Fall/Winter Must-Have List

[C99]

OK, so in my planning, I only got as far as the first 6 months. Now I'm seeing all these posts on winter stuff and I'm wondering, what the heck do I need?? Nate doesn't have a lot of clothing in the next size range. What should I be buying for the fall and winter for him? He'll likely start crawling and possibly walking in this stage. Any suggestions?

[kransden]

Good question, but it depends. My dd goes to daycare. The rooms get really hot. So I have to have a lot of layers for her. The car is freezing. Do you go out a lot or stay in? Georgia or Michigan, locale makes a huge difference.

Karin
Katie 10/24/02

[C99]

I live in Chicago and am fairly active in the winter. Nate likes to go outside at least once/day and I don't think this will change once it gets colder. I'm essentially a SAHM, so no need to worry about daycare or anything.

[KathyO]

I live in Canada, and one must-have item for me was the Kiddopotamus Fleece Cover-Up - http://www.kiddopotamus.com/prod_gbcufw.html It goes over a baby who is in a car seat, a stroller, or a front carrier like a Baby Bjorn. I love to walk, and although it's advertised as "up to 18 months", DD still wore it in the stroller this winter when she was 2, and will probably get another winter out of it as well. Great for those really cold, or really blustery days. A lot of people stopped to admire it.

For snowsuits, you have a lot of good options, but one make that impressed the heck out of me was Rugged Bear (www.ruggedbear.com). I think they still have some of their winter gear on sale right now. I got a Rugged Bear suit second-hand for my daughter, and I couldn't believe how windproof/waterproof it was, as well as being nice and warm. She actually sat down in a puddle up to her armpits to play, in NOVEMBER when it was barely above freezing... I figured that I could let her play a short while, and then whip the soggy suit off and stick her back in the car with the heater on high before she froze completely to death... Well, when I got the suit off, she was bone-dry underneath! As a bonus, the suit had the two-zippers design that I find easier to get on and off. But a single zipper that goes all the way to one ankle is also good.

For boots - make sure the "throat" of the boot opens up well, so that it won't be too hard to push an unhelpful toddler foot into it. A limp or wiggly kid can be VERY hard to dress in winter gear!

For inside - our house is chilly, so Robeez were a good house slipper. And at night, when things really got cool (it's an old house) I'd put her in a sleeper, and then into a fleece bunting, so that I didn't have to worry about her kicking her covers off (which she did, and still does).

Hope some of that helps - gotta go - someone has awakened early from her nap!

Cheers,

KathyO

[mam615]

I second the Kiddopotamus! (Kathy, I probably learned about it from you - thanks!). This was an invaluable item for Dorothy last year. I used it everywhere. Really convenient and not too expensive.