer. This should include something relatively form-fitting and comfortable next to your skin. They make things that are literally called “base layers” but a pair of tights, a snug shirt, and a nice pair of socks can constitute your first layer of warmth.
- Add a thick, but not tight, layer of warmth. For us, this would be a regular long-sleeved shirt, comfortable pants {that should still easily fit with your base layer}, and a pair of wool socks. We sometimes only do one pair of thick wool socks. It depends on the conditions as to whether we have a thin pair of cotton under the wool.
- Add a vest, coat, and if necessary a pair of snow bibs or snow pants.
- {Optional Waterproof Layer} For kids, I typically add something on the very top of everything but before gloves, shoes, and hat that is waterproof, mud-proof, and otherwise peel-off-able for the yuckiest, dirtiest, and wettest environments. Most of the time this is a Muddy Buddy {see gear below for more} and we use them even in warmer weather as just an outer shell that can be stripped before getting into a van or coming up the stairs of our home.
- Final touches include a hat and/or ear protection, gloves, and warm shoes. Grab a big, bulky scarf too if it’s really cold. This can be wrapped several time and even go around the head for added warmth if needed.
The best gear for kids to play in the snow and freezing temperatures
While, yes, you can indeed layer up into a big bundle of body warmth without buying any special winter gear, I do still have some recommendations and suggestions for our very favorite winter clothing that we have purchased for our 4 children.
Everything I suggest is something we have used for two of more of our children and in Boston winters.
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Children’s Winter Base Layers and Under layers:
- Thermal underwear is a nice base layer as it can also be used as pajamas.
- We have several sets of 32 Degrees base layers that the kids use. The added bonus is they typically have a thumb hole to keep them from bunching up under everything.
A list of Great Warm Clothing for families:
- Any pair of wool socks {as much wool as possible in a blend if not all wool} is helpful, especially in wet weather. As a second layer of socks, they will pull moisture away from the foot, keeping you and your children dryer than without.
- Adult wool socks are great for little kids because they can act as almost a pant leg even; this means they also don’t fall down and become uncomfortable!
- Any sort of vest is a surprisingly effective addition to your warm clothing list.
Best Outer layers and waterproof clothes for kids playing outside:
- Muddy Buddy Rain Suit We have a whole collection of these in various sizes. They are light enough to be born in the summer during a muddy day but also big enough in the selected size to be worn over the top of warm layers in the winter. Most also came with a carrying bag so we have even popped them in a go bag and the kids put them on by the water after a short hike and popped them off before entering in the van.
Hats, Gloves, and Winter boots for kids:
- Stonz Stay-On Boots These are magical and have multiple layers, and easy to walk in. Other toddler boots are a nightmare for little ones to trudge through snow or walk in normally. They work so well for babies and kids up to about 3. There are also other products from the same company and I am just sure they work wonderfully too.
- We own several pairs of BOGS. We have them in thermal and regular rain boot. They are easy to pull on and the ones with neoprene are extra warm. And of all the boots we own for the bigger children, they are easy to walk in.
- Any hat that has an extra no-slip, warm ear band layer is super helpful.
- For little, little children, mittens are easiest so you’re night fighting fingers into the correct holes.
- Kids that are about 4-6, I usually upgrade them to a nice set of thermal gloves that have fingers and a sleeve almost. SnowStoppers are a must for this!
- Bigger kids, I like giving them gloves that have the option to pull back the glove or mitten and use their fingertips. Often if we are out exploring, then we are also observing. So the use of fingertips is helpful. But little kids otherwise pop them off and get cold, which is why I only recommend for older children.
More outdoor guides for families
Kara is an author and advocate for positive, grace-filled parenting. She is homeschooler to her 5 children living on a farm in New England. She believes in creative educational approaches to help kids dive deeper into a rich learning experience and has her degree in Secondary Education & Adolescent Childhood Development. She is passionate about connecting with and helping other parents on their journey to raise awesome kids!
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