How do you keep a hat on your "active" toddler?

[femalephish]

My daughter is active, spirited and willfull. She hates wearing a hat but now it's getting so cold I'm afraid we won't be able to play outside at all without at least a hat and maybe some mittens/gloves.

How do you keep hat/mittens on your active little one?

[westcoastlady]

My little guy used to hate hats too but up here they aren't optional. I got him a hat with a ball on it that he loves and now I can barely get it off of him. Could you let your daughter pick out a hat that she might agree to wear? This summer I would put the hat on his head and then immediately try to distract him with something else and he would just forget about it.. that might work too.

As far as mittens, he was really opposed to them this year (last year he was still to little to put up much of a fight...) so one day when it wasn't too cold (just around freezing) and he refused to put on his mittens I just let him go without mittens. It was windy and soon his hands were cold and he let me put his mittens on him. You can also get mittens that go up over their sleeves and cinch around their forearm that stay on a lot better. That way they won't fall off/ be pulled off.

I would say persistance is key... just let her know that in the winter you have to wear a hat (we both wear hats when we got outside) and every time you go out, put a hat on her. Soon, it will be just as normal as putting on a coat.

[lifeguard]

I put them on to start the day. Ds pulls them off shortly. I pick them up & offer them frequently. When he's cold enough he'll let me put them back on. I figure one day he'll figure it out that if he keeps them on he won't get cold.

[pixiekisses]

It's not optional.
We live on an ice berg, from fall to spring, hats are essential. And they often wear something on their heads in summer too the first few years.
I think it's just the norm for them, since they always have to when we go out, so it's never been a problem. Balaclava types are common when they're little (all up to 5-6 yo. or so), or types that you tie under their chin when they are babies/toddlers.

[Super~Single~Mama]

My friend got my ds one from Osh Kosh that I call an elmer fud hat. It velcro's under his chin, is adorable and warm, and harder to take off.

[hakeber]

I never could, but then I have never lived with a kid in a place so cold it's hazardous to just let it go until they get cold.

I have had more success with hoods that he could take on and off as his body temperature changed with playing etc.

I also hate hats so I am a bad example.

Maybe if you had a fun hat? I got a hat for Benjamin last week for our visit to the states for Christmas and it has a long long tail and is all rainbow stripes. He likes to wear it to bed and when it is a bit chilly likes to wear it, now even. He usually protests to anything on his head.

[tbone_kneegrabber]

balaclava or hat with chin strap have always gone over well. I knit and will knit a variety of hats each year and then ds has lots and lots to choose from. As in "which hat do you want to wear, orange with stripes or cupcake hat?"

[EdnaMarie]

I would say, first, do you have different materials she can try? I think using tie-on straps or a balaclava goes without saying, but also, make sure it's very soft and let her try a variety of fabrics. You can always give the extras to charity.

[Mayfly]

I agree that you should make sure it's soft and also that it doesn't obstruct vision. We have this hat from Patagonia and love it. The visor flips up, it snaps and stays put. Patagonia makes great winter coats too. They are roomy and not tight on arms. $$ but worth it, imo. I hate it when kids can't bend in stiff winter gear!

[July09Mama]

My dd kinda likes to play with her hats when we're at home, trying them on and such, and that has helped her be more ok with wearing one out. I also use a balaclava when it's really cold. She can pull it off of her head, but at least it stays around her neck and we don't lose it.

[MamaPhD]

DH and I always model for DD. If it's sunny outside, we ALL put on sunscreen & put on a sunhat. If it's cold out, we ALL put on a coat, usually with a hood. It really helps her to learn that it's what WE do, not it's what we make her do. Also letting her pick out which coat or hat helps her feel more in control.

[coyotemist]

My little guy (just turned 2) used to hate hats, too. Now when we put them on he keeps them on. I think it was just the reinforcement and reminders to keep his hat on. We would applaud him for wearing his hat, everyone clapped and said Yay!, and now it's a non-issue.

[carmel23]

Just having it be part of the routine, and I like the idea of modeling as well. *everyone* wears hats. I like the idea of allow the child to select one, and I use one with a tie.

Something like this hood works well, too. (Sonya has a good price, too!)

[anechka]

Originally Posted by femalephish

My daughter is active, spirited and willfull. She hates wearing a hat but now it's getting so cold I'm afraid we won't be able to play outside at all without at least a hat and maybe some mittens/gloves.

How do you keep hat/mittens on your active little one?

We live in PA and my 2 year old daughter wears winter hat all winter and a light hat in the spring. It is very windy in winter/spring here and hats are imperative. We started wearing hats when she was 3 months old, so she got used to them. I think that people in this country under-dress childred which could be fine when they just go in and out of the car. I see almost no kids outside starting in November. BUT if you want your kid to develop love and appreciation of the outdoors and build strong immune system, you need to let her play outside in the winter and hats are a must. I found that the kids' hats that are sold in stores are not comfortable and not attarctive at all. Kind of ugly, really. I buy her (and myself!) hats that are made in Europe: Germany, Poland or Russia to be precise; their hats just adorable! Warm and very, very, cute. So, try to find her a hat that she would love to wear; or ask someone to knit one.

[femalephish]

I knit her one last year but she hated it so much! She would always pull it off and it takes me so long to knit, I was crushed! Where do you buy yours?

Originally Posted by anechka 

Originally Posted by femalephish

My daughter is active, spirited and willfull. She hates wearing a hat but now it's getting so cold I'm afraid we won't be able to play outside at all without at least a hat and maybe some mittens/gloves.

How do you keep hat/mittens on your active little one?

We live in PA and my 2 year old daughter wears winter hat all winter and a light hat in the spring. It is very windy in winter/spring here and hats are imperative. We started wearing hats when she was 3 months old, so she got used to them. I think that people in this country under-dress childred which could be fine when they just go in and out of the car. I see almost no kids outside starting in November. BUT if you want your kid to develop love and appreciation of the outdoors and build strong immune system, you need to let her play outside in the winter and hats are a must. I found that the kids' hats that are sold in stores are not comfortable and not attarctive at all. Kind of ugly, really. I buy her (and myself!) hats that are made in Europe: Germany, Poland or Russia to be precise; their hats just adorable! Warm and very, very, cute. So, try to find her a hat that she would love to wear; or ask someone to knit one.

[anechka]

I buy my hats at the small international stores that are owned by the Eastern Europeans - mostly by the Polish and Russians. They often sell groceries and clothing at the same time. I live in Philadelphia and we have a bunch of Russian/Ukrainian/Polish stores that also sell kids clothing. Do you have any international stores in your area? Of course, NY city is the best place to buy kids winter gear. Sometimes I visit Russian stores in Brookline; they have all kinds of amazing things for kids that you won't find anywhere else.    

Also, this is sort of unrealated to your post, but I cannot help but notice multitude of people (colleagues, neighbores, friends) whose small kids are permanently suffering from ear infections. Could this be somehow (I know, I know bacteria is "always" the cause)  caused by NOT wearing hats when it is cold or windy? Growing up in Siberia and playing outside in subzero temperatures I and my siblings NEVER had otitis media. It was also unheard of among my friends and neighbors. Our moms always told us that we must protect our ears from cold and wind. We pretty much wore huge variety of different hats covering our ears all throught the year with the exception of summer. In summer of course, we wore sumer hats. Like literally I did not even know a single person - adult or  a kid who with an ear infection in my home town.  I moved to the US and it sounds like an epidemic around here. 

Edited by anechka - 11/10/10 at 7:41pm

[mamadelbosque]

I don't. I put one on, and ask them to leave it, but they just have to learn they are useful, but if they don't want to wear one thats fine. We just won't be outside as much  

[voca]

Originally Posted by MamaPhD 

DH and I always model for DD. If it's sunny outside, we ALL put on sunscreen & put on a sunhat. If it's cold out, we ALL put on a coat, usually with a hood. It really helps her to learn that it's what WE do, not it's what we make her do. Also letting her pick out which coat or hat helps her feel more in control.

This. During the summer I got my now 15 month old to wear her hat by putting one on myself every single time and then returning hers to her head every time she took it off.

Winter is here in the great white north and so far we've had no winter hat problems. Mitts are more of a challenge at the moment, but again modeling is helping.

[blizzard_babe]

I've found that big puffy mittens make it nearly impossible to remove a hat.

Then again, I live where both big puffy mittens and a hat are required garb. If he kept removing them, we'd have to go inside.