Sparkling snow. Christmas lights. Hot chocolate topped with marshmallows. Winter can be a magical time for both adults and children alike. That is, until you have to try to convince a three year old to wear his puffy winter coat at 7 in the morning. You plead, you beg, you tell him about how he is going to catch a cold. Which technically isn’t true since the common cold is transmitted through a virus. But research is on your side as some studies suggest that feeling cold might actually make us more vulnerable to getting sick if we already have a virus in our system. So, you do have a good case. But unfortunately, he doesn’t care. A coat is bulky, restricting, and down right not cool. Being a mom, I have a few tricks under my sleeve that I would like to share with you.
- Find a jacket that isn’t so “puffy.” It is amazing how advanced jacket makers have become with finding thin material that still keeps you warm.
- Take your child shopping with you to help choose a jacket he/she likes. As much as we adults love the brown and black sleekness of our coats, kids like bright colors and cartoon characters. If Elsa is what it takes to get them to enjoy wearing a coat, then so be it.
- Let them learn to put on their own jacket. Kids love being independent and rather than you grabbing them and forcing the jacket on them, letting them have control over it, makes the experience so much better for both of you.
Now you have finally gotten the dreaded jacket on your child. I have good (note the sarcasm) news for you. After all that work, you now have to make sure to take off their jacket before putting them in their car seat! Learn more about how to navigate winter coats and car seat safety from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
