Does a 12 mos old need snow clothes?
We're going to be heading to snow country for the holidays this year - first New Hampshire and then Bear Valley (south of Tahoe). We have warm clothes for our 10 mos old but not especially waterproof warm clothes (eg no snow mittens, snow pants, snow boots). Do you think she'll need it? Namely, should we expect she'll want to be sitting/crawling/walking/playing in the snow for more than a minute or two?
UPDATE: Just got back from both trips. Our 12 mos old was cautious at first about the snow, and also quite unwieldy in her (18 mos old handmedown) snowsuit and ($11 Walmart) snow boots. However, by the end of the 2 weeks, she was walking in the snow and sledding with the best of 'em. So our net for our kid:
- snow pants / suit is a good idea for sledding at least, if not for sitting/crawling,
- mittens not worth it if the snowsuit is large enough,
- better snow boots might have been a good investment / worthwhile to hunt for 2nd hand - just so she could enjoy walking in the snow more (that is, have more control and stability).
Thanks for all the suggestions!
6 Answers
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I think your daughter will want to explore the snow at least once. If you don't have waterproof items, just have a change of clothes and warm towel ready. I'll bet you'll find that she wants to play longer, so having a single 1-piece waterproof coverall (from toe to neck, including mittens) is a worthwhile investment. We used it for our daughter last year in Tahoe when she was the same age, and she loved it. Buy used if you can because she'll outgrow it in no time and you may only get 2-3 uses out of it on this trip.
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We took our kids up to Tahoe when they were 16 months old, and neither of them wanted any part of playing in the snow. We had some fun sledding, but actually touching the snow was way too cold. I would skip the waterproof stuff for this year.
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Here in NH, snow is a fact of life all winter long, UGH!. Our kids had one piece snowsuits from walking age on. At their youngest, we usually did not play "in" the snow as much as pull them around in a sled. In that case, any warm outfit, blanket and a change of clothes will do.
Luckily, we have many friends with little munchkins of varying ages, so with Family visiting from out of town, we plan to borrow some warm outfits :)
If you plan to spend more snowy outdoor time,check a consignment clothing store for used snowsuits. They hardly get any wear and are very economical with growing little bodies.
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My daughter wasn't into the snow when we traveled north last year (she was one at the time), so the snowsuit turned out to be something she only wore once. Luckily it was borrowed from a cousin, so no money was lost. Had we not had the option to borrow, though, I would definitely have bought one from a consignment store anyway - I'd rather she have the option to explore the snow and decide on her own whether or not to play in it.
So my short answer is to purchase one second-hand and then sell it back once you're done with it. It would be a shame to not have the option to play in the snow at all.
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We got snow pants the size of a 2 year old, thinking that this year we can roll the legs up for what little use the pants wil get and next year they'll fit well, when they're really needed. We hope this will work!
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I would definitely get used / craigslist / freecycle if you can. We got most of our snow clothes this way, and have passed the clothes that we outgrew back into the reuse stream. Especially for 1-2 years old, and especially living here in the California burbs, the snow clothes are rarely sued more than a couple times before you're ready to pass them on. We seriously have snow clothes from the 80's (think neon triangles) that are still good enough to use the once or twice a year we've used them.
