Winter is at the doorstep, so it’s time for you and your daycare provider to prepare for cold weather. Responsible parenting requires preparing for winter weather with warm clothes and planning for possible cold weather emergencies.

Daycare Provider

Now is the time of year to talk to your daycare provider to determine what your child needs to bring to daycare for the coming winter season. If you have been with your childcare provider for more than a year, they may still have the cold weather gear from last year. If this is the case, you may need to replace some items with larger sizes, and replace items that may be worn out. Don’t put off purchasing cold weather boots and clothes. Cold weather can hit unexpectedly and you don’t want your child to be cold or wet at daycare. Your location will determine your child’s specific needs. Make sure they have a hat, coat, and shoes appropriate for the winter climate in your area. It is also a great idea to make sure your child has an extra set of clothes or two at the daycare in case they need to change. Make sure these extra clothes are also appropriate for the season. You don’t want your child to be stuck in shorts when there is two feet of snow on the ground!

Winter Preparation at Home

Now that you have made sure that your daycare provider has what they need, it’s time to make sure you also have what you need for your children at home. Your child’s extra clothes may already be at daycare or they’ve outgrown everything from last year. You might find that you are now short on appropriate winter weather clothes at home! This is a good time to stock up and be ready for the winter weather before it hits. Between wearing clothes out, sending them off to daycare, and simply outgrowing them, parents can count on purchasing at least a few sets of clothes and a coat or two. If the winter weather in your area gets cold enough for snow, it is also a good plan to buy a few hats and a few sets of gloves as well. Gloves and hats are very important when it gets very cold and these are the pieces of winter weather gear that your children are most likely to lose.

Winter Ready on the Go

As a responsible parent you will also want to make sure that you have a set of clothes stashed away in your car for your children. As with the other winter weather stashes, make all the gear fits. You don’t want to risk not having appropriate clothes for your children in case of a winter emergency away from home. Accidents happen and anyone can get stuck on the side of the road. It is very important to have everything you need to stay warm during these winter months no matter where you are.

It is also nice for parents to have spare clothes in the car to change your children’s clothes wherever you might be.

Donate your Old and Outgrown Coats and Clothes

Parents invariably find themselves trying to keep track of the huge amount of clothes, coats, shoes, and other items that children seem to go through so quickly. Oftentimes they outgrow these things before they wear them out. If they are in decent condition I would urge all parents to donate these to your local charities. Winter is often much more miserable for parents and their children when they can’t afford all of the things they need. A donation of an old coat or winter boots that are too small can make a huge difference and keep those less fortunate warm for the winter. So please do not throw these things out, give them to those that are in need.

Teach Your Children to Plan for the Weather

Finally, and one of the most important things you can do as a parent, is work to teach your child to prepare for the winter weather themselves. Kids are often absent minded and can run out to the car in a snowstorm without a coat because they are excited to go somewhere. You may not even notice because you are wrestling the infant into their own winter coat. Then ten miles down the road you discover your four year old doesn’t have a coat in a snowstorm. It might sound silly, but it happens.

Make it your goal as a parent to help to teach your children to stop and think about the weather. Not just what is happening now, but what might happen later in the day. If it is winter, they should always take a coat. Even if the morning is warm it might get cold in the afternoon. This really helps your children think about the day and gives them a sense of being grown up and responsible. While instilling important habits in them, you are also giving yourself a safeguard against that rush out of the house where things might be forgotten. Now your child is also thinking about what they are doing and the weather they might run into. You will find that your child will put their own coat on, shoes or even remind you that their sibling needs a coat as well. Compliment and reward this behavior in your child and you will be amazed how helpful they can be!