Can I just skip hats and mittens this year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - 5 and 7. I'll be honest: I'm totally fine with them not wearing mittens and hats. And I usually do not care about judgment from others. For some reason, however, I just feel like a bad parent when I drop my kids off with bare heads and no gloves and I see everyone else's kids all warmly bundled up. I'm not sure why. I'm going to leave a set in the car and just ask if they want them as they leave. They will say no, but this will replace the argument where I insist, they protest, I insist, they take the gear and probably take it off as soon as I'm gone. Assuming we can even find it. That's 5 seconds of exasperation for all of our days gone.

There's a reason you feel like a bad parent here.

NP- which is why, exactly?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - 5 and 7. I'll be honest: I'm totally fine with them not wearing mittens and hats. And I usually do not care about judgment from others. For some reason, however, I just feel like a bad parent when I drop my kids off with bare heads and no gloves and I see everyone else's kids all warmly bundled up. I'm not sure why. I'm going to leave a set in the car and just ask if they want them as they leave. They will say no, but this will replace the argument where I insist, they protest, I insist, they take the gear and probably take it off as soon as I'm gone. Assuming we can even find it. That's 5 seconds of exasperation for all of our days gone.

There's a reason you feel like a bad parent here.

NP- which is why, exactly?

Why are people putting hats/mittens on kids in 40 degree weather? If it was 20 degrees that would be different. But above freezing? Ha, not worth arguing over and they'll lose them anyway.

[Anonymous]

I can see why you don't make them wear them on a daily basis, but I would buy some just in case they want them. I can't imagine playing in snow without good gloves and mittens. Heck, my son goes through several pair in one day (snow inevitably gets inside them).

[Anonymous]

I just bought 3 sets of identical hats/gloves at TJMaxx. I feel like mom of the year.
But I do seem to be the only parent who allow my kids to barely grab their coats, go to the car in the garage, drive 15 minutes to school with their car seat-heaters on, and then run from the warm car at the school curbside drop off into the overheated school building. Every other kid I see plops out of their car fully encased in winter grab head to toe (and I'm sure they too have a garage and backseat heaters). That, I don't get.

[Anonymous]

We have a box of gloves and hats by the door in the closet. Once the kids are school age, they can grab gloves and hats if they want them but I'm not going to force the issue unless we're actually spending a significant amount of time outside (i.e. sledding, sitting outside for a sporting event). When we lived up north, we also kept an emergency pack in the car with blankets, gloves, etc in the winter in case we got stranded but that isn't really necessary here.

Your kids aren't going to get frostbite and lose a pinky if they don't wear gloves to school. They'll be spending a grand total of 32 seconds going from the car to school and back.

[Anonymous]

I'd have some on hand if it snows. Otherwise I let my 6 yr old decide - you want to be cold? Fine.

[Anonymous]

In our house weather appropriate gear is one of the things not up for discussion. Some schools don't let kids outside for recess without hats and mittens, so you're also deciding that you don't care if your kids get to go outside during the day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just buy some inexpensive knit stuff from target to have on hand. It will last a couple years if they don't use it much. But there may be a couple of days when they need it so better to plan for it.

I've never really understood this. On the really cold days, the inexpensive knit stuff just doesn't cut it as the wind blows right through and body heat goes out between the knitting. Knit is fine for moderate cold, but many kids don't care about the moderate cold. You want hat and gloves/mittens for when it is dangerously cold, like frostbite type cold. Knit stuff doesn't help that much in those conditions.

OP, I recommend you get winter coats with hoods and the flip over sleeve covers. The sleeve covers are an extra flap of the coat material at the ends of the sleeves and if needed, you can pull your hand into the sleeve and flip the cover over the end of the sleep. It can keep the body heat in when it's really cold. The kids have that for an option like when walking to the bus in a cold wind or when they are sitting or standing outdoors on really cold days. You can't lose a hood or flap when it is attached to your coat. They don't have to use it, but it's there if they need it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In our house weather appropriate gear is one of the things not up for discussion. Some schools don't let kids outside for recess without hats and mittens, so you're also deciding that you don't care if your kids get to go outside during the day.

I'm OP. You must have very compliant children. I can say it's not up for discussion, and I suppose I could ignore my children if they start discussing my forbidden topics anyway, but I can't actually prevent them from saying "But I'm not cold!" when I say to put on your hat! You must be magic. At any rate, they've never complained about the recess thing so I guess it isn't an issue for them (note: we never had both hats and all 4 gloves by February 15 - that's when I gave up last couple of years).

[Anonymous]

My kids love hats, but I totally get the mittens thing, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP, I recommend you get winter coats with hoods and the flip over sleeve covers. The sleeve covers are an extra flap of the coat material at the ends of the sleeves and if needed, you can pull your hand into the sleeve and flip the cover over the end of the sleep. It can keep the body heat in when it's really cold. The kids have that for an option like when walking to the bus in a cold wind or when they are sitting or standing outdoors on really cold days. You can't lose a hood or flap when it is attached to your coat. They don't have to use it, but it's there if they need it.

This is a good idea - I didn't know about this.

[Anonymous]

I envy your family's cold-hardy genes, OP!
The children and I all need gloves any time the temperature goes below 45F.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Seriously people. Except for the under 5 kiddos, you shouldn't be wasting energy and disrupting otherwise calm, loving moments fighting with kids over this kind of crap. We don't live in Canada--they aren't going to get frostbite if they don't wear gloves. It's perfectly appropriate to let them figure this crap out themselves. When and if they get cold, TRUST ME, they know how to ask you for what they need. Don't waste the money on it until they ask you to. You're teaching them how to be more responsible with money in general and with the things you buy them, which are important life skills.

I'm from Canada. Yeah, it doesn't get as cold, or last as long, but no way am I letting my kid go without hat and gloves. If it's 10 degrees out, you better be prepared. We walk and take transit a coat hood absolutely does not cut it on the coldest days, so I'm guessing I'm coming at this from a different perspective than most people who have posted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our house weather appropriate gear is one of the things not up for discussion. Some schools don't let kids outside for recess without hats and mittens, so you're also deciding that you don't care if your kids get to go outside during the day.

I'm OP. You must have very compliant children. I can say it's not up for discussion, and I suppose I could ignore my children if they start discussing my forbidden topics anyway, but I can't actually prevent them from saying "But I'm not cold!" when I say to put on your hat! You must be magic. At any rate, they've never complained about the recess thing so I guess it isn't an issue for them (note: we never had both hats and all 4 gloves by February 15 - that's when I gave up last couple of years).

They can say they're not cold all they want, and you can still put hats and mittens on them/in backpacks. My kids are definitely not passive, but they know we always buckle our seatbelt in the car, always brush teeth, and always dress for the weather. That doesn't mean they don't complain about it, but we do those things anyways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just buy some inexpensive knit stuff from target to have on hand. It will last a couple years if they don't use it much. But there may be a couple of days when they need it so better to plan for it.

I've never really understood this. On the really cold days, the inexpensive knit stuff just doesn't cut it as the wind blows right through and body heat goes out between the knitting. Knit is fine for moderate cold, but many kids don't care about the moderate cold. You want hat and gloves/mittens for when it is dangerously cold, like frostbite type cold. Knit stuff doesn't help that much in those conditions.

OP, I recommend you get winter coats with hoods and the flip over sleeve covers. The sleeve covers are an extra flap of the coat material at the ends of the sleeves and if needed, you can pull your hand into the sleeve and flip the cover over the end of the sleep. It can keep the body heat in when it's really cold. The kids have that for an option like when walking to the bus in a cold wind or when they are sitting or standing outdoors on really cold days. You can't lose a hood or flap when it is attached to your coat. They don't have to use it, but it's there if they need it.

I'm not getting this - don't think I've seen it before. Where do you get these? Link would be appreciated!