Sunday, 15 February 2009
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Living Through Harsh Winters with Infants and Toddlers
Sorry southern Moms. This blog is not for you. Unless of course, you’ve endured at least one northern winter while taking care of infants and toddlers. This winter of 2008/2009 has not been especially a kind one to us Northerners.
Have you even been able to get out of the house much these last a few months? An endless cycle of ear infections, stomach viruses, etc. Then, when you (oh yeah – moms are not allowed to get sick) and your kid(s) are finally healthy, the house you’ve been invited to is now off limits because they are sick.
Did you miss the chapter in all the pregnancy and child-rearing books on “Living through Harsh Winters with Infants and Toddlers”? Where are all the advice on buckling a baby who’s doubled or tripled his body size with a snow suit into a car seat? Do you warm up the car ahead of time so by the time you’ve got the 2nd one settled, the first one’s overheated? And finally... everyone, including you, is buckled up, ready to go and you look straight ahead, but can’t quite see out of the icy windshield.
If too many frustrating excursions like these wear you out... sometimes it’s easier to just stay put. And then, cabin fever starts to set in. Dealing with cabin fever adds a whole other dimension to raising children, doesn’t it?
I don’t know. Is the answer to just ignore winter, dress your kids like it’s 60 degrees out and keep going? Or refuse to go out anywhere until you see the first robin? Neither is too realistic, so that’s when we need the encouragement of others facing the same challenges.
After all, you KNOW our blood is thick and we are tough, so we can handle whatever brutal winters throw at us.
How is everyone coping? What’s your secret getting out of the house these days with all the extra winter paraphernalia? Or dealing with cabin fever?
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- From: PagaMama
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Comments (6)
I agree with this COMPLETELY! I am an 18-year-old new mother and I've wanted nothing more than to take my daughter everywhere and show her off. But walking through snow with a 14 pound 3-month-old in a huge snow suit is such a pain. I've opted on only putting her in her snow suit now only when the weather is below 35 which yes i know it usually is up here in the north but those things are such a pain. I've been lucky enough though to have a healthy baby and she has yet to get sick. No ear infections, nothing. *Knock on Wood*
On the really cold told like here where I live, which is right next to Chicago in Northwest Indiana, it has gotten as low as 15 below and 35 below with the wind chill and let me tell you my daughter stayed in the house the ENTIRE TIME! Usually my boyfriend takes her while I go to work and I wouldnt even allow that. I would go to work and she would stay home with my parents and my sister.
On the not so bad days we go shopping and to the mall even if its just to walk around and not buy anything. Just to get out of the house.
I would have to say my lelast favorite thing about the winter though is DEFINITELY the snow suit.
It was very nice though last weekend when it was nice enough out that i could throw her in a onsie, sweat pants, and a cute jacket and bundle her up in her carseat, set her in her stroller, and take her for her first walk. It was wonderful.
Good luck to all the northern moms for the rest of this winter. Hopefully no more snow storms and harsh weather.
Of course Southern winters aren't that bad but when the temps drop below freezing, I bundle the kids up and we go to an indoor play area. When we lived in Oklahoma, we were regulars at the mall play zone during the cold months.
Now that we live in Texas, it's not really a problem at all.
Good luck and I hope spring shows up sooner rather then later for you.
I bought one of the warmers for the carseat as well as a cover up for the carseat for my now 5 month old daughter for the winter here. The ones that go in the carseat are alot easier because it has the places for the buckles.
My 3 year old son on the other hand pants and long sleeves and his winter coat. Haha, hes easier to dress for the winter.
fortunately, we don't have the cold temps here in the NW, but we do get the rain. i like those rain covers for the stroller, they are great for short walks. i tried to take my 9 month old out in the snow, but snow and strollers don't mix! i suppose you already know this! otherwise, we go to the mall for a change of scenery, or grandmas house. hope the weather warms up soon!
Hello
You have a good site I like it.
At the moment I don't have much time to comment further.
Yours
Mr. Mouse
I am from northern alberta Canada. Unless you're in the arctic, you dont get much colder or longer winters than this.
I just bundle my son up like nobodys business and stay in the house or indoor facilities as much as possible.
I find it hard to do things like grocery shopping or things like that with him because it can require him to be subjected to the cold for a few minutes while packing the groceries up adn taking them out, but I figure that we're human and were meant to endure farther worse things. I'm just a big baby about it sometimes because I know how much I hate being cold, let alone a little person.
With a baby as young as yours, you'll probably want to just want to keep them bundled or ask someone to watch her if there are things that you need to do that require you to be outside for longer than a few minutes. But other than that, she will let you know if she is uncomfortable.