daycare moms - am I the only one that brings baby/child in without a coat on in winter?

[Catubodua]

I seem to be the only mom at our daycare who doesn't bundle their baby up in many layers of jackets, hats, blankets, etc.   It has been colder here in the morning (30's or 40's), but our LO is not outside except for the 10 foot dash between car & building.

He's quite comfortable in the (pre) heated car and I guess I just don't see any reason to bundle him all up for the drive over and the walk inside.  He is never outside at daycare now that the temps have dropped.

But, clearly, I'm in the minority because the other moms have their little one's bundled up like the little brother in A Christmas Story.

Am I the only one who thinks it's fine for him to be without a coat for the few seconds he's carried inside from the car? 

[TSomm]

My babe isn't off to daycare, but I don't bother with a coat for the dash from the car to the store.  I might wrap a small blanket around her if it's especially windy.

[la mamita]

I did the exact same thing when my kid was in daycare during the winter. I bring a coat and hat and gloves in the car, just in case the car broke down and we had to walk or something, and I'd send his winter gear to daycare with him, but I didn't like buckling him into the carseat with the coat on and the car was warm enough to be comfortable without it.

[Alyantavid]

Mine's older, but no.  They don't go out in weather like we've had recently (0 degrees and snowing) so there isn't much point.  I do have him in boots and a coat and keep some gloves and hats in the car in case we get stuck somewhere.

[laohaire]

Two separate issues.

1) No, my kid is not bundled up, and never has been. We live in New England. She runs hot and feels overheated with the usual bundling that I see. And I know what you mean, I see kids and babies dressed like they are going to sleep in the snow overnight.

2) I think it's good parenting to ensure you HAVE proper clothing on hand. Just a bag in the car with hat, mittens, heavy coat, whatever is not actually on the child. Sure, you're just dashing from house to car and car to store (or daycare or whatever) but you could run into a situation where you need to walk or sit in a cold car for a while.

So I sure don't think this stuff needs to be ON the baby, but it should always be available. Be prepared.

[Catubodua]

Originally Posted by la mamita 

but I didn't like buckling him into the carseat with the coat on and the car was warm enough to be comfortable without it.

there is a very valid point there too that i forgot to mention in my first post - it's simply not as safe to have layers of puffy clothing/blankets inbetween the child and the car seat straps.

glad to see i'm not the only one who thinks this way!

[Catubodua]

Originally Posted by laohaire 

Two separate issues.

1) No, my kid is not bundled up, and never has been. We live in New England. She runs hot and feels overheated with the usual bundling that I see. And I know what you mean, I see kids and babies dressed like they are going to sleep in the snow overnight.

2) I think it's good parenting to ensure you HAVE proper clothing on hand. Just a bag in the car with hat, mittens, heavy coat, whatever is not actually on the child. Sure, you're just dashing from house to car and car to store (or daycare or whatever) but you could run into a situation where you need to walk or sit in a cold car for a while.

So I sure don't think this stuff needs to be ON the baby, but it should always be available. Be prepared.

 #1 - this description made me laugh - yes!  exactly.

#2 - i am probably not as prepared for an emergency as i should be.  i have been relying on the fact that i have a newer, reliable car.  although, we do have multiple blankets in the car, so he wouldn't be in just his clothes if something were to happen.  but, it's a point well taken.

[marinak1977]

No I don't either. I do have a blanket in the car for him, and try to have him wear a fleece hoodie/make sure that we have a coat on hand. I do need to refresh my car stash of warm clothes though to include warm booties now that december is in full swing.

[McGucks]

One big plus for your way--I went to a car seat safety class by a woman who is the state educator on the topic.  She said to avoid putting a child in a car seat with anything thicker than a hoodie-style jacket since, in an accident, the extra thickness of a coat would be very dangerous.  I do the "pre-heat the car and dash" method also, but keep plenty of warm stuff (including a blanket) in the car in case of emergency.  Otherwise, I put a blanket over him in the car seat on the way out if it is cold enough to warrant it.

[lrgs]

My kids aren't in daycare but I don't bundle them to the nines either. It's cold here (Northern Canada) so they do need some layers but I don't do big snowsuits or puffy coats in carseats (because of the safety issues). Both my DD's wear MEC polar fleece with tuques and mitts, ODD has a blanket over her legs when it's very cold and YDD has a blanket over her seat because she's still in the infant carseat. I have an attached garage and an auto car starter so my girls are only outside from point A to point B and it's never overly far. My mom just can't fathom that I don't have them in big puffy coats, snowsuits. When we play outside we get bundled up in big coats, snow pants, etc, etc, etc.

[naturallymommy]

dh gets annoyed with me because i always bundle up ds like for everything, gloves, scarves you name it but its because i was raised in sicily seriously i blame it on that! 

[2xy]

Originally Posted by Catubodua 

#2 - i am probably not as prepared for an emergency as i should be.  i have been relying on the fact that i have a newer, reliable car.  although, we do have multiple blankets in the car, so he wouldn't be in just his clothes if something were to happen.  but, it's a point well taken.

Several years ago, my XH cleaned everything out of the back of our van in order to transport a large item. Then he didn't put any of the stuff back, and it never occurred to me to check (I usually drove the van, and he took the car).

A friend and I and our four kids drove an hour away to visit Plimoth Plantation. My 9yo was in "the way back" with my friend's daughter. He apparently was a bit carsick but didn't say anything. Right as we pulled into the parking lot, he barfed all over the floor of the van.....strawberry yogurt smoothie. It was horrific. There was nothing to clean him up with and no clean clothes for him to put on.

Weather aside....stuff happens. I wound up robbing the restrooms of all their paper towels and spraying the floor with some citronella insect repellent I found in the glove box. Luckily, hardly any barf got on the actual child. The ride home was....ahem....fragrant.

Sorry to hijack. Just felt like sharing that little anecdote....

[lrgs]

I'm glad I read this because I haven't been keeping emergency winter gear in the car...........huge DUH on my part!!!! Seriously.......I live in Canada, it's cold and I drive 1/2 an hour on the highway to visit my parents on a regular basis. Will be loading emergency supplies tomorrow.

[BirthIsAwesome]

Originally Posted by naturallymommy 

dh gets annoyed with me because i always bundle up ds like for everything, gloves, scarves you name it but its because i was raised in sicily seriously i blame it on that! 

This makes me laugh because I live in northern Italy (but born and raised in America) and if I do not have my son bundled up like you mention, the Italian moms "tsk, tsk" at me and declare "he's SO cold!"!!! hehe :) On the other hand, I get a "bravo!" when they see me breastfeeding in public :) I just love the Italian culture and love living here!

[mom2happy]

No bundling here. The heat is on in the car, the baby will have hat on and warm blanket over car seat straps.

I dont put a puffy jacket on any of my kids. They must be strapped in tightly. They bring their jackets and put them on as they get out of the car.

[naturallymommy]

Originally Posted by BirthIsAwesome 

Originally Posted by naturallymommy 

dh gets annoyed with me because i always bundle up ds like for everything, gloves, scarves you name it but its because i was raised in sicily seriously i blame it on that! 

This makes me laugh because I live in northern Italy (but born and raised in America) and if I do not have my son bundled up like you mention, the Italian moms "tsk, tsk" at me and declare "he's SO cold!"!!! hehe :) On the other hand, I get a "bravo!" when they see me breastfeeding in public :) I just love the Italian culture and love living here!

oh how funny!  yeah i'm not italian at all but we just happened to live there from when i was 4 til about 8 years ago.  i wish more than anything to be able to raise my babes there.  the culture really is great and has definitely made a lasting impression on me.
 

[nextcommercial]

You should at least bring it to daycare.  Even if it's not on the baby.

I'm a daycare provider, and I can promise there will be at least ONE day this winter that your child will need to be bundled up.  Just yesterday, one of my daycare provider friends had an emergency evacuation and they had to stand in the snow for 20 minutes before they could get back inside.  If your schools evacuation plan is three blocks down the road, your baby will be without a coat for about 30 minutes by the time they walk an entire school down the street.

Sometimes we want to take the kids outside.  I read on the daycare support boards all the time, that it's a HUGE pet peeve that parents don't dress the kids properly, and now nobody can go outside because one child doesn't have a coat, or mittens.  Almost every day in the winter, I see a post about that from a provider.   (I live in the desert, and it's not an issue here)

But, if my car was in the garage, and was warm before I put my kids in the car, I'd have them dressed warm, but not dressed in a coat, or all the other stuff for winter.  If my car was parked outside, I'd probably have my kids in coats.  (again, I live in the desert, so I don't really KNOW this... I'm just guessing)

[jecombs]

I don't always "bundle up" the kids for the ride to daycare, but I do make sure that they have heavy coats and hats waiting for them there.  My daycare is required by state law to take the kids outside for at least 30 min a day, unless it is actively precipitating or the National Weather Service has issued any watches/warnings/advisories.  Even my 7 mo. old is required to go outside, so I make sure he has plenty of layers to wear at daycare, including a hat (but no mittens... he would just lose them). 

[karen1968]

I always feel sorry for the kids I see that are bundled to their eye teeth! I never felt it necessary for my son. And in fact he would often take off a coat (or refuse to put it on) when I thought he needed one.

We just had another baby, and the nurses reiterated the "baby should have one more layer than you" advice. Which I suppose is valid with newborns and in some circumstances with older kids, but is too often taken to the extreme.

Right now, for taking DS to preschool, he wears a wool or fleece sweater/jacket over a long-sleeved shirt (temps in the low 40's) and we put a blanket over his legs in the car. We bundled him up more when we had a cold snap (temps int he low 20s) a couple of weeks ago, and usually take a hat and mittens with us places.

PP are right that you should not have kids in car seats wearing thick coats or snow suits. They trap air and the compression of a crash can mean the child is not securely fastened.  A good test - buckle the kid with the jacket, take them out without changing the straps and rebuckle them without the jacket. Are the straps too loose? Child should not wear that jacket in the seat.

[nola79]

No, I don't. My current baby is not in daycare but when my son was, I didn't. I did like a lot of others, and kept the gear in the car. For my dd, I don't bother with a coat from the car to the store, or wherever we're going. I really only use her coat if we're going to be outside for extended amounts of time.