Winter Clothes for Kids

Can you feel it?  There's a nip in the air and it's time to bundle up the little ones and even the teens in some warm gear.  Hats,  scarves,  gloves,  that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Read on for more advice on cold weather clothing for kids.

Guide to getting dressed for the great outdoors:

• Golisano Hospital (in Rochester, NY--they know about cold!) recommends the following tips for keeping your kids safe and warm this winter:
• Dress them in layers in order to stay warm and dry.
• Have your kids wear bright colors to be easily seen when weather gets bad.
• Be sure your child wears a hat, scarf, and gloves, and keeps his/her ears covered.
• Pay attention to weather reports and avoid outdoor activities during severe wind chills and extremely low temperatures. Infants and toddlers should not go outside when the wind chill dips to 10 degrees or below.
• Know the symptoms of hypothermia and frost bite.
• Make sure children know to never touch metal during cold temperatures, and to never eat snow.
• For outdoor sports read the Kids N Snow tips for making skiing more enjoyable for your kids (Note: many of the same tips should also work for other outdoor sports like ice skating, sledding, etc.)
• Heated ski boots  are the warmest, but most expensive option for keeping those little toes toasty.
• Select socks that wick sweat away from skin.
• Spread some lambswool  around the toes and fingers tends to keep the heat in.
• Mittens  work better than gloves.
• Tuck handwarmer packs  inside mittens and socks.

Accessories
Hats  Cotton : least warm option, but easy to wash. Fleece : light and warm Wool : warmest option.	Scarves  A handknit scarf is a lovely gift, but make sure it's not so long that the child trips on it. Neckwarmers  are a good idea for outdoor sports. They pull on over the child's head and stay put!	Boots  According to Zappos.com: Tundra,  Ugg,  Hush Puppies  are the most popular brands. Make sure to bring thick socks when trying on boots. Never buy shoes more than one size too big.	Gloves  Gloves can be wool,  fleece,  or gortex --skip the cotton because they'll just get soggy. Mittens  are a nice warm alternative to gloves, but it's harder to throw snowballs with mittens. Mitten  or glove clip may be a good idea.

Outerwear
Fleece  A good layering piece. Can be worn alone over a sweater or combined with a gortex shell. Most fleece is washable. REI ranks North Face  and Molehill  as the top brands for kids.	Coats  Types of coats include: insulated jackets,  pullovers,  peacoats,  dress coats.  Make sure your child tries the coat on while wearing a sweater to ensure a good fit.	Down Parkas  Probably the warmest option for children's outerwear. Shopping.com lists top brands as: North Face,  Columbia  and Juicy Couture  for Kids.	Snowsuits  Great option for toddlers (four and under), but they can be more cumbersome than a separate jacket worn with ski-type pants. Look for a water resistant fabric on the outside and insulation on the inside. Make you can easily get your child in and out of the snowsuit.

Clothing
Turtlenecks  Excellent layering piece. Widely available from well known brands like the Gap,  LL Bean,  Hanna Anderson,  and Lands' End.	Snow Pants  Much better than sledding in jeans--cotton gets cold and soggy. Bib type snow pants  will keep snow from getting to warm body parts.	Sweaters  Wide variety of fabrics: wool,  cotton,  synthetic and cashmere  to name a few. Styles can range from turtleneck  to v-neck  to cardigans.  Best to buy these with a bit of room for a turtleneck underneath.	Thermal Underwear  REI recommends Molehill  and Patagonia.  Union jack style long underwear is cute--but much more difficult to get on and off during bathroom breaks.

More Information on Clothing for Kids

• MSNBC: Advice for keeping kids healthy and active even in nasty weather.
• Associated Content: Offers 10 tips to keep your kids healthy this winter.
• Sun Journal: Gives advice to make sledding safe and fun!