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Keeping Kids Warm This WinterThe toys and togs may change, but one thing remains the same: kids love to play outside in the snow. Here are the latest advances in outdoor apparel that will keep your kids warm this winter, whether they’re skiing, sledding, building forts or just making snow angels. Outdoor outfitter L.L. Bean (www.llbean.com) simplifies gearing up the kids with their Kids’ Outerwear Outfits (pieces range from $16.95 to $69). But these are more than coordinating jackets, bibbed snow pants, hats, boots and gloves for boys or girls. Each piece of the outfits is also packed with details such as Thinsulate insulation, hook-and-loop fasteners for easy on/off and strategically-placed flaps and cuffs to keep out snow and ice. Lands’ End (www.landsend.com) sells a wide array of sizes, from infants to big kids ($6.50 to $129.50). To make selection easier, Lands’ End offers a temperature rating scale for its outwear, warm, warmer and warmest. They range from garments appropriate for 40-degree weather to minus 40, much colder than what most kids will encounter while playing outdoors. The company also builds many kid-friendly features into their children’s outerwear such as reinforced knees and seats, zippered cuffs on snow pants to make them easier to get on and off, PolarThin insulation so kids can run and play without feeling weighted down and D-rings for clipping mittens to jackets or snow pants. But if they do manage to lose one, Lands’ End will replace any missing glove at 50 percent off through its “Lost Mitten Club.” (Or, try this old trick for young ones: stitch a three-inch length of elastic to the cuff of each mitten or glove and to its appropriate coat sleeve cuff to ensure they won’t get lost in a snow bank until spring.) Old Navy (www.oldnavy.gap.com) also offers complete cold-weather outfits ($19.95 to $49.50 per piece) and suggests hoodies and turtlenecks to wear underneath. Although the quilted outerwear pieces are fleece lined and filled with insulation, they’re probably better suited for casual play than a day of skiing. But that’s why they’re more affordable than the performance-oriented gear from Lands’ End and L.L. Bean. Coordinating fleece gloves, and fleece or knit scarves and hats are also available but if the kids plan on playing for longer than a few minutes, they’d be better off wearing someone else’s lined waterproof gloves. Arizona’s line of outerwear, available at J.C. Penney (www.jcpenney.com, $7.49-$79.99), represents a good, basic roundup of bib snow pants, hooded jackets, scarves, gloves and hats. The jackets come in reversible, puffy, and 4-in-1 styles and the bibs are a classic snow pant with adjustable straps and polyester fill. Safety • Have kids try on their outerwear over the clothes that they would typically wear while playing outdoors to make sure it won’t be too snug. Let them walk around in boots for a few minutes. If your kids typically hate bundling up, let them help select their new outerwear. Or, consider that they might be dressed too heavily for occasion and temperature. • If it seems like some brands of girls’ outerwear is thinner than the boys’ version, you’re right. Some manufacturers put less insulation in their girls’ line. There’s nothing wrong with buying a boy’s coat and snow pants for your little girl and then accessorizing with more girly-looking hats and gloves if she desires. • Long scarves can become entangled in playground equipment or tree branches; go with a turtleneck instead. When dressing the kids for frosty forays, use several thinner layers, which provide better insulation than one heavy coat over an outfit. Have them start with long underwear or a light knit shirt and flannel-lined jeans. Top that with a medium-weight sweater or sweatshirt. • Wearing moisture-wicking socks inside boots can help kids who tend to have sweaty feet. Finish the ensemble with waterproof, lined and insulated outerwear, including gloves and hats.
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