by Kaye Boss

Created on: November 21, 2009

It's finally come; the first snow. They're standing eagerly at the kitchen window in their Spider Man or Princess pajamas. Barefoot and ready to run outside into the cold and wet outdoors to play for hours. Before they race outside though; you start to pull out the winter gear from the prior year and even though their excitement fades for a second they are still eager to get outdoors.

What should your children be wearing for the winter months and how can you teach them that it's important to wear these things? While many children may see it as torture to walk around, waddling like penguins, just to stay warm and dry; it is essential to their health that you dress them this way. Be sure to inform your children of the importance of wearing winter gear so that when they are in school, you can rest assured that they're dressing warm so that they don't come home with a nasty cold.

So, to start things off, why is it so important for children (and adults even) to dress warm in the winter? It's important for children to be bundled up because cold weather and wet weather can lead to sick children. Eating well and staying active are not enough when you're battling mother natures coldness. Children know that they don't enjoy getting sick. Who does enjoy spending the day in bed with a box full of kleenex and nothing more to eat than a big bowl of soup? Children do not understand frostbite and other sicknesses that can come from being too exposed to the cold. Inform your children of these things without frightening them. The cold is not a danger to your child if they are prepared. Remind your children that if they get sick, they won't be allowed to play in the snow and hopefully this will encourage them to dress warm on their own. You know your child best though so adjust this to what you think will encourage them to wear warmer clothing (inside and outside).

Now, what is warm winter clothing? Let's start from the head and work our way down. Obviously, the first important thing that needs to be covered is the ears. Children can wear hats, headbands, or ear muffs. Especially for young children, hats and headbands are best because they are least likely to fall off and expose their ears. Some children may also choose to wear a head/ski mask; which comes to our next body part to cover- the face and neck. Scarves are usually used to cover the face however, as listed above there are other options such as ski masks. Make sure that the scarf you have selected is an appropriate

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