Cold Clothes

[himom]

We'll be in Indiana in a month and we are completely unprepared for cold weather. Right now I'm in 83 degree temps, I'm wearing shorts and I've got all the fans running. DS is cruising around in just a diaper and t-shirt. And we're about to be in 43 degrees with snow flurries, and COLDER. Help!

Here's what I need to know: Man, woman, 22 month old child venture from house to car, then from car to another building. What should we be wearing? Since it's fast can we make do with jeans and jackets or do we need layers? Do we need to have boots or do any kind of shoes do if it's snowing?

What about if we play in the snow? Or go for a walk? Just add layers or do we need waterproof stuff?

Mittens? Gloves? What's the difference anyway? Do we need long underwear? Scarves? Earmuffs? Hats?

Who needs what clothes, and what kind is best?

If we go to the mall, what do we do, take off a bunch of layers once we get there? Or do we dress lightly and just run like heck for the door as soon as we get out of the car?

As you can see, I don't have a clue. I need a "Dummies" chart where I can punch in our activity and the temperature, then a list of every necessary item of clothing will print up for me. =(

Oh, I hope somebody can clue me in. I've known about this trip for months but now that it's looming I'm starting to panic.

I wonder if there's a website for this kind of thing...

Jodi
Mommy to Joshua, born February 2003

[Marisa6826]

I would hook up the three of you with some jeans and polar fleece. The fleece is nice and toasty warm, but you don't sweat in it and it's incredibly light. Also good for layering and doesn't get in the way of carseat straps.

As far as shoes go, sneakers will probably work. In fact, anything but sandals will cut it. Boots are really only necessary with really inclement weather (bad snow, slush, heavy rain).

I'd get a hat for the baby.Whether you and DH want to wear one is obviously your call. Where are you going? Is it crazy windy like Chicago? If it's really windy, you might want to add an anorak or windbreaker. A scarf is nice because you can wrap it over your head if you need to.

The difference between mittens and gloves is that mittens only have a single space for your thumb. Gloves have separate spaces for each finger and thumb. Mittens will easier on a kid, but gloves allow for more deterity. There are fingerless gloves than have fold over mitten covers. Great if you need to keep your hands warm, but need to have access to your fingers for keys or something.

Are you looking for dressy stuff or just get you through the weather casual wear? Are you going to be outside a lot or just in transit?

I'd get some sweats/leggings for around the house and definitely slippers or thick socks. That goes for the entire family.

If you give me more specifics, I can probably give you better information.

Good websites to check out are:

www.landsend.com (especially their overstocks page)
www.campmor.com
www.sierratradingpost.com


Let me know!

-m

[himom]

Thanks Marisa, that helps already. We'll be in Warsaw, Indiana. I'm not sure how windy it gets there.

Let's see...we're going skiing, to a concert, to a couple of family-type Christmas parties, shopping, and probably to church. So we'll need some semi-dressy clothes and the rest casual. And I don't know if weather will permit, but I really want to play outside with DS in the snow.

Can you wear a dress if its that cold?

There are some hats at Old Navy with little flaps for over the ears and velcro to keep them on. Do you think that would work for DS?

Jodi
Mommy to Joshua, born February 2003

[Marisa6826]

The Old Navy hat will definitely work for your DS. For him I strongly recommend a Lands End bunting. It's kind of a one piece jumpsuit made from polar fleece. Toasty, toasty warm. LL Bean also has them if LE doesn't have anything that excites you.

If you're going skiing, you will definitely need some sort of anorak or parka. I would go the layer route so you get more options out of your clothing. A turtle neck, polar fleece and then the jacket. Gloves and a hat too.

You can definitely get by in jeans for skiing, so you don't have to spend a wad of cash, but get long underwear to go underneath. Silk or duofold thermal stuff is great. The thermies can also act as pajamas. I've also seen polar fleece leggings that are nice to ski in and would lend a little more flexibility than denim would.

Instead of sneakers, you might want to try and find all weather trail runners. You can find them at Marshalls, TJ Maxx ,etc. As well as on www.sierratradingpost.com .

The only unfortunate situation is that none of this is really dressy for church. I supposed that you could get away with some nice trousers and a pretty turtleneck sweater (cashmere is really quite warm, but thin enough for layering. The only catch is that it's expensive. A good runner up is merino wool.). What's nice about the pants is that if you're really freezing you can still layer pantyhose or tights underneath and nobody would know the difference. You can get away with regular dress shoes and a nice handbag.

I'd stay away from a skirt unless you really feel compelled to wear one. You will freeze if you're not used to it.

Does anybody have a long coat you can borrow? I hate the thought of blowing all kinds of cash on clothing you're going to wear for such a short period of time. Your DH can probably get away with a parka for everything.

As far as your DS and DH go, corderoys will be warmer than khakis. I would do undershirts (onesies for DS, regular white for DH), a turtleneck or button down and then a sweater on top for dressy occasions. In most church situations that is sufficient. Don't bother schlepping a blazer.

In the scheme of things 40 degrees isn't cold to us Northerners ;). In fact, I don't bring my fur coat out of the closet unless I KNOW it's not going to get above 30 degrees for the day. ;) :P

Any other questions?

-m

[papal]

Hi Jodi! How are you doing? Haven't seen you here for a while! :)
Marisa has made some excellent suggestions.. i was just going to ask, are you staying with friends/family? I know when we have family/friends coming over from India and they are just going to stay with us a few days, we usually just loan them our extra coats/parkas... so maybe you can ask them if you need to get those? They are pretty expensive to buy and I don't see the point if you just need them for such a short period, you know?

LE has (or at least used to have) those fleece lined jeans.. they would be nice to have... maybe a couple of turtle necks and a fleece v-neck and some LE mocs and socks.

[jbowman]

We are about to make a similar trip in about a month (we're going to Indianapolis, which is a couple of hours south of Warsaw). We now live in a very temperate climate (it was in the 70s today), so I completely understand your situation.

That said, as a *Hoosier* (born and raised in Indianapolis), I can say that the weather in Indiana isn't that cold! It's not Antarctica, LOL!

For each family member, I would bring a warm coat, a scarf, a hat, and a pair of mittens or gloves (mittens for your son, gloves for the adults). I would bring some turtlenecks and sweaters, but don't go overboard. It might not even snow, although it will be cold. And it will probably be warm (or overheated!) indoors, so definitely dress in layers.

Have fun! Indiana is the best (and I say that without irony).

[Marisa6826]

Hey, if it works for Letterman, it can't be all bad! :P

-m

[jbowman]

LOL, Marisa. I often think that us Hoosiers have *strange* senses of humor. I think Letterman's mom lives in the same community as my parents (suburb of Indianapolis).

[jesseandgrace]

I know when my cousin took her kids skiing (she lives in Florida) she bought them stuff from ebay. I guess it is pretty easy to find winter coats and stuff that is cute but not expensive. It might be worth looking since you only need winter clothes for such a short time. We are in sort of the same situation, we are in California for a year, so it is pretty warm, but we are home in Boston for the next month. I am just putting ds in his winter clothes from last year, and dd in his really old winter clothes. I so want to but them both cute Hanna snowsuits and winter coats but I am resisting :)!

[Bethann31]

I'm from Shelbyville and my sister still lives there (well, kinda, long story....)

My mom lived in Columbus until she died. Tony Stewart (Nascar) lived with her for awhile so my sister and I claim him as our brother.

Beth

[jbowman]

Beth--First of all, I am sorry about your mom.

DH and I used to live near Columbus. I think that area of Indiana is the best part of the state. We no longer live in Indiana (and I was born, raised in Indpls), but I adore Columbus and miss it.

[August Mom]

You've received great suggestions. I would add that if you are truly playing in an accumulation of snow, you should have boots and waterproof pants (snow bibs or just now pants). However, it's entirely possible that there won't be enough snow to do this (unless there's someplace to play at the ski resort). I also wouldn't worry about the coat you wear to church. If you can borrow a dressy one, great, but it is not uncommon in the Midwest to see someone wear a casual coat/jacket with a dressier outfit (even a skirt). I also wouldn't worry about getting an expensive sweater unless you want to. Ask your relatives abot appropriate church attire at their church, but I would guess it's not a big deal what you wear (within reason).

In general, depending on the temperature, you can either make a mad dash from the car to indoors or remove your layers once inside the mall, although I would dress DS in a coat regardless.

If you buy this stuff new, I would make sure I could return it. Once you get there, you may not need it all.

For sure, I would have a casual coat for each of you, probably fleece or fleece-lined, gloves for you and DH, mittens for DS and a hat for DS if the coat has no hood. I would have a turtleneck or two, coordinating sweaters/sweatshirts and jeans or fleece pants. I really like ribbed turtleneck sweaters for most of the Midwest winters. They aren't too heavy, yet keep me warm. I like the poor boy turtleneck sweaters from Talbots, but I don't know that I would invest in those just for a visit.

It seems to me that there was another similar thread about a trip to Chicago several months ago. Reading that thread might help too.

Have a fun trip!

[trumansmom]

I lost your email address and I have your box ready finally! Email me and I will discuss contents with you. And I need your address again.

Sorry to be so disorganized!

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/29/01 and Eleanor 4/14/04

[candybomiller]

Jodi -

No clothing advice (no time, sorry!) but I just want to say that my father in law is about 15 minutes from Warsaw on Lake Tippecanoe. That's where we went this summer.

Have fun. ;)

[candybomiller]

Jodi -

No clothing advice (no time, sorry!) but I just want to say that my father in law is about 15 minutes from Warsaw on Lake Tippecanoe. That's where we went this summer.

Have fun. ;)

[himom]

Hi Jeanne,

You're talking to the disorganization queen. Case in point, I have also lost your email. =/ Mine is three jns @ yahoo.com (remove spaces).

Thanks again, it's so nice of you to donate. =)

Jodi

[himom]

I honestly don't know what's been wrong with me these last few days. I've been so flaky. My actual email, as opposed to the incorrect one I posted at 1:30 am last night, is

three jns @ yahoo.com (no spaces)

I'm off to get some protein. Maybe it'll help re-connect some of my brain functions. :)

Jodi
Mommy to Joshua, born February 2003

[missym]

Hi Jodi,

You've received some great advice, but I just wanted to chime in since I live in Fort Wayne, about 30 min away from Warsaw. I agree with Jill that it's not the arctic, but if you're not used to the cold, it may feel like it at times. The temp can vary a lot just in the space of a day or two, so layers are the way to go.

I wear dresses, but not if I'm going to be hanging around outside. You might want to invest in some long underwear for under pants/jeans. I love my Cuddle Duds! For playing in the snow, you may want a snowsuit for Joshua, but honestly I'd pick one up at a secondhand shop or on ebay. The Old Navy hats will be perfect.

All of the stores here have good sales on winter apparel for the holidays, so you might just wait to see what the weather is like once you get here. Right now, I'm just dressing DD as normal and putting her in a hooded winter coat for outings.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif
20 months and counting!

[himom]

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I feel more prepared now, and I hope to be able to actually relax and enjoy my vacation. =)

And I can't believe I didn't think of ebay myself! Thanks for reminding me!

Jodi

[himom]

Thanks for all the suggestions and help. I feel more prepared now, and I hope to be able to actually relax and enjoy my vacation. =)

And I can't believe I didn't think of ebay myself! Thanks for reminding me!

Jodi

[himom]

Wow, the boards are s l o w today.

[Elilly]

As an Indiana resident, I would second the polar fleece and jeans idea. I rarely wear a coat unless I will be outside for an extended period of time (5 minutes or more) b/c I find coats, well...annoying! The mall is heated, why would I need to wear a coat in there?! I do however, bundle my children up with coats and hats. No mittens and scarves unless DD is playing outside in the snow. As for shoes, I don't own snow boots or anything of the sort. HTH. I usually wear a turtleneck and sweater or shirt and fleece with regular khakis or jeans and am just fine. But I'm not used to 83 degree weather in December either!