Coats

[SarahBear]

Anyone else wondering how the fall and winter are going to go in terms of your child and coats? Violet had issues with coats last winter and I can see things headed in a similar direction this year.

 

[alibaba24]

My kid won't even wear sleeves at the moment let alone coats. I'm worried about it as the temperature is really dropping in Scotland now

 

[Vickie]

I'm in Canada so the kids will have no choice but to have a full on snow suit on in a few months time! Hannah's old enough to do it all herself. And last year we really worked with Rhys trying to get him to put everything on. He's mostly okay but I am pretty sure he will need some help with things.

My kids hate the transition to winter stuff though. It's a huge fight to get them to start wearing coats and then boots and snow pants etc. Not looking forward to that!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

If they refuse I dont force them!

 

[Neko]

Can you go shopping and look at coats? It might help if she picks it out herself. Even if she's only willing to go with a fleece hoodie type thing, that should be enough. I would avoid pushing those huge winter coat things if she hates them.

 

[SarahBear]

I can take her shopping, but I know from experience she might be OK with something in the store, but not when it really comes down to wearing it. And with the stores available, there's a good chance she just won't like her choices. The coat we got her so far is just a wind breaker/rain coat. I figured it would be good for days that are simply wet or windy and other layers can be put underneath if it's actually cold. She tried putting it on once and didn't like it because it was too loose. Apparently she doesn't like loose clothes. She said she wants it to be "tight." If you think about how cotton pajama shirts fit on kids and how they're tight to the body, that's what she tends to like and I think that's what she wants in a raincoat... Pretty sure it's not going to happen! She likes blankets though. I wander how she'd do with a poncho type coat.

 

[Neko]

Ditch the raincoat, use an umbrella.

What about just letting her wrap a blanket around herself when you are going out? My DD loves fleece blankets and will run around the house wrapped up on one. I refused to let her in July and August though.

 

[SarahBear]

That's OK sometimes, but an umbrella isn't always practical. What about for hiking? What about for playing in general? What about when it's really windy? She isn't quite as hyper-sensitive as she has been at certain other times, but I have a feeling winter will not be a favorite season... I hope she surprises me with her coat wearing though. Perhaps when the weather really changes, she'll be more willing to wear a coat.

 

[_Meep_]

Would she tolerate a padded body warmer/gilet with a hood, and a thick jumper on underneath?

 

[SarahBear]

Would she tolerate a padded body warmer/gilet with a hood, and a thick jumper on underneath?

Had to look up all your UK terms to make sure I knew what you were talking about . According to my google search, "jumper" is a sweater? She hasn't been willing to wear a sweater since she was old enough to express an opinion about them. I have no idea how she'd feel about the other part though.

 

[_Meep_]

Sorry yeah, that's the same thing lol!

As someone who wears bodywarmers occasionally, I can confirm they are generally pretty close fitting and snug, but that may just be because I am a little chubby these days ...

 

[loeylo]

We live in Scotland and Gracie rarely wears a coat, our days out usually involve a car seat and she cant wear a coat in the car anyway. So if she does have a coat we need to stand outside and take it off anyway.

She usually wears fleece joggers and knitted cardigans on cold days, with a hat if need be. She's quite a hot baby who sleeps without blankets so it really isn't needed. I'm the opposite!

 

[Bevziibubble]

When Holly refuses to wear a coat I just leave her to it. She soon changes her mind once she feels how cold it is.

 

[morri]

Does your kid like softshell? I think soft shell is quite light but also tighter fiting usually and you can have a fleece jacket underneath.

 

[AnneD]

I don't really give mine a choice when it comes to that. If it's cold, she wears her coat, hat and mittens, winter boots and things like woollen tights (obviously trousers or dress etc as well) or she doesn't go out, it's not something I'm willing to discuss. And if we need to go out, we need to go out and she just has to get dressed appropriately for the weather. It's freezing cold here in winter. I guess it does depend on how cold it is where you are to a degree.

 

[RaspberryK]

I don't really give mine a choice when it comes to that. If it's cold, she wears her coat, hat and mittens, winter boots and things like woollen tights (obviously trousers or dress etc as well) or she doesn't go out, it's not something I'm willing to discuss. And if we need to go out, we need to go out and she just has to get dressed appropriately for the weather. It's freezing cold here in winter. I guess it does depend on how cold it is where you are to a degree.

This! There is no choice in this particular matter.

Xx

 

[SarahBear]

When Holly refuses to wear a coat I just leave her to it. She soon changes her mind once she feels how cold it is.

That used to be my approach. Last winter, however, she would let herself be miserably cold and be crying and completely non-functional. I'd eventually put the coat on her and it was a huge ordeal. If it was below a certain temperature, I'd make her wear a coat and it was also a huge ordeal. It was a damned if you do and damned if you don't sort of situation. It was worse without a coat, but we did have a couple hikes that just didn't happen because of how big of a deal the coat was for her. I do remember her eventually being OK with one particular coat but then she out-grew it. She is slightly more willing to add layers now which is new for her. However, she doesn't like the loose fit of a winter coat. I'm hoping that as she gets older, she'll be better able to problem solve and figure out what works for her. In the meantime, I don't know what would work best! There's lots of stuff out there for clothing for kids with SPD, but I don't see anything for winter coats... hm.... *still looking*

DISCLAIMER: I mentioned SPD, but that does not mean I'm claiming Violet has SPD. She clearly has sensory needs that go beyond many children, but I am not qualified to, nor has Violet seen someone qualified to diagnose SPD.

 

[SarahBear]

Does your kid like softshell? I think soft shell is quite light but also tighter fiting usually and you can have a fleece jacket underneath.

I don't know. Good question!

 

[SarahBear]

I don't really give mine a choice when it comes to that. If it's cold, she wears her coat, hat and mittens, winter boots and things like woollen tights (obviously trousers or dress etc as well) or she doesn't go out, it's not something I'm willing to discuss. And if we need to go out, we need to go out and she just has to get dressed appropriately for the weather. It's freezing cold here in winter. I guess it does depend on how cold it is where you are to a degree.

This! There is no choice in this particular matter.

Xx

For me, choice depends on two things:

1. Is it cold enough for coats to be required for health reasons, or is it just cold enough that I would not want to be without a coat? (around here, it doesn't get THAT cold, but it can be close to or at freezing if you go hiking in the mountains)
2. How well is she handling the cold? (If it's not cold enough to be a health hazard and the cold isn't making her unhappy, then she's fine.)

But when time and time again coats lead to complete melt-downs, you're going to look for solutions beyond "I just don't make it an option."

 

[AnneD]

If you put a few layers under the coat, it can become a much tighter fit. My kid hates tight clothes (unlike Violet) and I tend to buy her coats a size or even two bigger than she is. Have you tried giving Violet a wide stretchy belt on top of the coat? It will likely look naff, but if it helps, who cares.